What Art Format Is Best for Car Wraps? Your Ultimate Guide

The best format for vehicle wrap graphics is a vector file, available in .ai (Adobe Illustrator), .pdf (Portable Document Format), .svg (Scalable Vector Graphics), and .eps (Encapsulated PostScript) formats.

Learn how vector files work and how to format your art before sending it to your designer. I’ll also discuss the best practices when designing your vehicle wrap for a stunning result.

Buckle up, we’re about to take your design knowledge from 0 to 60!

Vector Art Is the Best Option for Vehicle Wrap Artwork

Raster files have a fixed number of square pixels and can be distorted.

In comparison, vector files are made with mathematical lines, curves, and shapes instead of pixels. They are infinitely scalable without losing sharpness and resolution, making them ideal for large-scale prints.

That means no unsightly pixelation on your beautiful car wrap. Your crisp wrap maintains perfect clarity and high-impact visibility on the road.

Design graphics for car wraps with these tips in mind:

• Provide file types in .ai, .pdf, .svg, or .eps formats to ensure your automobile wrap art is easy to resize and edit.
• Remember: saving art files in these vector formats doesn’t automatically make them a “true vector.” Raster images will still pixelate when scaled too large even if you save them as a vector file in a vector program. We require true vector files with all art elements and components outlined and saved in a format that preserves those lines in the output file.
• If all elements are fully vector, formatting vector car art at 10% of the final print size helps manage file size and speeds up editing while retaining perfect quality, even when output in multiple sizes.

Key Takeaway: Vector files provide exceptional flexibility, letting you enlarge designs without causing blurry edges or pixelated details. They are great for text, illustrations, logos, and flat-color graphics.

Can All Art Be Vector?

While vector art is ideal, not all vehicle wrap artwork can be vector. 

Photographic Print Images

Photographic images use individual pixels to create a complex image with color gradations. Converting them into vectors often simplifies or alters the image, removing realism and losing the finer details.

Raster is ideal for complex images, whether you’re showcasing best selling product shots, fine art, motorsport and grand prix photographs, or any photo-realistic elements requiring intricate color gradations and shading.

Ideal Image Resolution

I recommend using high-resolution photos, ideally 150 dpi (dots per inch) at full print size or 300 dpi at 50% of print size. This ensures the images look crisp at the final wrap scale.

When in doubt, go big! Higher-resolution art files will have fewer chances of pixelation.

Vector vs. Raster

Keep essential elements like your logo, brand name, phone number, QR codes, and taglines in vector format even if photos must be raster. You want easy-to-read text and crystal-clear brand messaging on large prints.

Save photographic images as PSD (Photoshop Document) and PSB (Photoshop Big Document) files instead of JPG, which compresses the file and eliminates layers.

Layered Files

Avoid flattening or merging layers to prevent rasterizing vector elements and losing quality. Leave files layered, making it easy to adjust particular elements while preserving vector elements (smart objects and fonts) in a vector format.

Key Takeaway: You don’t have to use only vector art for your vehicle wraps. Combine the best of both worlds! Use vectors for text and essential elements, and keep photographic images and elaborate artworks like paintings in high-resolution raster layers.

Formatting Your Car Wrap Art

Remember these details for a smoother car wrapping process:

• Format art in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key/Black), the standard color model in printing, to reproduce colors accurately on your wrap. Let us know if you have a specific Pantone value to match. We can provide physical sample prints if needed to ensure we get the best match for your brand colors.
• Include a 2-inch bleed on all sides for full wraps or prints extending to the vehicle’s edges. This extra margin gives installers some leeway during automotive wrap application and allows a clean cutout of the graphics to perfectly match your car with no unprinted edges showing. Think of it as your design’s safety belt.

Best Layout Practices for an Attractive Car Wrap

At National Car Wraps, we’ve successfully wrapped thousands of vehicles for a wide variety of brands in the United States.

With our 25+ years of print industry experience, here are the best practices for a carefully planned layout that gives you a striking customized car wrap without making the biggest mistakes in car wrap designs.

Plan Your Color Scheme Ahead

Choose the best color combinations before starting the design process for a unified look, whether you’re wrapping a financed car or personalizing your entire fleet.

• Stick to your color scheme throughout your design. Consistency is key! Don’t play color wheel roulette. You want your vinyl wrap to look professional and memorable, not messy and random.
• Use your brand colors to strengthen brand recognition. Or choose simple color palettes, which often read clearly at a distance.
• Use contrasting colors that harmonize well when paired together, making elements clear and legible. With a high contrast between the text and backgrounds, drivers and pedestrians will quickly catch your message wherever you go.

Use Official Templates

These templates show your vehicle’s exact year, make, and model to avoid costly mistakes and guarantee an accurate fit.

• Use templates showing all sides of your vehicle for a multi-view layout that lets you visualize how they all look together. This way, you can design cohesive full wraps or show decal placement for partial wraps.

Pro Tip: Ask us for a template that matches your vehicle if you don’t have one. We have a collection of templates for numerous vehicles, from luxurious Aston Martin and Ford Mustang Shelby models to Chevrolet Silverado and Ford Transit cargo vans.

Position Important Elements Strategically

Have you ever seen wrapped vehicles that create a distorted image or funny text when the door opens or the window is down?

Turning heads is awesome, but not for the wrong reasons!

With that said, remember these tips to make sure you don’t create the wrong impression at first glance:

• Double-check your text or image placement so they don’t look comical when doors and windows are open. Nothing’s more frustrating than spending thousands of dollars for a professional wrap only to have an open sliding door ruin your brand name or tagline and bring a few chuckles.
• Avoid placing logos, text, and other essential elements on vehicle parts where they are hard to see or read, including the gas cap, door handles, and seams, whether you’re designing business car wraps for your fleet, a Toyota Tacoma, or a Chevy Silverado.
• Put important text a few inches from the car’s edges for excellent readability.
• Avoid backward text. Everything should be easy to read at first glance. Emergency vehicles like ambulances often show reverse text for easy rear view mirror readability, prompting drivers to get out of the way in traffic.

Keep It Simple

Cramming together numerous elements causes visual overload.

Don’t make your automotive wrap overly complex and confusing. A simple design makes your key information stand out and memorable.

• Add simple text and a few bigger logos instead of making your vehicle look cluttered. You want to communicate your main message quickly and effectively to viewers, not confuse them!

Avoid Complex Designs When Designing Window Perf

Perforated window vinyl, or window perf, allows the wrap to cover your car’s windows and extend your design onto them for a seamless appearance. The tiny holes let you see out of the rear windows for driving safely.

• Simplicity is crucial if your full vinyl wrap includes window perf. You’ll lose details in the perforation holes if your design is too busy.
• Make the text large enough so the holes don’t impact readability. Or position text on the vehicle’s solid body for better clarity.

Get the Perfect Car Wrap to Convey Your Brand Message

With the above tips and best practices for designing artwork on cars, it’s easier to create a well-thought-out design that makes a powerful statement.

Ready to take your branded fleet on the road? Contact us today to kick-start your custom fleet graphics project!

We use state-of-the-art equipment and high-precision printing techniques to ensure your wrap looks vibrant and beautiful, fleet wide. 

Let our team of talented designers give your brand the visibility it deserves if you need help turning your ideas into a cohesive concept.

Next, learn how to design vehicle wraps in Illustrator with our extensive step-by-step tutorial.