Digital window graphics, privacy films, and other window film options are highly versatile products that can easily be suited to both permanent and temporary uses. Whether you’ll want a permanent solution or a temporary window film will depend on your purpose. Neither option is inherently better in every scenario.  Let’s break down a few of the most common reasons you might select one over the other. 

Advantages of Permanent Window Film

• Durable long-term. Some permanent window film options can last up to 15 years or more in excellent condition, even under long-term exposure to UV rays. Such high quality window films are ideal for treating numerous office building windows with a uniform look that filters light, protects from scratches, shields from UV, and enhances worker privacy without needing regular maintenance or attention. 
• Lasting protection for your windows. Scratch prevention films are an excellent permanent option for upscaling the resilience and flawless finish of your windows with a long lasting, invisible, and cost-effective barrier. A temporary film can often serve the same purpose, but if your goal is preserving the window glass and extending its useful life, there’s no sense investing in a solution you’ll need to replace time and again.  
• Simply to apply and cheaper than specially treated or manufactured glass. It’s possible to purchase tinted, reflective, or otherwise specially treated glass for your windows, but a permanent window film can accomplish the same goals without expensive remodeling projects. It applies easily and quickly for a perfect custom fit to existing windows, and it will transform your window glass for years to come.

Advantages of Temporary Window Film

• Flexible, low-commitment looks. If you may be interested in changing your design moving forward, or are decorating a leased space that may not be a permanent home, temporary window films are the perfect solution. You can accomplish bold, stylish, and dynamic looks with textured, patterned, frosted, or UV inkjet printed films and window graphics without damaging or permanently altering the windows. This could be the right choice for conference rooms that you may like to redecorate or re-theme occasionally, or glass-walled personal offices that trade hands from time to time. 
• Ideal for seasonal designs. This is a major advantage in retail spaces, where seasonal promotions and holiday-themed decorations or messaging will come and go each month and an easily removable/replaceable window decoration is preferable.
• Adjustable temperature performance month-to-month. If the climate where your building is located has hot summers and cold winters, a temporary window film may be an excellent solution for helping your windows accomplish your thermal goals as appropriate to the season. A reflective, sun blocking removable window film (also called a “solar control film”) can keep the summer sun from heating up your building, while a transparent but insulating film can help your windows keep heat inside during the winter.
• Suits current needs in multipurpose spaces. A space that serves different purposes across a period of weeks, months, or at certain times of year may benefit from a customizable solution that's easy to remove, re-use, and switch out to fit the identity of the current layout, event, or occupancy.

LINTEC of America has an extensive portfolio of permanent and temporary window film options that are fully customizable to your vision and the needs of your space. Contact us today for more information on the attractive, durable, and eco-friendly films (with 80% recycled PET material) that we can provide for your building’s windows or other glass surfaces!