Wrapping cars and vans is tricky enough for even the most talented wrappers, but when it comes to more unorthodox vehicles with all manner of angles and edges, this task is even tougher.
 
Step forward a team of clever students at Timiskaming District Secondary School in Ontario, Canada, who recently took on the challenge of applying a full wrap to a snowmobile.
The project was carried out by students at Timiskaming District Secondary School in Ontario, Canada
 
One of the most popular ways of getting around town during the snowy winter months in Ontario, snowmobiles are far from an easy vehicle to decorate. The bodywork features a series of twists and turns, while if you throw that the vehicle will be exposed to sub-zero temperatures and constant wear and tear against the freezing snow and ice, the task becomes even trickier to complete.
 
So, how did the project come about? The students in question are on the Communications Technology Specialist High Skills Major program, which launched at the school back in September of last year to offers student an insight into a whole range of creative markets.
 
The Communications Technology part of the course allows students to learn graphic design, animation, video editing and other technology skills, with the added opportunity of trying out these skills in their own independent projects at the end of the course.

Keen to jump in at the deep end and show what they could do, the first batch of students on the course came up with the idea of wrapping a snowmobile. With outdoor powersports an extremely popular pastime in often-snowy Ontario, the students were very familiar with the type of vehicle and the sorts of graphics that would suit the bodywork.
 
To support the students, teachers enlisted the help of an expert designer from specialist ECD Customs. Students then set to work on designing, printing, laminating and installing the wrap on a 2008 Skidoo Summit.
 
Having studied the vehicle and its design, and after also taking into account the impact the environment and elements would have on the wrap, teachers and students opted to work with Drytac Polar Grip Air white polymeric self-adhesive PVC film. This was combined with Interlam Pro Gloss to offer protection to the printed design.
 
After selecting the material, students used an HP Latex 315 printer and HP Latex 54 Cutter Plus to print and cut all 52 parts of the design to shape before applying the wrap to the snowmobile.
 
What makes the project even more impressive is that it was the largest of its type ever to be completed at the school, opening the door to even more innovation for students in years to come!

The team used an HP Latex 315 printer and HP Latex 54 Cutter Plus to print and cut all the graphics 

“We were looking for a strong print material and laminate that could handle our northern winters and stand up to the terrain that vehicles like snowmobiles are subjected to,” said Katie Kacur, specialist high skills major lead teacher on the course at Timiskaming District Secondary School.
 
“The colours were vibrant and accurate. The wrap installed smoothly and went on well with very little experience.”