Vinyl Lettering Rules
When you receive your vinyl lettering, it will consist of 3 distinct layers:
1) Backing Paper: this is smooth plastic like paper that the vinyl lettering lays on top of.
2) Vinyl: this is the actual vinyl lettering that will be applied to the wall or surface
3) Application Tape: this resembles masking tape in look and feel, though it is much larger and is placed over the vinyl lettering.
The vinyl lettering will be sandwiched between the Backing Paper and the Application tape.
Determine where you are going to apply the vinyl lettering. Remember that vinyl lettering can only be applied to hard surfaces, such as walls, wood, steel, metal, glass, mirrors, vehicles, hard plastic, or any other surface that is hard and relatively smooth.
Make sure that the surface that you are applying the vinyl lettering to is clean. Wash it the area off with soap and water, or if applying to a vehicle, rubbing alcohol. If you are applying the vinyl lettering to a painted surface, make sure that the paint is completely dry and is not tacky to the touch.
Before attempting to apply the vinyl lettering to the surface, make sure that there are no bubbles between the vinyl lettering layer and the Application Tape. Take a flat smooth edge, such as a credit card, or square plastic putty knife, and rub the application tape so that smoothly with the edge of the putty knife or credit card until you can clearly see the vinyl lettering through the application tape and no bubbles exist over any of the vinyl.
Place the vinyl lettering on the surface you want to apply it with the backing paper closest to the surface. Be sure to center the vinyl lettering based off of the position of the letters, and not the side of the backing paper. Apply masking tape all the way across the top of the vinyl lettering to keep it in place against the wall or surface. The masking tape will serve as a hinge, allowing you to lift the vinyl lettering until it is upside down against the surface with the backing paper facing you. Slowly peel the backing paper away from the vinyl lettering. Make sure that all of the letters are on the application tape, if you are missing any parts of the vinyl lettering, place the application tape back onto backing paper and rub again with the credit card or plastic putty knife, and repeat the process of removing the backing paper.
Once you have all of the vinyl lettering on the application tape, remove the backing paper from the masking tape. Pull the application tape tight to make sure there are no wrinkles in the vinyl lettering. Place the application tape against the surface while pulling the application tape tightly. Use the credit card or plastic putty knife to rub the application tape thoroughly.
Slowly peel off of the application tape from the surface. If any part of the vinyl lettering starts to come off with the application tape, reapply the application tape to the surface and rub the tape with the credit card or putty knife.
Please remember that vinyl lettering is not reusable, so once it is removed from the surface, it can’t be reapplied, so please be careful.
If you do need to remove the vinyl lettering, you can peel away the vinyl lettering with your fingernails in most cases. However, if the vinyl lettering is sticking too tightly to the surface for your fingernails to remove, you can heat up the vinyl lettering using a hair dryer on a low heat setting to warm up the adhesive glue on the vinyl lettering, then simply peel the vinyl lettering away from the surface while the glue is still warm.