The windows of your shop or store can say a lot about what is inside.  This is why it is important to consider what you do to your windows; how you use them to attract customers. Consider it a great benefit–a wonderful marketing tool–if your shop or store has big, spacious windows to the outside world.  This is prime advertising real estate.  Companies often struggle with where to ad additional advertisements.  Well, windows are a perfect space.  Especially if they face high foot traffic. One very easy and affordable way to dress your windows is with vinyl.  Vinyl has long been a valuable material when creating color ads for all types of businesses.  The material is inexpensive and the installation is typically on the easy side, if you have practice.  Today’s ink printers are capable of printing large pieces of vinyl with brilliant full-color graphics.  The vinyl itself can be permanent, removable or re-positioned. There are three properties, or styles, of vinyl that are typically used as window graphics: opaque, frosted and see-through.  Opaque vinyl is as it sounds, opaque. It will block nearly 100% of light from outside.  Naturally, this means you can’t see through it to the outside.  Standard opaque vinyl is the least expensive vinyl for the job, but you need to consider if you want to completely block light from your space.  This vinyl can also come with permanent or removable adhesive.  If you are applying it to a surface that may be used for something else in the future, removable vinyl is the way to go. Frosted vinyl is a very decorative choice.  When applied to glass, acrylic, plexi-glass or another clear surface, it gives the look that the surface has a frosted glaze.  This can ad a more classic or high-end look to an office or store.  Frosted vinyl, though, has a property where it can show finger prints or application lines and can also be susceptible to scratching. For this reason, a popular choice for use is in areas where people will not able able to walk by and touch the vinyl.  Also, due to the frosted nature, this vinyl will block out a good portion of light.  So, it is also important to consider the light source in a room. The see-through option, wildly growing in popularity, is perforated vinyl, or window perf.  Despite the higher price of window perf, businesses are choosing this option over less expensive types.  The vinyl itself has holes, like mesh, which allow light to filter through it.  A popular application for window perf is on the outside of shop windows, printed with full-color graphics.  The holes in the vinyl allow natural sunlight to shine into the store, but block enough to act as a tinted “shade” as to not be uncomfortable to people inside the store.  In addition, since the light source is shining from the outside-in, people in the outside cannot see into the store. However, if you are in the store, you can still see outside.  This also makes window perf the ideal choice for car windows.  Your view is not obstructed, your eyes are shaded and you can ride in privacy. Vinyl window graphics are a very versatile choice for window ads.  It would be a shame to own a shop with ample window space and not dress it up to attract attention.  With a low price tag and quick installation, window graphics are a perfect way to spend advertising dollars.