Please note that we have currently stopped production of Plotter cutting on Frosted Films.
We have a very similar product – Printing on Frosted Films. These films too have an etched look and can be used to brand your glass partition. Please click on this link to learn more about Prints on Frosted Films.
Plotter Cutting on Frosted Films – Detailed Description
Glass partitions and glass cabins are a common feature in most corporate offices. Areas like meeting rooms and the boss’s cabin have glass panels built around them. And where you have glass, you also have a need for privacy. That is where privacy window films come in. Many of these partitions also have an opaque-ish effect on them. This effect is called frosting. A wallpaper or interior design shop supplies specialized frosted window films that impart this smoked effect to the glass.
And this is where Orchid Digitals comes in. While interior shops can only supply a plain frosted film for your glass windows and partitions, we can customize those frosted window films to display your brand’s logo or designs.
Plotter Cut Frosted Films for Glass
Orchid Digitals has a number of solutions for branding your glass partitions. These involve printing images directly on different types of films and pasting the same on your glass partitions.
But this post is about cutting out logos, words, and designs using a blade or plotter. There is no ink or printing involved.
Frosted films are nothing but large-sized stickers that get pasted on a transparent sheet of glass. The glass panel loses its transparency and acquires a smoked effect wherever the film gets pasted.
But a frost effect through and through can look pretty boring. So at Orchid Digitals, we have this added facility to cut a client’s logo or design on the film using our cutting plotters. Our frost film can now carry a custom design which significantly enhances the looks of the glass panel.
The area where the design is cut out becomes transparent. The remaining part of the glass remains frosted. As you can see from the image above, the logo and the brand words of the company remain transparent while the rest of the glass has a smoked effect.
If done thoughtfully, a frosted glass window with logo cuts can significantly enhance the interiors of any office. And in addition to looks, this film can also present the company’s branding in an extremely tasteful manner.
What Are the Benefits of Using Frosted Films for Glass Partitions?
Stylish Solution for Privacy: Meeting rooms, cabins of top-management, and many sections of stores are places you don’t want unsolicited peeking into. Privacy window films are perfect for offices that want their privacy while giving a great visual effect. A person standing outside can only make out vague humanoid shapes. But cannot really see what is happening within.
Does not Restrict Natural Light: Frosted glass windows may restrict vision. But it allows natural light to pass through. This enables the workplace to remain well lighted. Your branding does take place. But not at the cost of making the work area dark.
Customizable and Great for Branding: In addition to providing privacy, frosted glass films are a great option for branding. The branding can encompass your logo or brand messages, or the logos of your clients.
Unmatched Visual Appeal: When it comes to branding a panel, most designers/architects simply paste a printed vinyl on the same. But sticking a paper poster/design on the glass doesn’t exactly match up to the elegance of a frosted glass effect. The overall effect achieved is both functionally great and visually rich and stunning.
Ease of Use: Frosted glass films eliminate the need for acid-etch the glass surface. (More on this in the section below). The entire process of converting the glass pane is pretty straightforward. Once you commission the job from us, we cut out the design using our plotters, come over to your place and paste it on the existing window/partition. Also, the film is fairly easy to apply, making the entire process quick and short.
Removable: Glass films are removable. So if you need to change the design or want to restore the glass to its original state, all you have to do is peel the film, wash the glass surface and your partition comes back to its original state.
Low-Cost Solution: Frosted glass film also makes a lot of sense financially. The film costs as low as ₹ 150.00 per square foot which is far lesser than the cost incurred to get acid etching done.
Frosted Glass Film vs Acid Etching
Traditionally, the opaque-ish, frosted effect for glass was achieved by etching the desired design using etching acid. This acid permanently burned the design onto the glass surface. However, there are many pitfalls to the approach:
The process involved is difficult and cumbersome:
First, the stencils of the design would have to be created.
The stencils were then placed on the glass and washed with acid. The area exposed to the acid is where the design was created.
Acid etching has always been costly and time-consuming.
You cannot acid etch the glass once it has been fixed or installed. Therefore, the etching would first happen in the workshop and then the glass had to be carted to the installation site to be fixed.
Acid etching is permanent. Once done, you cannot change the design on the glass. In fact, you have to replace the entire glass panel.
Frosted and etched glass films on the other hand deliver several advantages above acid etching.
Etched films are economical
They can be pasted on existing panels on the site
They are fairly quick to produce
Frosted films can be peeled and replaced when you want to change the design
Variant – Frosted Film With a Glitter Effect
Normal frosted films have a smoked or etched effect. But at Orchid Digitals, we also stock a variant that has a glitter effect added to the original etched finish. The film contains tiny specks of gold or silver. These small specks reflect pinpoints of light and give off a very rich, glittery effect to the glass.
Other Glass Branding Options
While Frosted Glass Films offer a great branding space and privacy, there are many other options you can choose for your glasses:
One Way Vision Film: As the name very well suggests, this offers a see-through ability to people on one side of the film. The design is printed upon mesh vinyl and pasted on the glass.The end result is that the person standing outside sees the image/branding. Whereas, the person on the inside of the cabin/store can see through, just like with the tinted films used on car windows.
Opaque Photo Vinyl: When you’d like to eliminate opacity completely on either side of the glass partition, this should be your choice. The design is printed onto a white vinyl, which is then pasted on the glass. As a result, vision is restricted from both sides of the glass partition.You can read more opaque glass film prints here.
Transparent Film: When privacy is not a concern, transparent films work well. In this case, the film is printed upon, which is then pasted on the glass. The film, being entirely transparent, allows people to see through from either side of the glass.You can read more about transparent film printing here.
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
What are the two types of frosted film prints that I should be aware off?
There are 2 types of frosted film prints that you should be aware of…
1. Films where there are no images printed on top. Here, we use a cutting plotter to cut out letters and logos from the surface. Once pasted on the panel, these cut-out areas become transparent and the remaining film remains frosted. Images or photographs cannot be cut out and can only be printed using printing inks.
2. In the second variant, we print images on the film using wide format printers. Nothing is cut out and the entire film is pasted on the surface.
Other than frosted film prints, what other types of glass prints should I be aware of?
There are 4 main types of glass film prints we offer:
Transparent, opaque, frosted and one way vision film prints. Each of these offer a different level of visibility and privacy. Apart from this we also have speciaciality films like white ink prints, reverse pastable films, etc.
Do frosted films act as a privacy panel?
Yes. Frosted film prints offer partial privacy to the occupants behind them. These films are neither completely transparent not fully opaque. And this translucency gives a rich, smoked effect to the glass panel beneath.
One can make out vague shapes moving behind the panel. But details remain occluded.
Do frosted films allow natural light to pass through?
Yes. Frosted film prints pasted on glass panels allow natural light to pass through. Transparent films allow this too but here, your privacy gets affected and people can look in to see what’s happening.
So, if you need to keep your office environment to remain well lit but still value your privacy, opt for a frosted film print.
What is the difference between your frosted film prints and your competitors’ offerings?
Most of our competitors pass of thin chinese lamination films as a glass branding product. Images do not get reproduced very well on these films and they also tend to crack and peel off. In fact lamination films are not even meant to be used for this application.
At Orchid Digitals, Pune we stock films from well known brands like Avery™, 3M™, Oracle™, etc. These films are specially graded to brand glass. they last for years. And the inks on top do not fade. The films themselves are dimensionally stable. They do not crack or peel even at high (or very low) temperatures.
In addition to this we use a double strike (over print) method to generate our product. This ensures that the image remains vibrant and does not look faded even in intense light.
What is a double-strike print? Why is it important in this context?
Regular prints look good during the day. But when you place a light source behind them, they tend to look faded or ‘pheeka’. To resolve this issue, we recommend using the double strike printing method for frosted film prints.
This involves overprinting the same image twice. Two layers of ink are layered on top of each other to ensure that the double strike print looks extremely vibrant when lit up from behind.
This process also increases the cost of production. But the end result is worth it.
Are frosted films reverse pastable?
Yes. We can make reverse pastable frosted films. You only need to specifically order this variant before we start production.
What are glitter frosted film prints?
Most frosted films are plain. But we also stock a variant that has small specks of gold / silver dust embedded in the surface. And this specks impart a rich glitter to the finished product. glitter frosted film are slightly more expensive that the regular variant.
You can install glass film prints on your own. Just follow the steps listed beneath.
1. Make sure that the base surface is clean and smooth. 2. Spray a film of water on the surface where the job has to be pasted, and also on the adhesive back of the vinyl. This helps to reduce the initial strength of the glue and makes repositioning of the print easy.
After this initial prep, you can start pasting the wallpaper as follows:
1. Gently peel and start pasting glass film/vinyl starting from one corner. 2. Use a squeegee or handkerchief to smoothen the print on the surface. 3. Workout all the air bubbles and also the water to create a form bond between the adhesive and the surface beneath.
Finally, 1. Use a pin to puncture any bubble that may have remained. 2. Leave the print to dry out for a few hours. The glue will now form a strong bond with the substrate beneath.
Follow the above steps and you should be fine.
Also, for our Pune based clients, do give us a call and and we’ll send across a team to help with the endpoint-installation.
Is there a video that shows how to install or paste a glass film print?
Our client can paste the glass film prints themselves, or hire a wallpaper guy to do the same.
And for our Pune based clients, we have a we have a team of pasters who can come and install the print on-site.
Are these films removable?
You can remove these prints or change them at a moments notice. Thus restoring the glass panels to their original state. There may be a little bit of residual glue post peeling. And the same can be cleaned away by a little thinner/petrol.
What file format do I need to share while placing the order?
We can work with a variety of file formats. Do share your job as a .jpg, .pdf, .png, Corel Draw for EPS file.
Also, do make sure that the file has a sufficiently high resolution. While our machines have the capability to reproduce images of stunning quality, a high input resolution of your file will make a difference.
MOQ | What is the minimum size of print that I can order?
The minimum size of print we can process is 3 feet X 4 feet. For sizes smaller than this the billing amount still remains the same as that of size 3 feet X 4 feet.
Do you offer on-site installation services for this product
We can send across a team for installing this product for our clients in Pune. This service will cost extra.
Do you accept payments online?
Yes. Online payments are accepted at Orchid Digitals. In fact we try to finish the entire job online. All you need to do is mail us your artwork/design file along with the requisite dimensions, material specifications, copies needed, etc.
After evaluating/understanding your project requirement we send across an estimate for the same. This estimate (in the form of a Proforma Invoice) will also contain an online paylink encoded in a QR code.
Scan the QR code to make the payments.
Once the funds are transferred, we process the job and the ship the same across to you.
Can this product be shipped all over India?
Our custom printed wall prints can be delivered anywhere in India. The shipping charges for the same are extra and will be communicated to you once we receive the delivery address.
Additionally for our Pune based clients, we can send across a team to install the job as well.
What Is the Cost of Plotter Cut Frosted Film for Glass?
Frosted film print that allows natural light to pass through but protects privacy by making the glass partition translucent
High resolution colour prints
On frosted media with a dusted/sanded effect
Media is translucent and imparts a very rich and premium effect to your office glass partitions
Print in a roll form with a sticker/adhesive back
To enable direct pasting on your glass windows / partitions / office cubicles
Person standing outside can see the branding but cannot see what’s happening inside the office. The privacy of the occupants is protected. At the same time, natural light is allowed to pass through, keeping the interiors well lit
Double strike print (with multiple layers of ink) ensures a vibrant image quality to get your message across
Print is processed on high-end media brands like Gem™, Sona™, Avery™
Above media are graded for indoor and outdoor use
Product is resistant to dust, scratches and water
Great for office cubicles and the glass partitions in a large office
Example Costing: ₹1400.00 for a minimum print size of 4 feet X 5 feet (20 square feet X ₹70.00 per foot)
Glitter / sparkle frosted film print that allows natural light to pass through but protects privacy by making the glass partition translucent
High resolution colour prints
On frosted media with tiny gold / silver flecks embedded on its surface
Media is translucent and glitters beautifully due to the metallic specks on its front face. This effect imparts a very rich and premium look to your office glass partitions
Print in a roll form with a sticker/adhesive back
To enable direct pasting on your glass windows / partitions / office cubicles
Person standing outside can see the branding but cannot see what’s happening inside the office. The privacy of the occupants is protected. At the same time, natural light is allowed to pass through, keeping the interiors well lit
Double strike print (with multiple layers of ink) ensures a vibrant image quality to get your message across
Print is processed on high-end media brands like Gem™, Sona™, Avery™
Above media are graded for indoor and outdoor use
Product is resistant to dust, scratches and water
Great for office cubicles and the glass partitions in a large office
Example Costing: ₹2400.00 for a minimum print size of 4 feet X 5 feet (20 square feet X ₹120.00 per foot)
Glitter / Sparkle Frosted film allows natural light to pass through but protects privacy by making the glass partition translucent
Plotter cut your company logo / letters / words etc.
On frosted media with tiny gold / silver flecks embedded on its surface
Media is translucent and glitters beautifully due to the metallic specks on its front face. This effect imparts a very rich and premium look to your office glass partitions
Print in a roll form with a sticker/adhesive back
To enable direct pasting on your glass windows / partitions / office cubicles
The area where the letters are cut becomes transparent and the remaining area remains translucent
The privacy of the occupants is protected. At the same time, natural light is allowed to pass through, keeping the interiors well lit
Print is processed on high-end media brands like Gem™, Sona™, Avery™
Above media are graded for indoor and outdoor use
Product is resistant to dust, scratches and water
Great for office cubicles and the glass partitions in a large office
Will substantially enhance the interior decor of your surroundings
Example Costing: ₹3000.00 for a minimum print size of 4 feet X 5 feet (20 square feet X ₹200.00 per foot)
The MOQ – Minimum order quantity for this product is 100 square foot
Rates include installation at your site in Pune
If the design is too intricate or detailed, the costs for the same may go up
Rates quoted above are per square foot. So for example, if your job is of size 4 feet width by 2 feet height, the cost for the same is:
4 feet (width) X 2 feet (height) X ₹ 150 (rate per square foot) = ₹ 1200.00 + 18% GST
Shipping and Delivery
Frosted films for glass are delivered and installed in Pune, Maharashtra only.
Please note that we have currently stopped production of Plotter cutting on Frosted Films.
We have a very similar product – Printing on Frosted Films. These films too have an etched look and can be used to brand your glass partition. Please click on this link to learn more about Prints on Frosted Films.
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