When you visit rustic places or historic districts you may notice that there is a significant use of sandblasted wood or High Density Urethane (HDU) signs. The sandblasting process is used to etch away the wood or HDU material, leaving in place raised images and lettering with an embossed appearance. The process is achieved by mounting a rubber sandblast stencil to the substrate and sandblasting the material around the stencil away. There are a variety of textures that the customer can select for the material that is left behind in the non-embossed area. The resulting sign is then primed and painted.  __________________________________________________________________________________ A similar effect can be achieved by using an engraving process. The difference being that the lettering and images are etched into the substrate material while the surrounding surface remains flat. The process involves using a CNC router loaded with specialized software. The lettering and images are loaded into the software which instructs the router where to cut or "Etch" out the graphic content. The look is sleeker and more modern, but as is everything in life, subject to personal taste and preferences.  __________________________________________________________________________________ Both processes are similarly priced and SignWorks can guide you in the selection process if you are in the market for these types of signs. Call us today at (510) 357-2000.