Window graphics are quoted by the job, not from a price list, because two storefronts with the same glass can need very different materials. Here is what actually moves the number, so you can compare quotes line by line and decide where to spend.
1. Square footage of glass
Everything starts with the area to be covered. A door with lettering is a few square feet; a full storefront wrap is a few hundred. Partial coverage, such as a band or a corner graphic, costs less than covering every pane.
2. Material
- Die-cut vinyl lettering (3M IJ35 cast vinyl): the least expensive way to brand a window. Priced by letter size and count.
- Solid printed vinyl with UV laminate: mid-range per square foot; photographic quality, blocks the view. See the Cazcanes window wrap.
- Clear vinyl with white ink: similar to solid; the white ink pass adds a step. See Casablanca.
- Perforated one-way vinyl (Briteline) with clear laminate: the highest per square foot of the printed films, because of the film and the required laminate. See perforated window vinyl.
- Frosted film (Aslan): priced by square foot plus cutting for logos. See frosted window film.
3. Lamination
Any printed graphic on exterior glass in Los Angeles should be laminated; unlaminated print fades within a season. It is a line item, and a quote without it is not comparable to one with it.
4. Design
Supplying vector logos and print-ready artwork keeps design time low. Rebuilding a logo from a business card, retouching photography for large scale, or designing a full campaign adds design hours.
5. Inside or outside the glass
Every material can go inside or outside. Outside installation avoids reflections and tinted-glass color shifts but exposes the graphic to weather (hence lamination); inside installation protects it but can dull colors on tinted or low-E glass. The side is chosen by the glass, not by price, but it affects material choice.
6. Access and installation
Ground-floor storefronts install in a morning. Second-story glass, atrium panels and windows over a busy sidewalk need a lift or a night installation, which adds labor.
7. Removal
Old graphics and adhesive have to come off first. We quote removal with the new installation; it is usually modest unless the old film was unlaminated and has baked on.
What is not extra
A site check of the glass, a to-scale proof on a photo of your storefront, a permit check (window signs count toward your allowed sign area in the City of Los Angeles) and our own installation crew are part of every window job.
Get a fixed price
Send a photo of the storefront with rough dimensions and what you want on the glass, and we come back with a layout and a fixed price, usually within a couple of days. Everything is printed and cut in-house in Pacoima on our large format printers. Request a quote, see all options on our window graphics page, or read perforated vs. solid window vinyl.
Need just lettering or a logo cut from solid vinyl? See our vinyl lettering and die-cut vinyl letters page.