Digital Printing

The perfect canvas for artistic expression.

The unique qualities of fritted glass, when combined with today’s latest pigments and digital printing technologies, enables designers to create glass that delivers a high degree of both functionality and aesthetic appeal. Fritted glass can blend the seams between glass panels on a sheer-faced structure. It can also moderate opacity and transparency where daylighting is desired or create a strong graphic statement across an entire building façade for wayfinding.

If your project calls for creating fritted glass railings, windows, or façades, Vectra’s digital ceramic glass printing will make your project shine. No application is too small or large and no design is too subtle or bold.

	Ceramic Frit	Ceramic Etch™
Clear	✔	✔
Clear Low Iron	✔	✔
Acid Etched	✔	✔
Low Iron Acid Etched	✔	✔
Tinted	✔	✔
Textured	✔	✔
Laminated	✔	✔

Ceramic Etch ™

We are very excited to introduce into the market our answer to traditional satin acid etch products, our color lab has spent two years developing a proprietary formula that is created with large panels and full coverage in mind. This new ink and process combination, which is unlike any on the market today, is color calibrated to rival best in-industry satin etch, while addressing any and all maintenance requirements that result in durability, as well as, longevity.

Fast digital printing facts & frequently asked questions

Digital Ceramic Inks

This ink and technology bring an exciting new realm of possibilities for glass printing. Scientifically developed with expert processes, these unique inks are infused into the glass, ensuring lasting vibrancy and photo realistic color. Good for both interior and exterior applications, these inks enable a higher degree of design and functional performance, including:

Energy efficiency
Increased privacy levels
Light diffusion due to the ability to precisely manipulate opacity and translucency of the ink thickness
Anti-stick
Glare reduction, which will reduce external temperatures of buildings by reducing reflection of the light from the building into the surrounding environment
Slip resistance
Freedom from toxic heavy metals
Digital ceramic glass can contribute significantly to a positive evaluation of a building’s environmental standing for green building certifications including LEED and BREEAM.

Minimum - Maximum Sizes

Minimum print size is:

8 in. width x 10 in. length

Maximum print size is:

84 in. width x 163 in. length

Image Tiling

Because of our drop-on-demand precision and edge-to-edge printing capabilities, single images or art collages can be tiled across entire façades and walls with accurate alignment between panels. These multi-panel projects are produced with small reference numbers for organization of the installation. This is critical in the event the reprint of a panel is required at any time.

High-Resolution, Print-Ready Collections

Vectra Studio, a division of Vectra Glass, has a team of artists and designers who will work with you to ensure you get the exact look that a project requires. We have a large library of ready-to-print textures which can be seen in the Collections section of this website. At the same time, we are all about custom design and are standing by to assist in any way we can.

Archival Quality

Ceramic digital printing is permanent and exhibits exceptional resistance to scratches, cracks, fading, and chemical exposure, which is perfect for use in sustainable architecture.

Is it Bird Safe?

The Audubon Society estimates that up to one billion birds die every year in collisions with man-made structures, the largest known killer of migratory birds. Birds simply cannot see the glass and subsequently fly right into it. But through amazing scientific research, it has been proven that birds will not fly through a space sized 4 x 2 in. (101.6 x 50.8 mm) or smaller. Armed with this knowledge, bird-safe glass is now a reality. By following this rule, we can specifically design patterns to make glass a visible obstacle to birds while still keeping it transparent enough for humans and aesthetically appealing to the overall building envelope. A win-win for all concerned, especially our feathered friends.

Vectra Studio is ready to assist in a custom designed pattern or make product recommendations for your next bird-safe project!

What is Daylighting?

From ancient times, for as long as Homo sapiens have constructed dwelling and communal spaces, the power of the sun to provide natural light has been essential to the design. In today’s modern design world, architects and designers have an integrated strategy, referred to as daylighting, to bring about ecological and environmentally responsible natural lighting. The result creates a comfortable, energy-efficient, and aesthetically pleasing interior. Technological advances in glass, including digital printing, can provide significant daylighting benefits, such as:

Enhanced light diffusion
Glare control
Light redirection
Maximized light transmittance
Light scattering
Privacy with natural light
LEED credits in the categories of Energy and Atmosphere, Environmental Quality and Innovation

In addition to energy savings, countless studies cite the advantages of daylighting in terms of:

Increased productivity
Reduced absenteeism
Enhanced employee retention
Improved academic performance
Increase in retail sales
Additional work hours
Improved worker performance

We are excited to explore how digitally printed glass can achieve your daylighting objectives. Our appreciation to the National Glass Association with GANA for technical paper FB53-17 as referenced above.