Fleet Lettering

If one orders our fleet lettering can they expect it to be placed on a single sheet of pre-masked transfer tape?

– In most cases, the individual letters and graphics contained within one’s fleet lettering quoted design will be appropriately spaced and placed on a single sheet of transfer tape, making application simple and easy.
However, if fleet lettering exceeds the size of forty-eight inches, for black and white colors, or twenty-four inches, for all other colors, in either width or length, the fleet lettering will be split and placed onto two sheets of transfer tape. If the quoted fleet lettering comes in three colors or more, it will be placed on multiple sheets of transfer tape, as many as there are colors.

Why can’t fleet lettering contain any printed elements, such as gradients?

– Our fleet lettering cannot contain any printed elements because it is not produced by printing a design onto a blank sheet of vinyl material, instead it is cut out directly from the pre-colored vinyl. If one is interested in a vehicle signage solution that contains these elements, they need to refer to our other types of fleet graphics, or vehicle decals.

Does fleet lettering consist of individual design elements or is it one continuous piece of material?

– Fleet lettering, also known as ‘cut vehicle vinyl’, are individually printed and cut letters with an adhesive backing.
Our fleet lettering will typically be produced as individual letters, but comes pre-masked with transfer tape for easier application. For more details about pre-masking, transfer tape, and application instruction please refer to our guide below.
Alternatively, our opaque, clear, and perforated vehicle decals are similar signage solutions that can be cut to custom shape, but come in one piece as opposed to our fleet lettering.

How thick is our vinyl lettering?

– Two millimeters-thick (fifty microns). The material itself presents an admirable combination of durability and aesthetics.

What are the minimum and maximum sizes for fleet lettering one can order?

– The smallest fleet lettering we are able to produce is technically one inch by one inch. However, an important thing to consider is stroke width. Stroke width refers to the width of any given letter in the quoted fleet lettering design. Extremely narrow letters, or narrow parts of letters, may prove problematic when printing and weeding out the fleet lettering product. Therefore, any custom design one wishes to quote for their fleet lettering order should avoid of extremely narrow fonts. For this reason, custom fonts which we haven’t listed on our website should be sent to us so we can accurately determine our ability to produce them.
Our fleet lettering can be up to twenty-four inches in one dimension and up to six hundred inches in another. If one needs signage that is larger than that, we are still able to accommodate them with our other offers. Do not hesitate to contact us and inquire further.

What are the differences between fleet lettering and our other fleet graphics?

-There are two major differences between our fleet lettering and our other fleet graphics. Our fleet lettering is cut from a pre-colored vinyl material and cannot contain any printed elements such as photos or gradients, while our other fleet graphics are printed onto vinyl material with adhesive properties and therefore have no printing restrictions.
The other major difference is that fleet lettering comes as individual letters, or design elements – all of which can be installed at once -, while our other fleet graphics come as one continuous piece of material, but may also be cut to shape if necessary?

Do we offer colors for fleet lettering beyond what is presented on our website?

– Sometimes we are able to produce fleet lettering in colors other than what we have presented on our website, but this requires a custom quote, which tends to take more time. Do not hesitate to contact us and inquire about your desired color.

Do we offer font options for fleet lettering beyond what is presented on our website?

– Sometimes, we are able to produce fleet lettering in fonts other than what we have presented on our website. Do not hesitate to contact us and inquire about your desired font.

What affects the price of fleet lettering?

– The primary factor that affects the cost of fleet lettering is the size of the product. Aside from that, the quantity is also taken into account for determining the final price. Another factor that may slightly influence the factor is the number of colors incorporated into the fleet lettering. Having multiple colors in the fleet lettering will slightly increase the price, and so will ordering fleet lettering in custom color that is not offered on our website.

Do the colors we have presented on our website match how they look in real life?

– When fleet lettering is produced, color shades can vary from monitor to monitor. With standard signage we are able to offset this by producing fleet lettering in custom color matching for a fifty USD charge.
Because we craft our fleet lettering in pre-colored material instead of printing it in blank, we are unable to guarantee that the colors of the material will perfectly match the specific shade one is looking for. The colors one can see on screen – provided they use standard settings – are fairly close to the product one actually receives. However, we utilise a standard color set for vinyl and are happy to provide our customers with a list of shades we have in stock.
Is our fleet lettering pre-masked?

– Yes. Our fleet lettering comes with a pre-masked transfer tape for the purpose of easy, all at once installation regardless of the type of vehicle it is designated for.

What is pre-masked transfer tape?

– Pre-masked transfer tape, also known as ‘pre-masked transfer paper’ is material which is laid over fleet lettering. Once the back liner has been removed, and fleet lettering has been installed, peeling it away will leave the fleet lettering in place of the desired surface.
It is important to note that complex fleet lettering designs with multiple colors will not come on a single sheet of pre-masked transfer tape like simple one-color designs. In these cases, one will need to layer the colors individually on the desired surface in order for the final design to be put in place. One may refer to our detailed fleet lettering installation manual we have provided below, where we explain the process for both complex and simple designs.

Does our fleet lettering have a laminate over top?

– No, our fleet lettering does not have laminate on its external side. Our fleet lettering is professionally crafted to last between eight and ten years, indoors or outdoors, without any laminate use. We manufacture them with ultraviolet-protected material to ensure a long lifespan.

What are the design restrictions for fleet lettering?

– As we have mentioned above, printed elements such as photos or gradients cannot be incorporated into fleet lettering. Additionally, our fleet lettering ought to be applied onto flat surfaces for the optimal adhesion and durability. Otherwise, our fleet lettering is an extremely versatile vehicle signage solution, as well as a very durable product.

Fleet Lettering Usage

Is our fleet lettering reusable?

– Our fleet lettering can be removed at any point without any issues. It is, however, worth noting that our fleet lettering is semi-permanent and not repositionable. Once it has been installed, our fleet lettering can be removed, but not reinstalled.

What surfaces does our fleet lettering best adhere to? Are there any restrictions?

– Generally speaking, the main principle behind fleet lettering usage is that it will work on any smooth, non-porous surface. Therefore, surfaces such as tile, metal, painted drywall, painted wood, and plastic are perfectly suitable surfaces to apply fleet lettering to.
Our fleet lettering does not adhere well to porous surfaces. As an example, untreated and rough wood will not work, while treated and painted wool most likely will. Specific surfaces our fleet lettering will most certainly fail to properly adhere to include brick, heavily textured surfaces, cinder block, paneling, stucco, some types of wallpaper, unfinished wood, and concrete.

Can fleet lettering be applied to different vehicles?

– Yes. Our fleet lettering, as long as it is applied to an adequate surface as the ones we’ve describe above, should work on any type of vehicle, including cars, trucks, buses, box trucks, vans, delivery trucks, semi-trailers and any other type of vehicle.

How does fleet lettering work with (tinted) windows?

– If one intends to use our fleet lettering on a vehicle window they should be aware that fleet lettering is opaque in nature. Therefore, large fleet lettering designs may obscure visibility for the driver. It is our recommendation that, if one needs large vehicle window signage product that will not hinder the driver’s view, they refer to our perforated vehicle decals instead.
As far as tinted windows are concerned, we recommend one uses a light color for their fleet lettering design that will provide contrast to the usually dark color of tinted windows. Otherwise, our fleet lettering may be difficult to read.

– Will our fleet lettering ruin the vehicle paint?

– Our fleet lettering is designed and manufactured to prevent damaging vehicle paint as long as they are installed. The only damage to vehicle paint that may come from using our fleet lettering would be caused by using a sharp tool when attempting to peel it away, and cheeping or peeling the paint itself/
Nevertheless, with or without sharp tools, we do recommend that fleet lettering is removed with utmost care in order to ensure no damage is brought upon any underlying paint.

How is our fleet lettering removed? What it has been applied for a long period of time?

– Our fleet lettering can simply be peeled away just like any other sticker. It is our recommendation that it is peeled away slowly and carefully in order to avoid damage to the vehicle paint. Our fleet lettering may leave behind some residual adhesive, which can easily be removed with a very mild cleaner mixture and some light scrubbing. Sometimes, a sharp tool may be necessary to remove fleet lettering that has been installed for extended periods of time. We advise that this is also done extremely carefully as to avoid damaging the background surface.

Do we offer fleet lettering removal services?

– Absolutely! Our in-house team and network of certified national installation services combined cover all of the contiguous United States in assisting with fleet lettering installation, and removal. Regardless of the number of vehicles in question, be it a single one or a hundred, regardless of the location we are able to print and install our fleet lettering in a matter of days at our customer’s location.

What are the most common uses for our custom fleet lettering?

– The most common uses for our fleet lettering are mobile business or product advertising. This is commonly used by business owners who visit customers rather than have customers visit them. These include tradesmen – such as plumbers, electricians, landscapers, contractors, etc. Also, catering companies, delivery services, proprietors of home businesses or individuals who work on their own, realtors, photographers, etc. Our fleet lettering can also be used for vehicle branding or regulatory purposes. Regardless of the type of business in question, our fleet lettering is an extremely effective advertising solution.

Can one apply fleet lettering to the inside of a window and have it visible from the outside?

– Absolutely. Our fleet lettering can be created to be visible outside with internal window placement. This a specialized design, however, and one should select ‘inside glass’ option when placing their order.

Can fleet lettering be stored for future use?

– Our fleet lettering can be stored for a short period of time – between one and two months – but we advise that it is installed as soon as possible in order for the adhesive solution to work its best when applied.

Fleet Lettering Installation and Care

How does one install our fleet lettering?

– Our fleet lettering does not require professional assistance for installation. Although, when it comes to larger designs, some help may be necessary in order to prevent the material from prematurely sticking to the surface or itself.
Complex designs with multiple colors will require that the fleet lettering is placed on the desired surface in layers. We have outlined this prices below.
The steps to installing fleet lettering have been presented below. We advise reading all the steps carefully before staring the application. The steps we have outlined below should be followed in order to ensure proper application.
– The surface which the fleet lettering is to be applied to should be cleaned with non-abrasive rag and a very mild cleaner mixture, or slightly soapy water.
– The surface should be left to fully air dry prior to the application.
– The area to which fleet lettering is to be applied to should be measured in advance.
– The area to which fleet lettering is to be applied to should be marked prior to installation.
– Without removing the backing of the fleet lettering or the transfer tape – which is placed on top of the fleet lettering -, one should use masking or painter’s tape, or any other suitable tape, to affix the top edge of pre-masked fleet lettering to the previously marked area.

* For fleet lettering designs with multiple colors, two vinyl lettering dots, one in the upper left corner and one in the bottom right corner, will be included with the product on each layer in order to facilitate correctly lining up each layer on the desired surface.

– The backing of the fleet lettering should be carefully peeled away, stating from the top. Not all backing should be peeled away. Initially, only a thin horizontal stretch of the backing should be peeled. Transfer tape and fleet lettering, both of which have their adhesive side exposed at this step of the process, should be prevented from touching the wall.
– While holding the adhesive sides of transfer tape and fleet lettering away from the wall, a hand or another flat surface, such as credit card or squeegee, should be used to evenly and firmly press the adhesive backing of the fleet lettering and transfer tape to the surface. This should be done top to bottom, across the horizontal stretch which has been exposed in the previous step.
– The backing is to be peeled away little by little while the lettering is evenly and firmly pressed, with transfer tape on top of it, onto the surface.
– Once the fleet lettering has fully been applied to the surface, the transfer tape is to be carefully removed.

* For complex designs with multiple colors, once the first layer has been applied to the surface, including the dots in the upper left and bottom right corners, the next layer should be placed by aligning the dots of the second layer with the first layer. It is important to note that the layers are not labeled. The application is to be continued by utilizing the dots on the wall and repeating the steps outlined above.

– The fleet lettering has now been installed on the designated surface.
– Any bubbles that remain are to be removed, as well as any non-permanent markings.

* For complex designs with multiple colors, the vinyl dots should also be removed at the end of the installation process. They are to be carefully peeled away from the wall with fingernails or a sharp tool. Care should be taken to avoid scratching away the paint, or damaging the fleet lettering.

Do we provide any tools for application?

– Currently, we only offer squeegees for a very small additional cost to aid in the installation process. Most hardware and office supply stores will be able to provide anything else one may have in mind.

What happens if bubbles appear when fleet lettering is installed?

– If the fleet lettering has been installed properly, no bubbles should appear. If any small bubbles do appear during the installation process, that portion of the fleet lettering should simply be lifted and reapplied. Large bubbles which carry the risk of tearing the lettering or rendering it unusable can be punctured with a pin or a needle. Air can then be removed by carefully pressing against the lettering by hand, or with a flat object. We advise extreme care when removing large bubbles in order to avoid wrinkling of the material.

What if one prefers having professional assistance with installation?

– We offer nation-wide installation services. Our customers are able to design, print, and install their fleet lettering in a single go. Regardless of their location, we can service. Our in-house team and network of certified national installation services combined cover all of the contiguous United States in assisting with fleet lettering installation, and removal. Regardless of the number of vehicles in question, be it a single one or a hundred, regardless of the location we are able to print and install our fleet lettering in a matter of days at our customer’s location.

Does one need anything to maintain their fleet lettering?

– Assuming the installation has been done properly, the ongoing maintenance and care for our fleet lettering involves light scrubbing or washing to remove any built up dirt or grime. Our customers should be aware that strong power washers (greater than fifteen hundred to two thousand psi), electric or automated car washes, harsh chemicals, and vigorous scrubbing can all cause irreversible damage to our fleet lettering.

Additional Helpful Tips and Hints

– Larger fleet lettering designs can be applied piece by piece by cutting the order between words. One should make sure that the backing and the transfer tape are not removed, and simply cut in between words after installing it to the designated surface with masking tape.
This allows for the steps six and eight to be repeated by doing smaller portions of the entire design, while still keeping it aligned and positioned correctly as per the provided markings. For very large designs, this should be done not only between words, but as often as possible, if not for every individual letter, if necessary.
Alternatively, the middle instead of the top hinge should be used, with the masking of other suitable tape. Utilising the middle hinge instead of the top hinge just means that the tape will run vertical instead of horizontal. This is especially effective for longer words, or designs which are wider than they are tall.