Cut vinyl lettering is the kind of sign you put on yourself. We cut it, weed out the extra vinyl and cover it with transfer tape, so all the letters move as one piece. The steps below work for a truck or van door, a shop window, a boat hull or a smooth painted wall. Plan on 30 minutes to an hour for a pair of truck doors once the surface is clean.
What comes in the package
Your lettering arrives on its paper backing with transfer tape over the front. A squeegee comes with every order. Smaller orders ship flat in a mailer, and long pieces like truck door kits and boat lettering ship rolled in a tube. Before you start, also grab painter's tape, a tape measure, rubbing alcohol or an ammonia-free glass cleaner, and a lint-free cloth. For the wet method, add a spray bottle of water with a drop or two of dish soap.
Step by step: the hinge method
This is the method we recommend for most lettering. The painter's tape hinge holds the decal in the right spot while you take the backing off, so it cannot drift.
- Check the weather and the surface. Apply it when the surface is at least 46°F, out of direct sun. On a truck or a car, skip any paint that is less than about three weeks old, since fresh paint is still curing.
- Clean the spot. Wash the area, then wipe it with rubbing alcohol or an ammonia-free glass cleaner and let it dry. Wax, road film and fingerprints are the usual reason lettering lifts at the edges.
- Measure and tape it in place. Hold the lettering up with the transfer tape still on and measure from a body line, the window frame or the floor so it sits level. Run a strip of painter's tape across the middle of the decal, top to bottom or side to side, to make a hinge.
- Peel the backing from one half. Flip one half of the decal up over the hinge, peel the paper backing off that half down to the tape, and cut the backing away. The letters should stay on the clear or paper transfer tape.
- Squeegee from the hinge outward. Lay that half down and press it with the squeegee from the hinge out to the edge, in overlapping strokes. Remove the hinge tape, then do the same with the other half.
- Rub it down and peel the transfer tape. Go over the whole decal once more with firm pressure. Then peel the transfer tape back slowly, folded flat against itself at a sharp angle, not straight up. If a letter starts to lift with the tape, lay it back down, rub it again and keep going.
- Fix any bubbles. Press small bubbles out toward the nearest edge with your thumb. If one will not move, prick it with a pin and press the air out through the hole.
- Let it set. Keep it out of the car wash and away from a pressure washer for a few days while the adhesive bonds. After that, wash it normally.
When to use the wet method instead
For a big piece, like a 48-inch tailgate line or boat registration numbers, a light mist of soapy water on the surface lets the vinyl slide until you squeegee the water out. Mist the surface, not the adhesive, and only lightly. Squeegee from the center outward to push the water to the edges, then wait an hour or more, longer in cool weather, before you peel the transfer tape. Some vinyl makers recommend dry application only for their films, so on glass or anything smaller than about two feet, the dry hinge is the safer bet.
Tips for trucks, windows and walls
- Truck and van doors. Measure from a body line, not the bottom of the door, since doors are rarely square to the ground. Stay off rivets, handles, the sliding door track and any seam. Our truck and van lettering page covers sizes and the New Jersey name and town rules.
- Shop windows. Clean both sides so you can see your guide marks, and put the lettering on the side that suits it. Outside is easier to read but gets more weather. See storefront window lettering for layout ideas.
- Holiday window lettering. It is the same vinyl and the same steps, and it peels off after the season with a little heat. See holiday window lettering.
- Painted walls. Use flat, smooth, fully cured paint. Textured walls and fresh paint will not hold vinyl well.
- Cold weather. ORACAL 651 needs the surface to be at least 46°F (ORAFOL data sheet). A truck that sat out overnight in November stays colder than the air for a while, so park it in the sun or a garage first.
How long it lasts and how it comes off
The lettering we cut is ORACAL 651, which ORAFOL rates for about 6 years outdoors on a vertical surface in colors, and 4 years in metallics (ORAFOL). ORAFOL also says freshly painted surfaces should cure for at least three weeks first (ORAFOL product data). To take it off, warm it with a hair dryer, lift a corner and pull slowly at a low angle. Leftover adhesive comes off with rubbing alcohol.
Ordering lettering
Design your lettering in our vinyl designer, which shows the price as you type and the exact cut size. Cut vinyl has a $15.00 order minimum. It ships in a mailer for $6.95, or in a tube for $14.99 for long pieces, and pickup in Paramus is free and contactless, any day, Sunday through Saturday. When your order is ready, we text you a pickup window that works for you, or text (201) 948-4433 with questions about your surface.