01
Printed by people, not machines
A car magnet is read in about two seconds, by someone in another vehicle, often in motion. That makes it the piece most often ruined by good desktop design. A dedicated Print Concierge checks your artwork specifically for readability at distance: whether the phone number is large enough to be caught at a red light, whether a thin script holds up at speed, and whether the contrast survives glare on a bright day. If we think the design will not work in the real world, we tell you before it is printed.
02
Choosing the right size
Bigger is not automatically better. The right size is the one that fits the flat area on your vehicle, because a magnet that overlaps a body line or a curve will lift at the edge and eventually fly off.
- Small, 12 x 24: fits car doors and compact vans. The safe choice when you are not certain of your flat area.
- Traditional, 18 x 24: the standard work-van door magnet. Big enough for a business name, service line and phone number.
- Large, 24 x 36: for box trucks, large panel vans and anything with a big flat side. Visible from several lanes away.
Measure the flat area on your door before ordering. A magnet needs to sit entirely on flat steel, with no part of it crossing a crease, a moulding or a curve.
03
What actually makes a magnet last
Cheap vehicle magnets fail in two ways: the print fades within a season, and the sheet is too thin to hold. Ours are printed on 30 mil magnetic stock, which is heavy enough to grip at highway speed, and finished with a UV laminate so the colour survives sun and repeated washing. Take them off once a week, wipe both the magnet and the paintwork, and let both dry before putting it back. Moisture trapped underneath is what damages paint, not the magnet itself. Never take a magnet through an automatic car wash.
04
Getting your artwork print-ready
Send vector artwork where you can, an AI, EPS or PDF with fonts outlined, since magnets are large and raster art shows its limits fast. Include 0.125 inch bleed on every edge and keep text at least 0.5 inch inside the trim, further than you would on paper, because the rounded corners eat the edge.
- Phone numbers should be the largest element after the business name.
- High contrast beats clever. Dark on light or light on dark, not mid-tone on mid-tone.
- Skip thin scripts and outlined type. Neither survives at distance.
05
Need a magnet designed?
Choose Design it for me and our professional design team will build your car magnet for $75, laid out for readability at distance, and hand back a print-ready file you own outright. If you are branding a vehicle properly, ask about a full vehicle wrap instead, which covers the whole panel rather than a rectangle of it.
06
Printing and delivery
Our press runs seven days a week and we ship nationwide from Florida. Order by 3PM ET and production starts the same day, with the arrival estimate at the top of this page updating live as you configure. Most businesses order two, one for each door. Shipping is free over $120, which two magnets will usually clear on their own.
