Applying Adhesive Vinyl Window Graphic

I was in New York a few weeks ago and I walked past a couple of guys installing an adhesive vinyl window graphic. Not one of ours, I’m afraid, but I find it always useful to see how things are used in the field.

We recommend that people install their adhesive vinyl window graphics on the outside of the window, although they often worry that the public will pick at it. This job was being installed on the outside, so I felt good about that.

Installing an adhesive vinyl window graphic on the inside of a window has three issues:

First of all, we can’t print on the adhesive, so what you wind up doing is printing on a vinyl substrate and then applying the adhesive on top of it. That’s an extra step, and costs more.
Secondly, vinyl on the inside of a window will get pretty warm if it’s in direct sunlight. It’s the old greenhouse effect. If you warm up the adhesive, it softens and can let go, dropping the graphic to the floor. We’ve had that happen to a customer.
Finally, there’s often a lot of stuff in a store that backs up to the window, things like shelving, refrigerators, and displays. Moving them can be a bigger job than putting up the window graphics.

People worry that someone will pull down the vinyl, or vandalize it, and I understand the concern. But, if it will survive on 8th Avenue, it probably will anywhere!