A mutual passion for cars and graphic design—that’s what first led Duston Noble, Robby Burnett, and Justin Schuldies into the vehicle wrapping business. But it’s been their devotion to the craft that has helped elevate the entire industry.

In 2007, Noble, Burnett, and Schuldies opened the doors to Wrap Experts—a school and business dedicated to the art and science of outfitting vehicles with custom vinyl graphics—after the trio had spent nearly a decade refining their skills through hands-on experience.

In four short years, Wrap Experts has become renowned for its training programs, custom wrap services, and www.thewrapresource.com, a networking site for wrap professionals with more than 3,000 members in more than 120 countries.

To maintain that reputation for quality and innovation, Wrap Experts has turned to HP Latex Printing Technologies and the HP Designjet L26500 Printer to meet the demands and expectations of its students, clients, and peers.

“Being a training facility requires us to be on top of new tools, new techniques, and new materials,” Noble says. “HP has been very good to us in providing superior technology that really no one else on the market is using and it has benefited our company greatly.”

A new solution

Noble, Burnett, and Schuldies spent years plying their craft with solvent-based printers before switching to HP Latex Printing Technologies last year, first with the HP Designjet L25500 Printer and now with the new HP Designjet L26500.

“We absolutely love it,” Noble says. “Compared with the solvent world that we’re used to dealing in, it’s really a breath of fresh air. The latex technology allows us to do a lot of things that solvent didn’t, and it has increased our productivity by leaps and bounds.”

Routine challenges included solvent ink not outgassing properly, seeping through the wrap, becoming extremely sticky, degrading the vinyl adhesive, and compromising the graphics. As a result, the solvent machines often necessitated continuous monitoring.

“I don’t want to babysit a printer,” Burnett says. “I want to queue up five jobs and be able to let it print at night and not have to worry about it piling up on the floor or anything else.”

The quick-drying advances of HP Latex Printing Technologies have saved Wrap Experts up to 24 to 36 hours on every job, which was previously spent outgassing solvent prints. Now the company can go from printing to lamination to installation without interruption.

“We want to have the best equipment that makes our job easier and faster,” Burnett says. “I love the fact that I can print and laminate it all in the same hour if I need to. That makes my life a lot easier.”

The company’s solvent printers also typically required frequent and costly maintenance. In contrast, the low-maintenance HP Designjet L26500—along with easier and more affordable access to routine replacement parts like printheads—has meant less downtime and more savings.

“Time is money,” Burnett says. “The less time we’re down and the more we can streamline production, the more money we save and the more money we make.”

School of thought

Wrap Experts is first and foremost a training facility, providing tutelage to as many as 150 students annually. A large part of the curriculum involves teaching trainees to use the best technology available. In this case, that’s the HP Designjet L26500.

“All the students who come here are introduced to the HP Latex printer, and they all leave here wanting one,” Noble says. “It sells itself.”

In addition to training, Wrap Experts also offers custom wraps primarily for high-end vehicles, including racing teams, hot rods, and other “show” cars worth up to $100,000 USD.

“The owners of these cars are extremely particular,” Noble says. “If it looks like a sticker, they don’t want it on their car. It has to emulate the look of paint, and so perfection in the installation process is paramount.”

With discerning customers, students, and the industry itself looking to Wrap Experts to set the standard, there’s no room for anything but the best.

“We want people to come up really close and scrutinize everything,” Noble said. “I’ve actually had people at car shows come up to one of our wraps, look at it for a few minutes, reach out and touch it, and say ‘That’s a nice paint job.’ At that point, my job is done.”