Custom Decals
Ironjet is trusted to supply custom decals and vinyl film to hundreds of local businesses. We are Lloydminster’s source for hard hat decals, GVW and tare decals, unit numbers, boat decals, and more!
Whether you need truck decals for your fleet, or wall decals for your business or home, Ironjet is the custom vinyl decal expert near you.
Shape
Decals or stickers can be cut in pretty much any shape you can imagine: rectangles, squares, circles, ovals, text, and custom shapes. Generally, the fewer sharp corners, the less likely a decal is to peel. We round the corners of our decals to further prevent peeling.
To cut a decal, a vinyl cutter machine needs a cut path, contoured bleed (if it’s printed), and it must meet minimum stroke width parameters. Fortunately, our designer has over 15 years experience preparing files for vinyl cut work, so you don’t have to worry about it!
All of our decals at Ironjet are “kiss cut”, as opposed to die cut. That simply means the backing remains in a rectanglure shape which the shaped decal(s) can be peeled from (think of a sticker sheet).
Vinyl decals are a great choice for walls, windows, vehicles, and many other surfaces. You can put your business logo on a storefront window or make a splash with custom vehicle decals, or even decorate your home with a design that’s meaningful to you.
Square
Rectangle
Circle
Oval
Text
Custom Shape
Sizing
Custom vinyl decals can be all sorts of sizes, from one inch stickers to full vehicle wraps or large wall decals.
Our machine can print up to 52″ wide, so anything smaller than that can be printed and/or cut in a single piece. For larger surfaces, like trucks or walls, we print a set of 52″ panels and install them side by side with a 1″ overlap, as is common industry practice.
Small vinyl decals (1 to 3 inches) are often used on hard hats or to mark machinery, while larger decals can be used on storefront windows, interior walls, or vehicles to effectively communicate with your audience.
Materials & Colors
Ironjet carries a wide variety of stock colours and specialty materials such as reflective, chrome mirror, carbon fibre, and perforated vinyls (which are useful for windows, as you can see through them from one side).
Our heavy-duty, industrial solvent printer also allows us to print decals, allowing us to produce full colour decals at a much cheaper cost than trying to layer multiple stock colours (as many home businesses try to do). It also lets us hit unusual colours, and print gradients or photos.
To ensure maximum durability, we offer wide format laminating services. With lamination, you can be sure your decal is protected from the elements and will last for years instead of weeks.
Installation
If a decal fails, installation is often the culprit (material type is the other – read the next section to find out more).
We often find ourselves fixing other installers’ work, which looks great the day they put it up (and snap a picture to show off on social media) but starts peeling almost immediately.
At Ironjet, we stand by our work. Our production workers are 3M certified and have taken the necessary training to ensure your decal is installed properly. In the rare case a decal fails (and it’s not due to unusual wear and tear) we’re quick to repair it.
We’ve even repaired damaged or peeling decals done by other, less experienced decal shops! Visit our “competitor fails” (coming soon) page to find out more.
For DIY installers, we offer our decals in kiss-cut, pre-masked form for easy installation. And our team is always available if you have questions or find yourself overwhelmed.
Durable or Cheap?
There are different types of vinyl for different needs. Cheap vinyls are useful for one-time events, when you’re sure they won’t be used again. But, in most cases, durable is the way to go.
Broadly speaking, there are two different types of vinyl, and the way they are made greatly affects both price and durability.
The catch is that not every sign shop will clearly tell you what kind of vinyl you’re getting. Sure, you’ll get a technical name or product SKU, but those things don’t mean anything to people outside of the industry.
Heck, some people in the sign industry don’t even know the difference.
Here’s the difference in a nutshell:
High quality “cast vinyl” is created by using a solvent to liquify the vinyl and then using it to fill a special mold before being cured and dried.
Because it’s subjected to extremely high temperatures – and because of it’s natural “sheet” form – the finished vinyl can take a great deal of abuse. It won’t easily pull away at the corners, even when wrapped around curved surfaces. It can also withstand higher temperatures and sun damage.
Cast vinyl is typically the kind we use at Ironjet, and it’s a bit more expensive than its counterpart – but far more durable. We’ve seen vinyl signs that we produced over a decade ago still in use and looking good!
Lower quality “calendered vinyl” is created by melting the ingredients at approximately half the temperature used for cast vinyl. Then the material is passed through rollers to press it into its final form.
The resulting vinyl is less expensive to make than cast vinyl, but also far less durable. This vinyl will peel quickly because, by its very nature, it’s always pulling back into its original form (sort of like how a spring always bounces back into it’s original state). It’s also less resilient against high temperatures and sun damage.