Printed Signs
Custom Window Wraps Chicago
Printed graphics applied to glass: full coverage, perforated one-way vision, frosted privacy film or cut vinyl lettering. Turns empty glazing into something that works.
- Full, perforated or frosted
- Applied by our own installers
- Removable without residue
- Licensed Chicago sign contractor
- Printed in our own shop
- Ships anywhere in the US
- One team from quote to install
The problem
Glass that is doing nothing
What customers tell us before we start, and what we do about it.
What usually goes wrong
- The unit is being fitted out and the frontage is papered over with nothing on it.
- Passers-by can see straight into the office, and blinds make the place look closed.
- There is more glass than wall and nowhere obvious to put the signage.
How SignFreaks handles it
- Full-coverage graphics that turn the frontage into a hoarding that sells while you fit out.
- Perforated film, so you see out and they do not see in, without blocking daylight.
- Frosted film and cut lettering for a permanent, finished look on an office frontage.
What you get
Film types
The parts that matter, and why each one is specified the way it is.
Full coverage
Opaque printed vinyl across the glass. Maximum impact, no view either way.
Perforated (one-way)
Printed on the outside, see-through from inside. Daylight retained, privacy gained.
Frosted
Etched-glass look, with shapes or logos cut out of it. The standard for office glazing and meeting rooms.
Cut vinyl
Individual letters and shapes applied directly to the glass, with no background panel.
Clear printed
Printed on transparent film where the graphic should float on the glass.
Installation
By our own installers, wet-applied and squeegeed. Bubbles and creases are an application problem, not a material one.
Compare
Which film for which job
The decision is about what you need to see, and what you need them not to.
| Need | Film | View out | View in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum impact | Full coverage | None | None |
| Privacy plus daylight | Perforated | Good | Limited |
| Office privacy | Frosted | Diffused | Diffused |
| Just the name and hours | Cut vinyl | Full | Full |
| Subtle graphic | Clear printed | Full | Full |
Swipe to see the full table.
Artwork
Getting the artwork right
Send these and the print goes straight through. Send a logo pulled off a website and we will be asking for something better.
- Vector artwork where possible: AI, EPS, PDF or SVG, with fonts converted to outlines.
- Raster images at around 100–150 dpi at final size for large format, which is plenty at normal viewing distance.
- CMYK rather than RGB, since that is how it prints. Give us Pantone references for brand colors.
- Include bleed past the trim edge, and keep text well inside it.
- Allow for hems and grommets on banners: anything within a couple of inches of the edge can end up folded.
- Tell us the finished size you want, not the size the file happens to be.
Approvals
Permits and what to expect
The part of the job most likely to move your timeline.
Window graphics are where a lot of businesses accidentally break the sign code. Many municipalities limit the percentage of glazing that may be covered, and some treat window signage as part of your total permitted sign area rather than as something separate. Fit-out hoarding is often treated differently again, and sometimes more leniently. Worth checking before you cover the whole frontage.
We handle the drawings and the filing as part of the job. There is more detail on our sign permit page.
Our work
Projects we have built
Real installations, photographed on site.
Get a real number for your window wraps
Send a photo, a rough size and your deadline. You get a written quote with line items, not a range and not a guess.
Who uses it
Industries we build this for
The requirements change with the building. These pages go into how.
Commercial Businesses
Learn moreSalons
Learn moreRestaurants
Learn more
Delivery
We ship nationwide
No installer, no permit, no reason it has to stay in Illinois.
We can print and ship window film for you to apply, and it travels flat or rolled without difficulty. Locally we would usually recommend we apply it: a large pane wet-applied by someone who does it daily looks very different from the same film applied carefully by someone who does not.
Budget
What moves the price
Roughly in the order they matter.
We do not publish price lists, because a number without your size, site and deadline attached would be fiction. Give us those three and you get a real quote.
- Total glass area and the number of separate panes.
- Film type, with perforated and specialist films costing more than standard vinyl.
- Print coverage and complexity.
- Whether old film has to be removed first, which can take longer than applying the new.
- Access, particularly for upper-floor glazing.
Questions
Questions we get asked
Call (872) 250-4743, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Questions we get asked
Will it damage the glass?
No. Window film is designed to come off cleanly, and removal usually leaves nothing behind. Very old film that has been on for years in full sun can leave adhesive, which comes off with the right solvent.
How much of the window can I cover?
That is set by your local sign code, and a percentage limit is common. Some municipalities also count window graphics towards your overall sign area. It is one of the more frequently overlooked parts of the ordinance.
Can I see out through perforated film?
Yes, reasonably well in daylight — it is the standard choice for exactly that reason. At night with the lights on inside the effect reverses somewhat, so it is less effective for after-dark privacy.
How long does it last?
Several years outdoors. The print fades with UV like any outdoor graphic, and perforated film can collect dirt in the holes on a dusty street. Interior-applied film lasts considerably longer.
Can you remove our old graphics?
Yes, and it is a normal part of the job. Old film sometimes takes longer to get off than the new takes to put on, particularly if it has been up for years, so we look at it before quoting rather than after.
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