Custom Snowboard Design: How I Designed & Wrapped My Old Board – An Artist’s Review

I’ve been a snowboarder for many, many years and owned a board for longer than I can remember. While I love the way it rides, I’ve definitely outgrown the top-sheet design.

So, as an artist who can’t resist customising everything I own, I decided to create my own custom snowboard artwork. Then set about finding a vinyl printer who could turn my idea into reality. Here’s how I got on…

Running short on time? Jump to:

• How I got on designing my custom snowboard
• Snowboard vinyl printer options
• Unboxing and applying the vinyl
• How much does a custom snowboard wrap cost?
• Would I recommend creating a custom snowboard wrap?

Here’s how I got on designing my custom snowboard

I began by measuring my board so I could create every element of my artwork to scale. Then I cracked on with my painting – a double-ended traditional-style tiger.

Why a double-ended tiger? Well, I usually ride regular (left foot forward), but sometimes I like to ride switch. So I wanted a design that would look the ‘right way around’ no matter which way I rode.

As for the tiger? Well, I love cats – big and small. Tigers are the largest cats in the world; they’re incredible predators, and their black-and-orange stripes are just badass.

While sketching my design, I carefully marked where my bindings would attach, so I wouldn’t hide any important features. For me, I wanted the head and neck area to protrude beyond the bindings.

Next, I had to choose a printer so I could prepare the artwork to their exact specifications. This was possibly the most time-consuming part. I needed to consider quite a few factors:

• Material
• Finish
• Opacity
• Adhesive
• Longevity
• Flexibility, and
• Temperature exposure

This combination led me to choose cast vinyl over calendared vinyl – here’s a quick breakdown of the differences.

Snowboard vinyl printer options

After some extensive research, my best options were:

• a sign maker,
• a vehicle wrap company, or
• a custom snowboard vinyl-wrapping company.

I chose a UK-based snowboard vinyl-printing company called Board Wraps* because of their simple online ordering process and inclusion of a free vinyl installation kit.

Their ordering process was extremely simple. Just select your snowboard size, pay the fee, then email your artwork to their sales team. Easy peasy.

After choosing my printing company, I reviewed their printing specifications. They accepted RGB files at 200 dpi in the following formats: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, PDF, JPEG, TIFF, and EPS. (FYI, they ask you to avoid including registered logos, Trademarked images, and any artwork with a Copyright (unless you have permission to use them)). They also ask you to send a rectangular file rather than a rounded, snowboard-shaped file.

With that in mind, it was time to photograph my artwork in natural lighting, balance the colours, and prepare it for print!

Just for reference, I exported my file as a 300 dpi JPEG. Then, I emailed it to their sales team using Dropbox, along with my order reference number, and waited for my digital print proof to arrive.

Unboxing and applying the bespoke vinyl

I placed my order on a Saturday, and just two days later, I had a digital proof waiting in my inbox. It looked AWESOME.

It must have been printed on Tuesday, because I received a dispatch email on Wednesday, saying FedEx would deliver it the following day.

From digital artwork to printed snowboard vinyl in less than a week?

Very impressive.

Sure enough, my bespoke vinyl arrived around Thursday lunchtime, neatly rolled up and securely packaged in a sturdy double-walled box.

Inside was everything I needed to apply it to my board: an instruction sheet, squeegee, cleaning wipes and a few fun branded stickers.

So far, so good. Now for the scary bit: applying it to my snowboard.

I started by cleaning my board with the alcohol wipes provided.

Then, because I’d designed my custom snowboard vinyl to the exact size, I marked the exact centre on my snowboard with a marker pen (and on the back of my custom vinyl in pencil).

And I lined them up together.

Next, following my instruction sheet, I taped my decal over the board and onto the table to create a ‘hinge’ effect.

Side note: I also added a small piece of tape under each end of the board to hold it in place.

Then, I flipped over one end of my custom vinyl, peeled back the paper layer and cut it off.

Then, starting from the centre, I used the soft squeegee (supplied by Board Wraps) to apply the vinyl with zero air bubbles.

Once the first side was applied, I flipped over the remaining piece of vinyl and peeled away the paper backing. Then, I repeated the same process with my squeegee.

And just like that, it was done! The entire process must have taken me no more than 20 minutes.

Then, all I had to do was trim the vinyl around the edge.

Cut holes for my bindings using a scalpel.

Then reattach my bindings. And my personalised snowboard is ready to go!

How much does a custom snowboard wrap cost?

For anyone wondering about my costs for this project, here’s a little breakdown:

Custom vinyl	£67.99
Snowboard	Already owned
Application kit	Free with the vinyl
Total	£67.99

My vinyl came with a 20% discount thanks to an August sale (usual RRP £84.99). And in my opinion, that’s a bargain for giving an old board a new lease of life.

View this post on Instagram

So, would I recommend creating a custom snowboard wrap?

Absolutely.

I now have a custom snowboard that rides like a dream and a top sheet design I love. I’ve transformed an old board into one that feels brand new, and it was significantly cheaper than buying a whole new board.

That said, there are a few things to watch out for:

• When you’re designing your artwork, remember to mark where your bindings will sit. This means you won’t end up standing over your favourite part of the design.
• When creating your artwork, extend it beyond the board, so you have plenty of room to trim your vinyl against the board later.
• Applying and trimming the vinyl can take a bit of patience, but I promise that it’s worth taking your time.

The only question now is how well the vinyl will hold up against snow, ice, chairlifts, and the general abuse that comes with snowboarding. Only time will tell, but I’ll update this guide if I see any signs of peeling or damage.

Have you ever redesigned, wrapped or customised your snowboard? I’d love to see what you created and to hear more about your experience with different printing companies.

Or, if you’re a snowboard brand looking for an artist to create something a little different for your boards… I’m here for that.

Liked my tiger? I love designing weird, wonderful and colourful paintings. If you’d like to see more of my artwork, you can browse my prints here.

*Please note, I only recommend companies I have worked with, and this is not an affiliate link.