HOW-TO
BY MARK K. ROBERTS
Vinyl
The Perks of Window Perf Graphics
Solving two problems with one window perf application.
I
have several clients who own successful automobile dealerships. Recently I was called in by one of them to install digitally printed perforated film to the lower windows of their Chevrolet showroom. There are several automobile salesmen at this location who have their desks on the other side of the windows. The problem is the windows get hot as the day progresses, and the owner wanted a solution to keep the sun off these hardworking salespeople. After studying the situation, I had an idea. I collected the 2014 sales brochures of each of the Chevrolet automobiles on lot, scanned them, and resized the artwork to fill up the size of each lower window. I created simple JPEGs, sized them in Photoshop, and then sent the files to my Roland printer for output.
I printed six photos of the Chevrolet cars and four photos of the Chevrolet logo and installed them along the bottom row of windows next to the sidewalk. Most of the windows were similar in size; however a couple of them were shorter and one was longer. Using my highest grade of window perf film, I printed the images, cut them to size, and installed them in no time at all. I install all my window perf with transfer paper; this lessens the chance of tearing the fragile prints. I am a fan of the center-hinge method of applying window perf film. So I took the cut-tosize window perf graphic, centered it on the window, and applied two rows of two-inch masking tape vertically from top to bottom. Then I started with folding the print over to the left-hand side and removing the backing
A portion of the completed window perf project for a local Chevrolet dealer.
signshop.com
August 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated
21