How to Apply Window Graphics Without Causing Wrinkles or Bubbles

Spread your message with window decals

If you are looking to make a positive first impression, or your business location happens has heavy foot or vehicle traffic passing by, window stickers could significantly increase your exposure and message reach.

Types of window stickers

There are a range of stickers solutions suitable for window and glass signage, with different styles for different applications and finishes, ensuring you can achieve the finish suitable for your business.

Exterior fix White Vinyl stickers – for a full colour finish.

Applied to the outside of the glass, your artwork is printed onto a white vinyl substrate to ensure great colour vibrancy.White Vinyl stickers are available as:

Gloss Vinyl Labels: Permanent or removable adhesive
Matt Vinyl Labels: Permanent adhesive

Interior fix White Vinyl Labels

Applied to the inside of the glass, interior fix labels are printed in reverse onto a clear vinyl substrate, and a white vinyl laminate is applied to the back of the label providing a solid base, and allowing your colours to pop. If you would like the edges of the sticker to remain clear, request a clear interior fix sticker.

Note, the white vinyl provides a solid base to your colours – like drawing on paper instead of a transparency or glass. If your artwork is fully coloured, the sticker will be too, the white base just ensures your images are easy to see. From the inside of the window, your label will be solid white.

Clear Vinyl Stickers

When you are looking to decorate your windows more subtly or without interrupting thru-vision and the open feel of your office or store, or you just want a clear promo sticker that will help your logo to pop, clear stickers and decals are a favourite for many. Same Day Printing’s high resolution printers ensure your clear stickers look great, and provide the ability to turn some orders around within a day, so you can get your stickers / labels / decals fast.

Clear vinyl stickers are available as

Clear Gloss Vinyl Labels: Permanent adhesive
Matt Labels: Permanent adhesive
Each option can be printed with:
white ink as a base – ensuring colours are vibrant and not impacted by the colour of the item they are stuck to
no white ink base – often suitable if being stuck to a white or light coloured item, or if you are looking for a semi-translucent finish.

Step 1 - Clean the Surface Area

Same Day Printing - How to install window decals step 1

For best results, thoroughly wipe down the surface area using glass cleaner to ensure there aren’t any bumps or debris that will get trapped under your window graphic.

Do not use an ammonia-based cleaning product! It can off-gas and cause bubbles under your graphic.

If you don’t clean the surface area, you risk air bubbles and even creating holes in your graphic later on.

Step 2 - Make Some Application Fluid

To apply your graphic using the wet method, you’ll need application fluid (aka soapy water). It can be made by simply adding a drop or two of dish soap into a spray bottle with about a 750ml to 1L of water.

Don’t overdo the soap, you really only need a drop! The soapy water prevents the graphic’s adhesive from sticking, making it easy to squeegee down without trapping air underneath or wrinkling.

?This would also be a good time to find something to use as a squeegee. A credit card or piece of stiff cardstock will work, or you can purchase the real deal at your local hardware store.

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Step 3 - Position and Tape

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Once you’re confident the surface area is clean of any debris, tack the top of your graphic in place with a piece of masking or painters tape. Take a few steps back and look at your graphic from a distance to make sure it’s in the correct location, or have someone else stand back and give you direction. If you want to be really professional about it, use a tape measure and a level. If this is a subsurface decal, make sure you’ve got it the right way up.

When you’re happy with your graphic’s position, cut a wide piece of tape the same length as the graphic and place it at the top of the graphic so half is sticking to the top of your graphic and half on the window itself. You want the graphic to be able to hinge by lifting the bottom while keeping the graphic in place at the top.

Step 4 - Remove the Liner

Lift the graphic from the bottom and remove the protective plastic/paper from the back of the graphic. Do not allow the adhesive to touch the window and try not to touch the sticky side with your hands!

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Step 5 - Squeegee from the Centre Outwards

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Use your squeegee to force out the water under the graphic. Start from the centre and move outwards while applying firm pressure. By now your graphic should be looking pretty good. It should be stuck in position without any wrinkles or air bubbles.

Step 6 - Remove your tape

When you’re satisfied that all of the wrinkles or bubbles have been removed, you can remove your tape. Peel it from the graphic outwards – you don’t want it to pull your decal off the glass. If this starts happening, you may want to either wait a bit longer for the adhesive to bond with the glass, or spray down your tape with water to get it to release a bit easier.