Printing on the Invisible

AT RPM LIVING’S The Anderson luxury apartments in Houston, an 18-foot-wide by 15-foot-tall glass curtain wall no longer serves as a simple divider between the lobby and billiards room. It is now a printed architectural feature that filters light, shapes mood and anchors the interior design.

Source One Digital, manufacturer of CreativeFx custom window films, produced the large-format installation using optically clear polyester film applied to the second surface of the glass. The challenge was substantial: the artwork needed to read with equal impact from a lobby flooded with natural light and from a darker, moody space beyond. A previous vendor attempted tests on pre-frosted material without success.

“Starting with optically clear polyester allows us to control how the artwork reads in dramatically different lighting environments,” says Katie Jasmin, vice president, national sales, Source One Digital. “Multiple test prints were required to achieve the correct balance before final production.”

Rather than traditional clear vinyl, which can introduce distortion or require overlamination, S1D recommended optically clear polyester with built-in UV inhibitors and a scratch-resistant hard coat. Printed with UV-curable inks, layered CMYK, white and clear ink were engineered to fine-tune opacity, saturation and light diffusion.

“There are tricks and techniques for art file setup and print production to get the look the customer is going for,” explains Jasmin. “We typically produce not only an electronic proof but also a prototype with several variations. That way, they can hold up to the glass in the environment and see if it performs as intended for the space.”

Installation, coordinated by Gemstar of Houston, used a wet-apply method on the interior glass surface to ensure alignment across the 270-square-foot expanse.

The result is more than decorative film. “It’s a multifaceted design solution — providing privacy, diffused light, atmosphere and subtle branding,” she says. The project demonstrates how wide-format digital print can transform transparent surfaces into immersive architectural elements.

PHOTO GALLERY (3 IMAGES)