“Dude, you need to use CONVEX on our helmets! Other stuff gets gooey, shrinks, and falls off.”
Our recommendation for sports helmet decals and award stickers are:
- CONVEX GearWrap base material with:
- CONVEX laminate
CONVEX® Vinyl for Football, Hockey, Baseball, and Lacrosse Helmets
CONVEX® with GearWrap™ adhesive is engineered for sports helmet decals. It is permanent, yet you can get it off cleanly (for up to a year). This is important if you want to replace decals or refurbish helmets after the season. For any complex curved surface, you will want to use a combination that is at least 8 mils thick so that the decal doesn’t buckle or wrinkle easily while it’s being applied.
The most popular products are CONVEX 4 and 8 mil GearWrap base films (what you print on). If you are printing with a thermal printer (such as the Gerber Edge®), you can print opaque white where you need to. If you are printing with an inkjet, choose CONVEX GearWrap white (4 or 8 mil).
Remember, GearWrap is the adhesive that is most effective on helmets. GearWrap has a long history (15 years on the field) of being safe.
You have a choice of laminates. CONVEX makes the best laminates for sports helmet decals because they are the easiest to apply without buckling. A decal that is at least 20 mil thickness is the standard thickness that coaches ask for. We know there are always budgetary concerns; therefore you can choose the thickness based on the environment and the budget your customers are working with. You have a choice of 4, 8, or 12 mil laminates. For a 20 mil decal, just use 8 mil CONVEX GearWrap with the 12 mil laminate.
Pictured is a promotional mini helmet. Using the 4 mil GearWrap and the 4 mil laminate (or the 8 mil GearWrap without a laminate) is the way to go for these small items.