Vinyl lettering on the glass is one of the first things a new Bergen County business buys, and one of the most useful. It tells people you are open, when, and what you are called, every hour of the day, for years. We cut window lettering in Paramus for shops, salons, restaurants and offices. Here is how to plan it, what it costs, and the local rules worth checking before anything goes on the glass.
What usually goes on a storefront window
- Store hours on or next to the door, at eye level.
- Logo or business name on the main window or door.
- Phone number and website, small, for people walking by after hours.
- Services or a short list ("Alterations, Dry Cleaning, Same-Day Shirts") if people cannot tell what you do from the street.
- Small notices: "Pull," "Please use other door," accepted payments, "No smoking."
What it costs
| Item | Price (as of November 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Storefront hours and logo package, 24 x 24 in | $79.00 | White vinyl panel, logo or name on top, hours below, applied outside the glass |
| Custom cut lettering | Priced by size | Solid-color Oracal 651 vinyl, no background, looks painted on |
| Perforated window graphic, 24 x 36 in | $43.50 | Full-color print you can see out of from inside |
| Clear window decal, 24 x 36 in | $47.50 | Full color on clear vinyl |
| Installation in Bergen County | $75.00 flat per visit | Or apply it yourself with the included kit |
The vinyl order minimum is $15.00, and orders under $60.00 are paid in full up front; larger orders take a 50% deposit. Vinyl and signs are taxable in New Jersey at 6.625%. You can build and price custom lettering in the vinyl designer, and the window graphics are in the sign designer.
Sizing so people can actually read it
A common rule of thumb in the sign trade is about 1 inch of letter height for every 10 feet of viewing distance for easy reading. On a storefront, that works out to:
- Hours on the door: 1 to 1.5 inch letters. People read these from a few feet away.
- Business name for the sidewalk: 4 to 6 inch letters.
- Business name for the road or parking lot: 8 inches or more, if your town allows it.
White and black are the most readable on glass. White reads best on tinted or dark glass; black can disappear against a dark interior. Thin script fonts look elegant on a screen and vanish on a window. Pick a bold, simple face for anything that has to be read.
Check the rules first: Paramus as an example
Every Bergen County town has its own sign ordinance, and window signs are covered. Paramus is a good example of why it is worth checking. According to the Borough of Paramus sign requirements handout:
- Window advertising signs are allowed only for certain ground-level businesses (retail, personal service, supermarkets, and eating and drinking places) in specific business zones.
- Those signs must be contained within the ground-level interior of the building.
- A sign on the inside of a window cannot be more than 2 feet tall, cover more than 20% of that window, or total more than 16 square feet of the glass on each wall.
- No window signs above the first floor.
The borough's zoning definitions also count permanent signs mounted in or near a window as signs when they contain lettering 4 inches or taller, per the Paramus code definitions. And in October 2026 the borough updated its sign rules for its highway and neighborhood business zones, including a 4-square-foot limit on A-frame sidewalk signs during business hours, as TAPinto Paramus and News 12 New Jersey reported. Our standard 24 x 36 A-frame insert is 6 square feet, so it is larger than that limit.
Two practical takeaways. First, our storefront package and window graphics are made to go on the outside of the glass, so if your town requires window signs to be inside, tell us before you order so we can talk through it. Second, call your building or zoning office before you buy anything large. It is a short call and it beats peeling off new vinyl. We are not lawyers, and the town's current code is what counts.
Do it yourself or have us install it
Every vinyl order comes pre-masked, with a squeegee and wet-apply instructions, so most people can put up hours and a logo in under an hour.
- Clean the glass well, then wipe with rubbing alcohol. Do it on a mild day; vinyl does not like freezing glass.
- Mist the glass lightly with water and a drop of dish soap. The wet method lets you slide the lettering into place.
- Tape the top edge, check it is level, then peel the backing and squeegee from the center out.
- Wait before peeling the transfer tape, then peel slowly at a sharp angle.
Want it done for you? Installation anywhere in Bergen County is a flat $75.00 per visit, which makes sense for big lettering, high windows or multiple doors.
Timing
Cut vinyl is ready 3 to 5 business days after your order is paid and your proof is approved, or the next business day with rush. Window graphics from the sign designer take 5 to 7 business days. Pickup is contactless at our front door in Paramus, or vinyl ships for $6.95 in a flat mailer or $12.95 in a tube.
Keeping it looking new
Cut vinyl needs very little care, but a few habits help it last for years:
- Clean the glass with a soft cloth and mild soap. Avoid scraping over the edges of the letters.
- Do not use a razor blade over the vinyl when cleaning the window.
- Pressure washers and squeegees with hard edges can lift corners. Clean around the lettering.
- When hours change, peel off only the line that changed and replace it. You do not need a whole new decal.
Put your name on the glass
Start in the vinyl designer, type your hours and business name, and see the price as you size it. Opening a new location and need shirts too? Our Paramus work shirt guide covers staff uniforms. Or send us a photo of your window with measurements and we will reply with a proof and a price.