Custom Reflective Decals
After dark, an unmarked trailer, gate, or machine simply is not there. Reflective decals throw headlight beams straight back at the driver — seen from 100 feet before anything else is.
Engineer-grade reflective film prints in full color and works around the clock: bright silver-white by day, lit up at night. It costs more than standard vinyl — and earns the difference the first night.
Free digital proof on every order · 2–3 day production · Ships nationwide
Returns headlight beams to the viewer
Full-color print on reflective stock
Numbers, IDs, and safety marking
Fleet door lettering with USDOT numbers
Illustrations shown — your free digital proof shows your actual artwork before anything prints.
What these are used for
- ✓ Trailer and truck conspicuity marking
- ✓ Helmet and equipment visibility
- ✓ Gate, post, and driveway markers
- ✓ Night-visible fleet numbers and USDOT lettering
- ✓ Emergency and safety equipment labels
Material guidance
Engineer-grade reflective vinyl prints in full color; whites and yellows reflect brightest. It is stiffer than standard vinyl, so it wants flat or gently curved surfaces — compound curves need a quote.
Artwork requirements
PDF, EPS, AI, PNG, or JPG up to 50 MB. Vector files print sharpest at large sizes; raster files should be 150 DPI at final print size. Full specs on the artwork guidelines page. Not sure your file works? Upload it anyway — we check every file before proofing, and design help is $45.00 flat if it needs cleanup.
Price your reflective decals
Set your size, material, and quantity. Price updates as you go.
Popular picks
Visible at 100 feet in headlights
Engineer-grade reflective vinyl returns light to its source, so a headlight beam lights your decal up from across a parking lot. By day it reads as a bright silver-white decal printed in full color; by night it is the difference between being seen and not. Trailer marking, gate and driveway markers, fleet numbers, and equipment IDs are the bread-and-butter jobs.
Where reflective earns its price
Reflective is a premium material — and it is still the cheapest safety upgrade a work vehicle can get. High-contrast layouts reflect hardest: dark text over unprinted reflective background gives maximum nighttime punch. For DOT-regulated conspicuity striping, request a quote; that calls for certified prismatic tape, which we source per job.
Designing for maximum night visibility
Reflective works by bouncing light back at its source, so design for the beam: keep at least a third of the decal as unprinted reflective surface, put dark text on the bare film rather than white text on printed color, and go bigger than you would for a daytime decal — reflection reads at distance, detail does not. Your proof shows the printed and unprinted zones clearly.
Beyond vehicles: gates, gear, and equipment
Half our reflective work never touches a truck: driveway gates and posts that headlights need to find, generators and site equipment that work dawn hours, helmets and hard hats on night crews, mailbox numbers on dark rural roads. Anything that needs to announce itself to a light source is a candidate — and at typical marker sizes, a full set costs less than one incident it prevents.
Reflective Decals — specifications
| Maximum size | 52″ wide × 120″ tall per piece (larger jobs paneled — request a quote) |
|---|---|
| Materials | Reflective Vinyl |
| Durability | 5 years outdoor (manufacturer rating) |
| Finish | Engineer-grade reflective, full-color printable |
| Cut options | Square, rounded, or contour |
| Best for | Night visibility: trailers, gates, fleet IDs, equipment |
| Artwork | PDF, EPS, AI, PNG, JPG up to 50 MB · 150 DPI at print size · free file check on every order |
| Production | 2-3 business days after artwork approval |
| Shipping | 2-4 business days via UPS Ground · free over $99.00 |
| Minimum order | $50.00 |
Need something outside these specs? Request a quote — oversized, unusual materials, and high-volume runs are priced by email.
Production & delivery timeline
Free digital proof
After you order, we email a proof of your exact print file. Nothing goes to production until you approve it by email.
Production: 2-3 business days after artwork approval
The production clock starts at artwork approval + payment — not at order time.
Shipping: 2-4 business days via UPS Ground
Free over $99.00, flat $9.95 under. Decals ship ready to apply — see our application instructions.
Reflective Decals — common questions
How reflective is it really?
Engineer-grade reflective returns light to roughly 100 feet+ in headlights. It is the same class of material used on many roadside signs — not the prismatic grade of highway signage, but dramatically brighter than any standard decal at night.
Does printing on it reduce the reflection?
Printed colors reflect in that color, slightly dimmer than the raw silver-white film. High-contrast designs — dark text on unprinted reflective background — give maximum nighttime punch.
Is it DOT-compliant for trailers?
For regulated conspicuity striping, DOT requires specific prismatic tape — request a quote for that. For USDOT number lettering, engineer-grade reflective is a popular, compliant-lettering choice that adds night visibility.
Can reflective decals be die-cut?
Yes — order the shape on this page and note the contour cut, or order through the die-cut page with reflective noted in design help. Complex shapes in reflective cut slightly slower, same 2–3 day production.
Does reflective vinyl work in daylight?
In daylight it reads as a bright silver-white decal with your full-color print. The reflective payoff appears whenever a light source hits it — headlights, flashlights, camera flashes.
Can reflective decals go on curved surfaces?
Flat and gently curved surfaces, yes. Engineer-grade film is stiffer than standard vinyl, so compound curves (bumper corners, helmets with sharp crowns) need a quote so we can panel or spec accordingly.
More answers on the general FAQ — or email support@manhattandecals.com.
Customer reviews
Every review comes from a verified, shipped order.
Ready to price your reflective decals?
Exact size, your material, your quantity — priced in seconds, proofed for free before anything prints.