Reflective Vinyl Film Cut | Wrap | Print

Reflective Vinyl Film

Craft, sign and wrap vinyl films are generally called reflective but are actually retroreflective. In other words, when light hits the surface of a reflective vinyl, it isn’t reflected back to the light source. What happens instead is that the light is reflected in multiple directions, resulting in shine from any viewing angle. Reflective Vinyl employs a variety of reflective technologies to produce different levels of shine but there are two major kinds: prismatic and retroreflective. At present, we offer only retro-reflective vinyl films which are made by embedding glass beads in the pigment of the face film. These embedded beads reflect light back toward the viewer when illuminated and is, therefore, also referred to as beaded reflective. One thing to note is that these embedded beads make retroreflective vinyl  more difficult to cut than standard PVC vinyls. We recommend a 60° blade when cutting retroreflective film although  it can be cut with a 45° blade at a high force. Just be prepared to throw out any 45° used to cut reflective vinyl in this way as it will be dulled beyond use.

Choosing the Right Reflective Film for You

At present, we're proud to offer a variety of retro-reflective films from great brands like Avery™, 3M™ and ORALITE®. All of these films come in a variety of high-gloss colors with extended exterior lifespans.

3M™ 5100 Series Scotchlite Film

Yours in 15, high gloss colors, you get seven years of durability with this 7 mil thick, enclosed lens film. Use this engineer grade film to make cut graphics for your vehicle, for safety or even as a wrap. Get that Tron-inspired look when you use 5300 to pinstripe your ride's contours.

3M™ Series 680 Scotchlite Vinyl

3M™ Scotchlite Series 680 is a reflective film that's conformable for simple curve wraps, this film is most commonly used for reflective signage, emergency vehicles and caliper wraps due to its high-heat resistance. Available in 11 brilliant colors including a  Black Reflective film that glows white at night! Whether you want to wrap for safety or one-of-a-kind style, these Scotchlite vinyl wraps are ideal for gentle curves and convex surfaces. Made for extreme weather, Series 680 films resists cold and high-heat so it won't crack or delaminate even in the coldest winters or hottest summer heat. Made with permanent adhesives, do not use wet application methods to apply this non-repositionable film.

Avery Dennison® HV1200 High-Visibility Reflective Film

Replaced by Avery™'s V-4000 Premium Reflective Series, HV1200 Reflective high-performance vinyl films offered 11 great colors which met or exceeded the applicable requirements ASTM® D-4956 for reflectivity. Especially designed for screen printing as well as for use on computer cutting equipment, Avery Dennison HV1200 Reflective films provide excellent cutting (with a 60° blade), weeding, transferring, and conforming characteristics.

Avery Dennison® V4000 Premium Reflective Vinyl

This is Avery's newest line of retroreflective film. Yours in 6 brilliant colors, its new enclosed bead technology means you can use it to wrap without worrying about so-called bruising of the lenses. These films also meet or exceed the applicable requirements ASTM® D4956, Type 1 reflectivity levels, give you 7 years of durability and feature patented, EasyApply™ adhesives.

ORALITE® 5300 Commercial Grade Reflective

This ORAFOL film features six different colors in a 3 mil reflective, 7 year durability film. Featuring clear, solvent-based, permanent adhesives, the face of this retroreflective film is compatible with screen printing and thermal transfer. Use it for traffic, guidance, warning and information signs as well as reflective lettering, numbers and vehicle graphics.

 
Recommended Applications

The list below should give you an idea of some of the many uses of our Reflective Vinyl. Clearly, there are hundreds more but here are some of the most common:

• Solid color vehicle detailing
• Standard vehicle graphics, detailing and decoration
• Caliper cover wraps
• Commercial vehicle and fleet graphics, emblems or striping
• Watercraft graphics applied above the static water line only

Cleaning for Caliper Wraps

Getting Ready to Wrap

Proper cleaning and preparation of your installation space and vehicle are two things DIY installers often overlook but are a must if you want to get good results. Check out today's post and learn how to clean your ride like a pro and avoid wasting costly vinyl wrap film.

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Cars You Might Not Want to Wrap

Not All Vehicles Can Be Wrapped

We all know paint is dead but in some cases you really should consider spraying it instead of laying it. Today's post will walk you through some of these cases and give you an idea of your options.

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