Pharmacy window graphics
Your window is an advert for a regulated service, so the wording needs more care than a typical shop's. The print itself is the easy part.
Check the words before the artwork.
Advertising of medicines is regulated, and what you can say depends on the product and on who you are saying it to. Claims about treatments need care too. We can print the file, but we cannot tell you whether the wording is allowed. Your superintendent pharmacist should approve all content. If you are in doubt, the General Pharmaceutical Council and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency publish guidance. Check too before using an NHS logo or service name, as there are rules around their use.
A window that follows the year
Pharmacies offer services that shift with the seasons, so a window that never changes wastes the opportunity. Treat the glass as two layers: a permanent one, and a slot that rotates.
| Time of year | Possible theme | Print format |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Vaccination clinics, if you offer them | Large poster with booking details |
| Winter | Coughs, colds and when to ask the pharmacist | Poster, and a short message on the door |
| Spring | Hay fever advice | Poster in the slot |
| Summer | Travel health and sun care | Poster in the slot |
Use a standard size for the slot, such as A1, and keep a holder or frame behind the glass. Staff can then swap the poster in a minute. Paper posters are enough behind glass, and leave the vinyl for the fixed layer.
The fixed layer
- Your pharmacy name, in cut vinyl or on a fascia
- Opening hours, kept low on the door and on a separate piece, as they will change
- Your main services in a short list
- A contact number
Keep stock and staff in mind
A sunny front window can heat and fade whatever sits behind it, and some products have storage temperature limits. A one-way vision film or a printed band can cut direct sun while still leaving a view out. Remember that staff need to see the street and the shop floor, for safety as well as service. Do not block the view of the counter from the front with a full wrap. It also helps to see people who may need a hand at the door.
Privacy at the consultation room
A consultation room with a glass door or panel needs frosted film so that nobody can look in. Cover the whole area from seated head height to standing eye height, and check there is no gap at the side. Patients expect privacy there, so ask your superintendent pharmacist to check the room from outside.
Readers with poorer eyesight
Many customers are older, or are feeling unwell. Use short lines, large plain type and dark words on a pale ground. Do not run text across a photograph. If your pharmacy stays open late, a backlit print keeps your message visible after dark. Backlit film is £26 at A2 and £39 at A1.
Guide prices from our price list. They exclude VAT and delivery and assume print-ready artwork.
Clear messages on glass.
Your questions.
Can you print the posters our head office sends us?
Yes, if the files are print-ready and you hold permission to use them. Tell us the size you want and we will check the artwork.
How do we avoid leaving marks when we change vinyl?
Choose removable vinyl for anything temporary and remove it within a sensible time. Vinyl left in strong sun for long periods is harder to peel.
Will one-way film make the shop too dark?
It does reduce light, so it is best used on parts of the glass. Ask for a sample, and hold it up to your window before ordering a full run.