Window perf only looks professional when it fits the glass perfectly. Too big and it rides up onto the rubber seal, where it lifts, collects dirt and peels. Too small and you get a halo of bare glass. Ten minutes with a tape measure fixes all of that.
What you need
- A metal tape measure (cloth ones stretch)
- Paper and pencil, or your phone’s notes app
- A photo of each window, straight on, from outside
Measure the glass, not the frame
Most windows have a rubber or vinyl gasket (the seal where the glass meets the frame). Perf has to sit inside the gasket, on flat glass. So measure the glass you can actually see:
- Measure the width from the inside edge of the gasket on the left to the inside edge on the right.
- Measure the height from the inside edge of the gasket at the top to the inside edge at the bottom.
- Measure in three places each way (top, middle, bottom for width; left, middle, right for height) and use the smallest number. Frames are rarely square.
- Subtract 1/8 in from the width and from the height. That leaves about 1/16 in of clear glass on every side, so the film never touches the gasket.
Write it down as width × height, always in that order.
Measure every pane
“They’re all the same” is the most expensive sentence in window graphics. Windows in the same storefront can differ by half an inch. Number the panes in your photo (left to right, top to bottom) and measure each one.
Watch for these
- Door handles, push bars and locks. Note where they are. We can leave cut-outs.
- Existing decals: hours, safety stickers, alarm notices. Remove them, or tell us so we can work around them.
- Mullions and dividers that split one window into several panes. Each pane is its own piece.
- Tinted or coated glass. Some factory coatings don’t like adhesive. Ask us.
- Vehicle windows. Measure the flat, usable area and stay clear of rubber trim, defroster lines on the edges and the third brake light. Rules for covering rear and side windows vary by province and state, so check yours before you order. Many require working mirrors on both sides when the rear window is covered.
Windows wider than 52 in
We print perf up to 52 in wide in one piece. Bigger panes are printed in panels that overlap slightly so there’s no gap. Send us your measurements and we’ll split them for you and show the seams on your proof.
Lining up the design
If one graphic spans several panes (a big logo across the whole storefront), it will be interrupted by the frames between them. Send us the gap measurements between panes too, so the design lines up as if the frames weren’t there.
Not sure?
Send us the photos and your numbers. Your free proof shows exactly where every edge lands before anything is printed.
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