Engineered for the Highway. Manufactured In-House in Canton, Ohio.
Explore how Fleet Herald combines proprietary prepress engineering, clean, climate-controlled wide-format printing, and our deep automotive detailing heritage to manufacture commercial wraps that outlast the competition. While national brokers farm your truck out to third-party installers, our own people, never subcontracted, design, print, prep, install, and warrant the installation on your fleet across our two buildings in Canton, about a third of a mile apart.
- 3M Authorized
- One-Year Workmanship Warranty
- Automotive Paint Decontamination Roots (Detailing Lineage)
- Dedicated Two-Building Operation in Canton, OH (About a Third of a Mile Apart)
Phase 1: High Technology Eliminates Design Costs & Showroom Wait Times
The Death of the 48-Hour Wait
Traditional sign shops and out-of-state brokers take days to email a flat 2D PDF proof, and then hit your business with a design deposit, a vector redraw fee, and a charge for every revision pack. Fleet Herald completely eliminates this friction.
Interactive 3D & Cinematic Lot Previews
Before a single drop of ink is printed, view your branded vehicle in our real-time 3D model viewer on your phone or desktop. Your first 3D model proof usually arrives within 24 hours, with a model of each package you are considering. Spin it 360 degrees, inspect seams, and watch a 10-second cinematic animation of your truck parked in a neighborhood or commercial staging lot.
The Pricing Promise
$0 Design Fees. $0 Vector Redraw Surcharges. $0 Revision Fees.
What no design charge covers: laying out your graphics, and the rounds of revisions that refine the proof. Creating a logo from nothing is separate work at a flat rate of $200, and a re-design that abandons the direction you approved rather than refining it is a flat rate of $100. Neither is charged on a fleet account or for a returning customer, and we confirm the price in writing before that work begins.
Phase 2: Wide-Format Print Production & Heated Roll Lamination
The Third-of-a-Mile Moat (Isolating Print from Detailing Chemicals & Dust)
The Dirty Secret of Typical Sign Shops
Many wrap shops operate out of cramped, single-bay units where airborne dust, wood shavings, vehicle exhaust, and wet wash overspray drift onto open wide-format printers and heated laminators. A single airborne dust particle trapped under overlaminate creates a permanent bubble and causes vinyl delamination within six months.
The Canton Two-Building Solution
Fleet Herald isolates physical production across two distinct facilities in Canton, about a third of a mile apart. Building 1 is a clean, climate-controlled print lab dedicated strictly to design, printing, heated roll lamination, precision plotting, and media staging. No sanding. No wash water. No airborne silicones. Just clean, pure manufacturing.
Premium Cast Film Only (No Cheap Calendered Vinyl)
We exclusively run authentic commercial-grade cast films: 3M Print Wrap Film IJ180Cv3, 3M Print Wrap Film IJ280, and Avery Dennison MPI 1105. Unlike cheap intermediate calendered vinyl (which shrinks, tents, and cracks in recessed channels), cast vinyl is poured as a liquid resin, giving it very low mechanical memory.
Matched Laminate, Heated Lamination
Every print is armored with genuine 3M Scotchcal Gloss Overlaminate 8518 or 3M Scotchcal Matte Overlaminate 8520 through high-pressure pneumatic rollers. This blocks UV radiation, resists abrasive road salt and diesel fumes, and shields printed pigments for years on the road.
Phase 3: Automotive Detailing Lineage & Chemical Decontamination
True Adhesion Begins at the Microscopic Clearcoat Level
Detailing in Our DNA
Fleet Herald did not start as a paper sign printer trying to wrap vehicles; our lineage is rooted in high-end automotive detailing and paint correction. We treat commercial work vans with the same surface preparation rigor used on exotic performance vehicles.
Why Wraps Peel (It's Rarely the Vinyl, It's the Prep)
Commercial fleet vehicles arrive from dealer lots or highway job sites covered in invisible contaminants: embedded brake dust, industrial rail fallout, road tar, silicone dressing overspray, and transport wax. If you stick vinyl over embedded fallout, edge-lifting is mathematically guaranteed.
The 4-Stage Fleet Herald Prep Protocol
High-Pressure Alkaline Strip Wash: Strips away existing waxes and sealants without degrading the OEM clearcoat.
Chemical Decontamination & Iron Fallout Removal: All bugs, tar, sap and other common vehicle contaminants are removed, then the vehicle receives an application of pH-balanced iron-decontamination solvents that chemically dissolve sintered brake dust particles embedded in the paint pores.
Clay Bar Treatment: Every panel, hinge seam, and recess channel is hand-clayed to pull out embedded micro-grit until the paint is smooth as glass.
Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) Deep Seam Wipe: Final wipe with a 70/30 pure isopropyl alcohol solution around all door jambs, under rubber weatherstripping, and behind taillights to leave zero residue.
This thorough process ensures that your vehicle's paint is fully prepared for the installation of your chosen commercial graphics/vinyl wrap package & stays looking great for years to come.
Every vehicle gets a strip wash and a final alcohol wipe before installation, at no charge. Every vehicle from a dealership partner, and every vehicle on an order of two or more vehicles, gets the full prep detail as a matter of course and pays nothing for it, whatever its condition. Otherwise, clean the vehicle before it comes in and pay nothing more, or leave the cleaning to us and it gets the full prep detail before installation, at a flat rate of $150, or a flat rate of $250 on a box truck, a dump truck or anything larger, and we confirm the price in writing before that work begins.
Strict Bay Climate Control
Vinyl cannot be properly installed in drafty, unheated garages. Our application bays are climate-controlled year-round, with calibrated ambient humidity & industrial air filters installed. This keeps cast vinyl pliable, optimizes pressure-activated adhesives, prevents adhesive shock during installation & keeps airborne contaminants out of our process entirely.
Phase 4: Quality Audit, Warranty Sign-Off & Road-Ready Turnkey Delivery
Single-Source Written Warranty
Because we control wide-format print, prep, and application in-house, we provide true single-source accountability. We don't point fingers at trade printers or third-party gig installers. Your wrap is protected by our one-year direct installation workmanship warranty, and the film carries its maker's own warranty, on its maker's terms.
Turnkey Logistics (Zero Contractor Downtime)
Contractors lose billable hours when work trucks sit idle for weeks.
Phased Fleet Rotations: For existing commercial fleets, we stage installs in 2-3 truck rotations, ensuring your field crews stay on the road generating revenue.
Road-Ready on Delivery: You take the keys, load your tools, and put your rolling billboard to work the same day.
How True In-House Manufacturing Compares to Brokers & Sign Shops
| Production Step | Fleet Herald (Canton, OH) | Out-of-State Brokers | Retail Sign Shops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepress & Design | 3D Model Proof You Can Rotate, Usually Within 24 Hours; $0 Design Fees | Subcontracted, Outsourced Design; Days to Receive Proof; Design and Redraw Fees | Flat 2D Layouts; Days to Receive Proof; Hourly Art Fees |
| Print Production | 100% In-House, Clean, Climate-Controlled Print Lab (Building 1) | Brokered to Wholesale Trade Houses; Shipped In Cardboard Tubes | Shared Bay With Sign Cutting & Fabrication |
| Material Grade | Premium Cast Film Only (3M IJ180Cv3 / IJ280, Avery Dennison MPI 1105); Zero Calendered Film | Film Grade Set by the Trade Printer | Film Grade Varies by Job |
| Paint Preparation | 4-Stage Chemical Wash, Iron Extraction, Clay Bar & IPA; Strip Wash & IPA Wipe at $0 Extra on Every Vehicle | Prep Varies by Installer | Quick Wipe-Down Before Install |
| Installation Labor | Our Own Installers, Never Subcontracted; Knifeless Tape Mandatory; Climate Bays | Subcontracted to Third-Party Installers | General Sign Installers; Blade Trimming on the Vehicle |
| Post-Heating & QC | Post-Heat to the Film Maker's Specified Temperature, Measured by Infrared Pyrometer; Multi-Point Fleet Audit | Post-Heat and QC Vary by Installer | Heat Gun Pass, Temperature Unmeasured |
| Warranty Reality | Single-Source Direct Local Written Warranty, One Year; Film Carries Its Maker's Warranty; One Phone Call | Seller and Installer Are Different Companies | Direct Shop Warranty; Terms Vary by Shop |
* What no design charge covers: laying out your graphics, and the rounds of revisions that refine the proof. Creating a logo from nothing is separate work at a flat rate of $200, and a re-design that abandons the direction you approved rather than refining it is a flat rate of $100. Neither is charged on a fleet account or for a returning customer, and we confirm the price in writing before that work begins.
Three moves. One shop.
Design
Send your logo, your contact details and anything you want on the vehicle. You'll see your first proof within 72 hours of us receiving your artwork and details. Up to three rounds of revisions, at no design charge. Nothing prints until you approve the proof.
When the clock starts: the 72 hours run from us receiving your artwork and details during shop hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and from the next business morning when they arrive after hours, not from first contact. We need all of it to start: print-ready artwork or a request for design help, your vehicle or fleet details, and your package choice. A delay on your side pauses the clock for as long as it lasts, and so does anything outside either of our control.
What no design charge covers: laying out your graphics, and the rounds of revisions that refine the proof. Creating a logo from nothing is separate work at a flat rate of $200, and a re-design that abandons the direction you approved rather than refining it is a flat rate of $100. Neither is charged on a fleet account or for a returning customer, and we confirm the price in writing before that work begins.
Production
Approved artwork goes to our design and print studio at 1103 Whipple Ave NW. Printed graphics are laminated for the road; lettering is cut from cast vinyl.
Installation
Your vehicle comes to 3920 12th St NW and goes into a climate-controlled, air-filtered bay. Print and installation are complete within 14 days of your proof approval. Full wraps leave with a ceramic coating on the finished film. The bay takes a tractor-trailer, and the fenced lot behind the shop holds a fleet drop-off of several vehicles at once.
When the clock starts: the 14 days run from your written proof approval, not from drop-off. A delay on your side pauses the clock for as long as it lasts, and so does anything outside either of our control.
What surface preparation covers: the full prep detail is our 4-stage decontamination of the vehicle's exterior: a strip wash that removes any old wax or sealant, chemical decontamination that removes iron contaminants, tar, bugs and sap, a hand clay-bar treatment, and a final alcohol wipe. Contaminants and old wax or sealant affect how vinyl adheres, and anything left on the panel, whether sap, iron or tar, shows through the finished graphic as a dust or dirt speck underneath it. None of it comes off in an ordinary wash or a wash at home; it takes industrial chemicals and process. Every vehicle gets a strip wash and a final alcohol wipe before installation, at no charge. Every vehicle from a dealership partner, and every vehicle on an order of two or more vehicles, gets the full prep detail as a matter of course and pays nothing for it, whatever its condition. Otherwise, clean the vehicle before it comes in and pay nothing more, or leave the cleaning to us and it gets the full prep detail before installation, at a flat rate of $150, or a flat rate of $250 on a box truck, a dump truck or anything larger, and we confirm the price in writing before that work begins.
What we need from you
- Your logo in the best format you have
- The exact wording for the sides and rear
- Your USDOT or MC number if you display one
- A photo of each side of the vehicle
- Whether the vehicle is owned, financed or leased
- Whether the vehicle carries old graphics or has been wrapped before
Frequently Asked Production & Technical Questions
Will wrapping my vehicle damage the factory OEM paint?
Not on sound factory paint. When installed with 3M Knifeless Tape on every cut over paint and premium 3M cast films, the vinyl actually protects your vehicle's factory clearcoat from light scratches, road salts, and UV sun oxidation. Film follows the surface underneath.
What is the difference between cast vinyl and calendered vinyl?
Calendered vinyl is manufactured by rolling heated plastic through heavy rollers (like flattening dough); it retains mechanical memory and will continuously pull back and crack when stretched into vehicle body curves. Cast vinyl is poured as a liquid resin and cured in ovens; it has very low memory and conforms to complex recess channels, rivets, and contours. Fleet Herald exclusively deploys cast film.
How do we wash and maintain our wrapped commercial fleet?
Hand-washing with a pH-neutral automotive shampoo is best. High-pressure commercial touchless wand washes are safe as long as the spray nozzle is kept at least a foot away from seams and edges. Never run commercial wrapped vehicles through harsh friction brush washes, which can abrade vinyl overlaminate over time. No wax on printed film. Full wraps with the ceramic coating rinse clean.
How should the vehicle arrive?
It is your choice. Every vehicle gets a strip wash and a final alcohol wipe before installation, at no charge. Every vehicle from a dealership partner, and every vehicle on an order of two or more vehicles, gets the full prep detail as a matter of course and pays nothing for it, whatever its condition. Otherwise, clean the vehicle before it comes in and pay nothing more, or leave the cleaning to us and it gets the full prep detail before installation, at a flat rate of $150, or a flat rate of $250 on a box truck, a dump truck or anything larger, and we confirm the price in writing before that work begins. Existing damage is photographed at intake so we both have the same record.
What do you need from me?
Your logo, the exact wording for the sides and rear, your USDOT or MC number if you display one, a photo of each side of the vehicle, whether the vehicle is owned, financed or leased, and whether it carries old graphics or has been wrapped before.
Which file formats work best?
SVG, AI, EPS or vector PDF print cleanest. PNG or JPG can work for lettering and simple marks.
Send the artwork. We take it from there.
Tell us what the vehicle is and what it should say. We come back with a proof and a schedule.
3M Automotive Films Authorized Dealer · Est. 2018