Window perf is typically a vinyl with an adhesive back that is perforated in a pattern of evenly spaced round holes. The biggest benefit of it is that it provides full visibility to the graphics from the outside while allowing light through to the people inside. It is also referred to as “one-way vision film”, or “see-through vinyl”.

In most of the cases, the holes are uniform in size. The print coverage and visibility are determined by the number of holes. A 50/50 perforation pattern has perforations in 50 percent of the area and the other 50 percent is used for printing. It comes in a wide variety of hole configurations – 70/30, 60/40 and 50/50 are the most common. The first number represents the printable area and the second represents the open area.

Film Construction and Applications

Window perf is manufactured in layers. The first layer is that of the printable white vinyl followed by a layer of black vinyl. It is finished off with a coating of adhesive material and release liner. The black layer tends to serve as an optical illusion that offers clear visibility behind the printed vinyl. For optimum results, 70 percent or more of the light has to be on the printed side. Perforated window graphics are most commonly used in vehicle windows, retail window displays, office windows, and other situations where you want visibility for the graphics from one side and light to pass through to the other.

Marketing Advantages

Vehicles are by far the most common candidates for window graphics, closely followed by exterior window for small business owners, interior designers and property managers to present a more attractive front to the clients. It is an excellent form of advertising signage. It adheres easily to vehicles and windows, with perforations that enable vision through the advertisement.

There has been a steady increase in the vehicle wrap market over the years. Many companies that use vehicles to deliver their services or products are beginning to understand that using perforated window graphics on their vehicles is a great marketing. Unlike other more traditional forms of advertising like print, radio, TV and billboards that have a recurring cost, a vehicle wrap is a one-time investment with the potential of millions of advertising impressions in the market over the course of two to three years. Since you just incur a one-time fee for printing and installation, you get a lot of bang for your buck. It also has the added advantage of moving well beyond the coverage area of a static advertisement like a billboard.

The advancements in technology have opened up a lot of new options that weren’t available before. The wider printing capability, faster speed of printing, and higher resolutions allow the printing companies to really push the envelope and create durable and high-quality graphics that wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago.

Perforated window film, in general, has a variety of applications, such as the following: