Custom graphics are how a working vehicle stops looking like a personal car with a phone number on the door and starts looking like a business. We design and install custom graphics for fleets, work vans, trucks, trailers, and single-vehicle owner-operators across DFW. Here is what the work actually involves.
What “custom graphics” covers
The term is broad. It includes any of the following.
Cut vinyl lettering and logos. Single-colour or multi-colour vinyl, plotter-cut and applied to painted body panels. Company name, phone number, license number, website, tagline. The lowest-cost custom option and the most common for a single-vehicle owner-operator.
Printed vinyl graphics and panels. Full-colour printed vinyl applied to door panels, lower body sections, rear doors. Allows for photography, gradients, complex logos with multiple colours.
Partial wraps. Printed and laminated cast vinyl covering specific sections of the vehicle. Lower doors, hood, rear panels. Bridges custom graphics and a full wrap.
Full commercial wraps. Printed cast vinyl across the entire painted body. The vehicle becomes a four-sided rolling billboard.
Window graphics. Cut or perforated vinyl on the rear and side glass. Perforated allows the driver to see out while the design shows on the outside.
Reflective graphics. Reflective vinyl that lights up under headlights at night. Common for emergency response, towing, security, after-hours service.
How we design custom graphics
The design comes first, the install comes second. We work from one of three starting points.
You bring finished artwork. If you already have a logo, brand colours, and a designer who has produced print-ready artwork, we install from your files. Vector format (AI, EPS, PDF) is what we need.
You bring a logo and basic brand info. We design the layout from there. Door treatment, rear treatment, lettering placement, contact info hierarchy. We send proofs back for approval before any vinyl is cut.
You bring nothing but a vehicle and an idea. We design from scratch. Logo, colour palette, layout. We charge for design time at this level since it is more work than a layout based on existing brand assets.
We do not cut vinyl until the proof is approved. That is the safety net. No surprises on the vehicle.
What we install custom graphics on
Almost any work vehicle, but the most common are:
We do graphics on existing painted surfaces. We can also do graphics over an existing wrap, which is common when a business rebrands without replacing the whole wrap.
Cost ranges
Real ranges. Quote depends on the vehicle, the coverage area, and the design complexity.
For multi-vehicle fleets, we can quote a coordinated package. Doing 3 vans in matched layouts costs less per vehicle than doing them one at a time months apart.
Materials we use
We install 3M and Avery cast vinyl for custom graphics. Both are 5 to 7 year outdoor durability rated. Both come in printable and solid-colour options. Both are laminated for UV and abrasion protection in Texas sun.
We do not install calendared vinyl on permanent custom graphics. Calendared film shrinks back from edges within a year on a Texas vehicle. It is fine for short-term promotional graphics that come off in 3 to 6 months. It is not fine for a fleet vehicle that needs to look professional for the next 5 years.
For reflective graphics, we use 3M reflective sheeting graded for vehicle use.
Install time
Cut vinyl lettering: a few hours on the bench.
Printed vinyl panels: half a day to a full day depending on coverage.
Partial wrap: 1 to 2 days.
Full commercial wrap: 4 to 7 days depending on the vehicle and the design.
We pull mirrors, badging, and door handles where needed so the vinyl tucks under properly. Surface-laid graphics lift at the edges within months.
How long custom graphics last
5 to 7 years on quality cast vinyl with proper installation, washed regularly with pH-neutral soap and parked in shade when possible. In Texas heat we tell owners to plan for the lower end of that range if the vehicle parks outside daily.
The lamination on top of the printed graphic is what protects the print from UV fade. Without lamination, printed vinyl fades meaningfully within 18 to 24 months. We laminate every printed graphic by default.
What happens when graphics need to come off
This is where vinyl wins on the back end. Old graphics peel off with heat and the original paint underneath is preserved. A van that has carried company graphics for 5 years comes back to factory paint when removed.
Long-term graphics on faded paint will leave a darker rectangle where the vinyl protected the paint underneath. The fix is paint correction and polish, or full repaint if the contrast is too sharp.
Wraps avoid this problem because the wrap covers the entire panel, so the paint fades evenly under the wrap.
What custom graphics are worth
A work vehicle with quality graphics looks like a business that takes itself seriously. A work vehicle with peeling magnetic signs looks like a side hustle. The difference shows up in what jobs the phone rings about.
Industry research has put commercial vehicle graphics among the lowest cost-per-impression advertising options available, particularly for service businesses with vehicles that drive routes through their service area daily.
Service area
We design and install custom graphics for businesses across Wylie, Plano, Frisco, Allen, Garland, Rockwall, Murphy, Sachse, and Lavon. Single vehicles and small fleets both welcome.
To start a quote, call 972-439-1411 or email ShellShockedWraps@gmail.com. Bring your logo, a photo of the vehicle, and a rough idea of what you want.
This article was drafted with the help of AI and reviewed by the Shell Shocked Wraps team.
