Abstract: A method is disclosed for etching glass surfaces, particularly the windows of vehicles, which includes the steps of preparing a graphic image including a bar code; transferring the image to a tissue stencil by means of a plurality of cylindrical rods; applying the stencil over a glass surface to be etched; applying an etchant in a defined pattern across the rear surface of the stencil; applying a nearly uniform pressure to the etchant to distribute the etchant over the rear surface of the stencil and to force it through the impressions in the stencil to etch the image onto the glass surface and removing the stencil and residue left on the surface being etched leaving the image etched in the surface of the glass. The etched image is read by a CCD scanner to recover the information represented by the bar code.