Need Help Need Help identifying this vinyl product

[signshoppdx]

I have NEVER in all my years seen this before. These letters look like normal white vinyl letters, but they have a clear bubble around them, and you can't scrape it off. What is this stuff and how do I get it off?
My customer wants to change the hours, but can't get them off. It almost looks like they were put on with heat of some kind.

 

[letterman7]

Just a guess, but it looks like it might be edge sealant, like you would use on wraps. Cut the main copy (white), outline it, and weed the outline. Apply everything and add edge sealant to the outlined area. Pull before it sets - you have a perfect outline of sealant. Whether or not that's what it is, you should be able to at least scrape it with a razor blade. I know sealant is very difficult to get off a painted surface... glass should present no issues.

 

[signshoppdx]

The customer tried to scrape it with a razor blade, but it wasn't wanting to budge. It almost feels like it was heat sealed onto it. It feels almost flush with the window.
We don't want to make more like this. When we get this off we will use only normal lettering for the hours.

 

[SheBeau]

It appears that a protective film has been applied to the glass, similar to the product sold here: http://protective-film.com/products/protective-film-tape/
It would have to be removed completely before removing the vinyl letters.

 

[HecklnDecalr]

The customer trying to scrape it off and you trying to scrape it off are 2 different things sometimes. grab a wide scraper and big blade and put some elbow grease into it.
I believe letterman7 is correct.... The liquid edge sealant can be a real pain in the ass to get off sometimes. I mean...there's no way that's part of the glass.....right?

 

[HecklnDecalr]

Do they have security film or a laminate on that glass? Those marks around the graphics might be residue left from application fluid getting caught around the edge of those decals when it was put on.

 

[SheBeau]

I believe those “marks “ are the stretched protective window film dropping off the applied vinyl to the glass. The film is adhesive so it appears hazy and over time will settle into the stretched contours.

 

[Jester1167]

Looks to me like the original lettering was white printed on clear and cut to shape bigger than the print, then someone came along an put window tint/film over the entire window.

As others have said they will have to remove the tint/window film from the entire window then remove all the old lettering so the new lettering looks consistant.

 

[pinkiss]

well if theres tint over window wouldn't OP be able to try scrape one of the vinyl letters numbers and see if its sealed over with something, gently cutting into one edge of vinyl and slow peal should reweal whatever it might be covered with, if its some form of clear htv it might lift off with vinyl.

As from the pic it seems whoever done it wanted to future proof it and most likely applied white vinyl over smth clear, as each letter has perfect clear outline so dont imagine tint would cause such wide effect, then again know nothing about tinting.

 

[Jester1167]

We're looking a an image on the internet so it's hard to second guess this. Either way you can't match the crap on the window so you have to take a picture, then remove all the graphics and install a completely new one...

If there isn't a film over the entire window, then the graphic has shrunk and that is an adhesive ring. The older the adhesive gets the drier it gets to the point it acts like a really hard clear coat.

 

[SheBeau]

Ya know... we have no idea how big those letters are. But whatever the size, I stand with my original belief, as Jester 1167 stated it more clearly than I, that it’s applied vinyl with a protective CLEAR film over the entire glass.

 

[signshoppdx]

I believe those “marks “ are the stretched protective window film dropping off the applied vinyl to the glass. The film is adhesive so it appears hazy and over time will settle into the stretched contours.

You were correct!! My customer's husband had someone put window film on the door and they went over the vinyl on the door. She said she took a razor to it and got it off, but it wasn't easy or pretty.

 

[SheBeau]

I’ll bet it was quite the job removing it all. It’s almost like shrink wrapping a flat surface! Glad it’s figured out!

 

[signshoppdx]

I would agree except around the white lettering there appears to be a bit of piled adhesive/trash. It appears that the white has some sort of depth to it. Also the left side of the inside of the p has the classic slight misalignment where the plotter blade started and stopped.
I suppose this could have been printed white, cut, laminated, and recut with a larger contour, applied, and then someone came back and tinted the windows. I say cut the center out of the 'p' and see what you get.

I'm way more interested in this than I should be. Can someone get back to site already and figure this out?

My customer said her husband - unknown to her - had someone put security film on that door and the company didn't think to scrape the decals off first. My customer took a razor to it and now its off, but I haven't seen it yet. I'm a little scared to see it now!