Clear self-adhesive vinyl is commonly used for the production of graphics, decals and stickers that are to be applied to transparent materials such as glass windows. Clear self-adhesive vinyl can also be stuck to any smooth, sealed surface and is durable for use indoors or outdoors.
About Clear Self-Adhesive Vinyl
Clear self-adhesive vinyl is suitable for application to any smooth surface. The material is printable to the face and is self-adhesive on the rear.
Clear self-adhesive vinyl is commonly applied to transparent materials such as shop windows whereby it can be applied to the outside of the glass or the inside of the glass.
Depending on the intended side of the glass that the clear self-adhesive vinyl is to be applied to, the material can be printed conventionally or the image can be mirror-printed. This is further described below.
Options for Printing Clear Self-Adhesive Vinyl
Direct or Reverse/Mirror Image Printing
Clear self-adhesive vinyl is normally adhesive on the reverse side which means that you would stick it to the outside of glass.
If you want to place the sticker on the inside of the glass then the image is printed in reverse (mirror image). This allows the sticker to be placed onto the inside of the glass whereby the image displays the correct way around from the opposite side.
You can choose to order your clear self-adhesive vinyl either way depending on preference.
Printing Self Adhesive Clear Vinyl With White Ink
Colour ink that is printed onto self-adhesive clear vinyl is not 100% opaque which means that the printed image can have a degree of show-through rather like a stained glass window.
To give colour greater opacity, white ink can be printed over the top of the colour to prevent the translucent show-through effect.
White ink can either be printed as a 'flood' over the entire surface of the vinyl or it can be selectively printed only behind specific areas (so the colour content is backed up with white ink but the surrounding part of the material remains clear).
Examples of Printed Clear Self Adhesive Vinyl
No White Ink
Selective White Ink
Flood White Ink
In this example, the image has been mirror printed so the clear self-adhesive vinyl can be attached to the rear of the glass. No white ink has been used so the image is semi-transparent as shown.
In this example, the image has been mirror printed so the clear self-adhesive vinyl can be attached to the inside of the glass and viewed from the opposite side. White ink has been selectively printed behind all of the colours to add opacity and prevent show-through.
In this example, the image has been mirror printed so the self-adhesive vinyl can be attached to the inside of the glass. White ink has been flood-printed all over the artwork. In essence, the clear vinyl is now white vinyl with an adhesive front rather than an adhesive back.
Setting Artwork For Clear Self Adhesive Vinyl Printing
Artwork for clear self-adhesive vinyl printing (no white ink or flood white ink printing) can be set up normally.
If you want to selectively print white ink behind only specific parts of your artwork to add opacity then the process of artwork set up is different.
Artwork files must be created to include an additional 'spot colour' that should be defined as White_Ink. It is this spot colour that will tell our printing machine which areas of the artwork white ink is to be overprinted.
We have created a guide to setting up artwork for white ink printing that you can download from the relevant tab on this web page. Should you have any questions, please contact a member of our team who can help.
Cutting Options For Clear Self Adhesive Vinyl
Clear self adhesive vinyl stickers can be suplied square cut or we offer contour cutting to any shape on request.
Clear self adhesive vinyl can be through-cut in which case each sticker is provided separately with a peel off backing or we can offer kiss-cutting wherey only the vinyl is cut and the backing paper is left intact.
Kiss cut stickers can be supplied on the roll or we can provide multiple stickers tiled-up on sheets.
Ordering Clear Self Adhesive Vinyl
Our website allows you to order clear self adhesive vinyl at any custom size. Discounts are applied automatically dependent on the size and the total amount of material that is being printed.
When ordering this product, please indcate if the sticker is to be adhesive to the reverse or adhesive to the printed face. This will dictate whether we print the artwork conventionally or in mirror image.
In terms of white ink printing, you can select if you require no white ink (colour will not be 100% opaque) or you can order stickers with selective white ink printing or flood white ink printing. Please refer to our artwork set up guide for detailed instructions.
Our team are always on hand to offer support and advice if you need it. Feel free to contact us by phone, online chat or email for assistance.
