Dry Fitting

Fitting a small vinyl Graphic using the dry method ?

• Clean the surface where you are going to affix the sticker make sure it is free from dirt or dust, if you try fitting to a dirty area you will find that the sticker will not adhere properly and you will end up with bubbles under the vinyl that cannot be removed.
• If applying a larger graphic that you need to get centred on a window or panel, then mark your area with a felt pen or some masking tape to find the centre.
• Turn your graphic face down on a clean surface, gently peel the backing paper away from the graphic leaving the vinyl graphic on the sticky application tape.
• Place the graphic on to the surface area where you are affixing it using the sticky application tape supplied, making sure to get it lined up with your centre mark you prepared earlier.
• Firmly squeegee the lettering to force the bubbles out, using a squeegee or credit card type piece of plastic or a firm piece of card.
• Start to squeegee from the centre and work your way out to the edges.
• Make sure you squeegee the whole graphic.
• Gently Peel off the application tape at an angle of 180 Degrees leaving the graphic in place.
• Remove your centre markings if any and your finished.

Wet Fitting

Fitting larger vinyl Graphics using the wet method ?

Tools Required

• Spray Bottle or a bottle that can give a mist of spray when pressed (available from garden centres or hardware shops etc)  
• Plastic Squeegee
• Some Spare Time
• 1 or 2 more people to help you fit the graphics if it is a vehicle or large sign

This job can be very difficult to fit for even a trained vinyl fitter so please take your time, and always remember that once vinyl touches the surface it will stick immediately, and cannot be lifted again or re-positioned, unless the sticky side is wet

This is why we suggest the WET METHOD for large jobs.

Fitting

• Fill the spray bottle with cold water.
• Make sure the area where the graphics are being fitted are clean and free of dust & dirt.
• When we cut large jobs in vinyl, we will always mark the absolute centre of the graphic with a pen mark on the application tape, this is so that you can match the centre of the graphic up with the centre of your board, window or panel etc…
• Firstly mark the top centre of your board, window or panel with a water based felt pen, chalk or masking tape (something that will leave no permanent mark)
• Turn the graphic upside down, and gently peel the backing paper away from the sticky application tape, the sticky application tape should have the vinyl attached to it.
• As you are peeling it away, have someone start to spray the water on to the vinyl, this will aid you when putting the vinyl on to your sign as the vinyl will be able to be moved about to make sure it is level, you can spray it as often as you require, but once the water evaporates or runs off, the vinyl will become very tacky again.
• Match the graphic up to your central mark and make sure the text is level, we always make sure that the application tape at the top of the graphic is level, so match this up to your board, window or panel.
• Once in place, use a squeegee, a plastic card or a firm piece of cardboard to press the graphic in to place and squeeze out the excess water and bubbles, start from the centre and work towards the outside edges, when applying graphics wet, they can take a good hour to dry and become tacky, but the more you squeegee, the quicker the process will be, after a short time you should be able to start lifting the application tape off the vinyl leaving it in place, if the vinyl still comes away with the tape then there is still water behind it, so you will need to squeegee again and leave it for a while.
• Continue this process until all of the graphics are fitted.
• Once you have removed all application tape, look closely at your vinyl, if you see any bubbles, you can use a squeegee to push them out, and any stubborn bubbles can be popped with a pin or needle and the air squeezed out.

You can of course fit the graphics dry, but you need to be super confident, and know that unless you get them perfectly level on the first drop on to the board, window or panel they will stick, and cannot be re-lifted, you can also get creases in the vinyl applying them dry.