By
Mark Lee
For businesses with glass frontage, printed window graphics offer one of the best returns on investment, attracting the eye quickly and repeatedly.
Window graphics allow you to turn your glass windows and doors into prime advertising space, and are an excellent choice for company logos or large images and text. The product lasts three to five years and provides a finished look for your storefront, working non-stop to promote your business year-round.
Aglaia Koeleman, writing in The Business Gazette, points out that perhaps one of the best reasons customers choose this advertising solution is that most sign types are controlled by municipal bylaws, while window film normally is not.
When it comes to
printed window graphics, there are three basic options. The first, perforated window film, is very popular and is easily applied. It’s very vibrant and visible from the street, yet clients and employees inside can still see out through it. This option offers cost-effective, long-term advertising.
The second option, opaque window film, works well when shelving covers the inside of your glass, or when you want to cover the glass completely. It offers the highest contrast and most vibrant colors, lasts longer than perforated print and therefore offers a much higher return on investment.
Printed clear vinyl, the third option, is also very effective if used correctly. By using a
wide format printer that prints white ink, it allows printing on clear vinyl and still have the vibrancy of printing on white vinyl. This option allows you to cover your entire window with graphics that don’t block the view. The only drawback is that it’s a bit more costly; it does, however, offer a more subtle look that opaque or perforated cannot.
In addition to these basic
window graphic options, you can opt for window films that give the appearance of various glass treatments without permanently altering the glass. Frosted films, for example, deliver the look of sandblasted or acid-etched glass at a fraction of the cost, and can be installed in commercial and residential applications. The appearance doesn’t have quite the punch of printed films, but has a much more refined appearance. It’s very popular in banks, law offices, investment firms and restaurants.
Regardless of the type of decal you choose, you should keep basic design best practices in mind. For example, limit the amount of text you put on your sign, use colors that have high contrast - especially if the window is tinted or the sign needs to be seen from a distance -, make sure your sign design and size is big enough to be seen from a distance if needed.
AlphaGraphics Arlington. Window Graphics and Sign Experts.
www.us110.alphagraphics.com