Vehicle wraps have revolutionised the way we can market a business or product on a motor vehicle or truck. Adhesive vinyl is now able to conform to almost every curve of outside surface – but what about the windows?

In most jurisdictions there are rules about covering the windows of a vehicle, it’s a safety thing! Being able to see clearly through all the windows allows us to be spatially aware while driving.

While being limited by road rules there are still some great options when it comes to utilising windows in a vehicle wrap design.

There are 3 different options when it comes to installing signage on windows.

Firstly, there is the window banner. The window banner is a strip of block-out vinyl, placed at the top of the front or rear screen with words or graphics on it. Many race cars have a window banner on the top of the front and rear screen, the information put on the window banner is usually a phone number or business name and it can assist also to reduce the sunlight into the cabin of the vehicle.

The second option is computer cut graphics, that is when you are just putting the lettering on with no background (normally on the rear window), that way you can see beyond the lettering and out of the vehicle, of course this doesn’t allow for the background design of your car wrap to continue across the window, but it does give you the option of showing your business name and information.

The third option, which is the most revolutionary of them all, is to use a product known as ‘perforated window film’ or ‘1 way vision’. Perforated window film is a printable graphic and it has many small holes so that you can see through from the inside but not from the outside. Your graphic information is very clear, but you can still see out of the window thanks to the adhesive side of the print being black.

There is several types of perforated window film, and it is important to use the correct one for a vehicle. Perforated window film that is made for a vehicle has larger holes and it is normally labelled 50/50 as the holes cover 50% of the printable surface, allowing maximum visibility while still showing your graphics.

There are different perforated window films made for shop windows which have a 60/40 perforation which is fine for shop windows, but not for your vehicle. The bonus of using perforated window film is that it can act as a security film so that people can’t see your valuable tools in your van or ute.

There are two negatives to do with perforated window film. The first being the lifespan is not going to be as good as that of your car wrap, this can be overcome by simply replacing the perforated window film a little more often, probably every 2 to 3 years.

The second negative of perforated window film is if you’re using it on a sedan or hatch with an angled rear window. The angle of the window will visually close the holes in the material, making it more difficult to see through, so it is not ideally suited to angled windows.

When designing your perforated window film, you need to know if there is a windscreen wiper going to impede part of your design and work around that. If you have a slightly curved rear window, normally on a wagon or hatch, you need to slightly curved your design otherwise it will look like it has a sad face when laid up on the window, this is something that is important to take into account when designing a perforated window film.

It is very important to laminate perforated window films. Some sign shops do not laminate it as a cost saving method which is to the detriment of the customer.  The laminate protects the print from the windscreen wiper and UV sunlight, destroying the ink prematurely.

Another important reason to laminate perforated window film is to keep your vision when it rains. The laminate allows the water to run off or be wiped off with the wiper, if there is no laminate the water sits in the small holes and makes it impossible to see through.

I hope this article has helped you understand about putting graphics on the windows of your vehicles and will help you make good decisions in the way you go about it with your car wrap.

©Tradie Wraps™ 2022