Frosted Clear Adhesive Vinyl
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This frosted clear vinyl film has a permanent adhesive for long term window installations. With its matte clear finish and permanent adhesive, it's also great for decorative use on home or business windows including bathrooms and shower doors. The material allows the printed image to be visible from both sides. White underprinting is also available for increased contrast in advertising graphics. Available in widths up to 54".
The product photos above show a Frosted Clear MagicStik sample on a window both from the inside and outside. You can see that the frosted finish makes it difficult to see through the clear areas of the graphic. In full sun, there is some glare off the finish of the graphic that makes it look more washed out, but from the inside, the image looks vibrant. This demonstrates how the image will always look better from the side of the glass that is darker. During the day, with sunlight shining on the image it will look better inside, while at night with light on inside, the image will look better from the outside.
Keep in mind that in these photos, the image is printed for backlighting so it won't look washed when it's illuminated by light through the window, which is how this material is printed by default. If you want your design printed so it looks correct without lighting, make a note of this in the Special Instructions area.
Approx. longevity of up to 3 years outdoors or 5-20 years indoors.
Favorite Features
The permanent solvent based adhesive will keep even small decals in place without lifting if installed properly. It makes a great printed privacy film, and the privacy feature can be increased by adding a 5-10% white floodcoat, for situations where less visibility through the graphic is needed.
Drawbacks
With a permanent adhesive, it's difficult to remove, but it will come off with heat and some effort. It's vinyl so it's not eco-friendly.
Best Applications
Decorative window graphics on both interior and exterior windows. Makes great stained glass window graphics. Is waterproof so it can even go in bathrooms.
Additional Information
Is a Featured Product | No |
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Is Product Tiled? | Yes |
Price | $6.00 |
Free Ground Shipping | No |
Installation Instructions
These instructions are provided for our customers that want to install their own window decals. Tools you will need: Scissors, Xacto knife or razor blade, soft squeegee or protect the image with paper (hard squeegee will damage the print), and masking tape. You can also use your hands to apply the decal, but you are more likely to get bubbles in that case.
This material can be applied either dry or with water. Installing with water requires more time and patience, but it's more forgiving of mistakes and you are less likely to end up with bubbles. Both methods are described below.
General Notes
- Windows should not have been treated with water repellent.
- If applying a window graphic that is not laminated, use a soft squeegee or protect the image with paper during installation to prevent damage to the printed image.
- Apply decals in the shade (no direct sunlight).
- The ideal temperature would be between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wind or wind gusts will cause problems.
- Graphics should be trimmed so that they are at least 1/8" away from window frames and seals to allow for expansion. The graphic will not adhere to silicone edging.
Surface Preparation
- All surfaces should be considered dirty and must be cleaned prior to installation. Clean the area where the decals are to be applied with a household, non-ammonia based cleaner. We recommend an alcohol based cleaner such as denatured alcohol or equivalent. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
- Air and window surface temperatures must be above 40 degrees.
Applying the Window Graphic Dry
- Position your decal in the desired location and tack into place on each end with small pieces of masking tape.
- Peel back about 2” of the release liner away from the top edge on the adhesive side of your decal.
- Cut that section of the release liner off and discard.
- Squeegee down the exposed edge of the decal starting from the center and working towards the edges. Let the squeegee cause the contact with the mounting surface and brush from the center outward using overlapping 45 degree angled strokes.
- Flip the graphic up, or have an assistant hold it up and start to peel back the remaining release liner.
- Pull back a few inches of the release liner at a time and squeegee the graphic into place using the same technique as above.
- If you get an air bubble, you can either lift the decal enough to release the air, or if the bubbles are not too large, you can pop them with a pin and squeegee the bubble toward the pin hole to squeeze out the air.
- Once the entire decal is applied, squeegee the entire decal once more to ensure a firm bond with the surface.
Applying the Window Decal with Water
- Spray the window surface with water. This will allow you to move the window graphic around some during installation and smooth out any bubbles.
- If you are installing a smaller window decal, you can peel the decal off the release liner and spray the back liberally with water. For larger graphics, you will need to peel back a few inches of the release liner at the top to expose a section of the graphic and spray that section with water. Take care not to touch the adhesive surface any more than necessary to prevent oils from your hands from getting on the adhesive, which can keep it from sticking.
- Place top edge of the graphic into place. If it is not level or needs to be moved, reapply water to the window surface and the cling.
- Using a rubber squeegee, or another type of soft squeege, slowly squeegee out the air and water going down the graphic in 45 degree strokes, working from the center out. Use paper towels or a soft cloth to soak up the water as it's squeezed out from between the window and the graphic. Be sure your squeegee does not have any sharp edges or irregularities or it may damage the graphic. You can cover your squeegee with a soft cloth to keep it from causing any damage.
- If you are installing a larger graphic, lift the bottom of the graphic so you can reach the paper backing from behind and either pull it off completely, or for very large graphics, just pull back a few feet at time and spray the back with more water. It may help to have an extra pair of hands to help hold the graphic in place during this step so you don't pull it loose from the window while removing the backing.
- Continue to squeegee out the water and any bubbles until no more water is being removed.
- Over the next several hours, any remaining moisture will evaporate and leave a clean installation.
FAQ
I just received my print and it's too dark and the color is wrong.
Clear window graphics are printed by default to allow for illumination through the print, either from the sun in exterior windows or interior lights. In order for the colors to not look washed out in these situations, the colors will look too dark when there is no light through the print. prints are profiled so the color looks correct when the graphic is illuminated, so you need to backlight the graphic for the color to look correct. See the question below for more details on this, but other than Day/Night backlit graphics, colors will always look too dark when the graphic isn't llluminated with a standard amount of lighting and often some colors will shift as well. If the graphics are printed so they look correct without lighting, they will look washed out when lit. Choose the Day/Night Backlit Graphic for displays that look good whether or not they are illuminated.