Same words, two completely different products. The deciding question is simple: does your design have a background you actually want people to see?
| Cut vinyl lettering | Printed decal | |
|---|---|---|
| Background | None — glass or paint shows through | Visible sheet behind the artwork |
| Colours | One per layer, solid | Unlimited, photographic |
| Outdoor life | 5–10 years | 2–5 years, laminate dependent |
| Fading | Colour runs through the film | Ink can fade |
| Cost for words | Lower — pay for letter area | Higher — pay for the whole panel |
| Cost for images | Impractical past 3–4 colours | Lower |
| Best for | Names, hours, phone numbers, logos with flat colour | Photos, gradients, complex logos |
The professional look most people are picturing — crisp white letters floating on glass with nothing behind them — is cut vinyl. A printed decal on the same window shows a faint rectangle in daylight, however carefully it is trimmed.
Plenty of storefronts use both: a printed decal for a detailed logo, and cut lettering for the business name, hours and phone number around it. The logo gets its complexity, the words get the clean floating look, and you are not paying to print a large white panel of mostly empty space.
If your design is words and flat-colour shapes, design it as cut lettering and see the real size and layout before ordering. Then check the cost guide for what that area runs.
Type your words, style them, and send them to your area’s top-rated shops.
Cut vinyl lettering is each letter cut individually from coloured vinyl, so there is no background — the glass or paint shows between and inside the letters. A printed decal is artwork printed onto a sheet of white vinyl and cut to an outline, so it carries a visible edge and backing.
Cut lettering, usually by a wide margin. The colour in cut vinyl runs through the whole film, so there is no ink to fade — quality film runs 5–10 years. Printed decals rely on ink and a laminate; without good lamination they can fade noticeably in two.
For words alone, cut lettering — you pay for the area of the letters rather than a whole printed panel. For anything with photographs, gradients or many colours, printing wins, because cutting each colour separately stops being practical past three or four.
Yes, and it is the standard for names, phone numbers and DOT numbers. For curved panels ask for cast vinyl rather than calendered — see the materials guide.
Vinyl lettering runs about $10 per square foot of cut letters in 2026 — most orders land $25–$150.
Read the guide →Vinyl banners run $4–$7 per square foot in 2026 — a classic 3×6 lands $75–$125, hemmed and grommeted.
Read the guide →Yard signs run $15–$25 each with stakes in 2026, dropping near $10 at quantity 50+.
Read the guide →