Shopping for anything can be a hassle. Shopping for signs doesn’t have to be with a little education, and i want to help with just that. In the sign industry there is a short list that encompasses all the materials we use to create the sign or graphic for your particular application. There are some materials that are created for short term economical applications and some for long term applications that are more expensive but last longer and then everything in between. Let’s go through them.
Coroplast
This material is your go to substrate for your realtor’s “FOR SALE” signs, your politician signs and the signs you see in front of the house that is getting a new roof. It is a corrugated plastic board, it has flutes that usually run vertical in the 18″x24″ sign style to accommodate stakes to stand them up. Coroplast comes in many colors and two thicknesses. 4mil which is about an eight of an inch thick and made from 4mil thick plastic sheets and the larger thicker 10mil which is about a half inch and made from 10mil plastic sheets and is substantially more rigid than the 4mil. The standard size for this is 18″ high by 24″ wide but i’ve seen them vary in size as large as five foot by 10 foot for certain applications.
Aluminum Composite Panels
Almuninum composite panels are also widely known as multibond and alumibond but the list continues with less well known names that all have their respective manufacturers. Spite their names, they are all essentially the same quality and concept which is a plastic board sandwiched between two sheets of aluminum. This allows the material to be lighter, but retain the durability and similar rigidity as an aluminum plank but it has some bounce back properties because the plastic core. The versatile characteristics and the lower cost in comparison with a sheet of pure aluminum has made this substrate the industry standard for metal signs. This comes in a variety of styles and thicknesses, from 3 and 4 mil which is around an 1/8th inch thick and 9 mil which is close to a 1/4 inch. They come in colors, single sided and double sided and special metallic styles like brushed silver and brushed gold.
Acrylic
Acrylic actually has a wide array of applications. It also comes in many styles, colors and opacities. This is the material you’ll see in your doctors office mounted to the wall of the lobby with fancy stand-offs in the corners with their logo on it. These applications usually use clear or frosted acrylic. When you pass through town and you see any signs that are illuminated, which will mostly be light boxes and channel letters the part you see lit is the acrylic. Acrylic is like glass in the way that it is translucent. It can come smoked or tinted or colored and it reduces this trait. These are typically special order signs and will be a little on the pricy side, but when done right they are well worth the cost.
PVC
PVC Expanded Sheets. This is an interesting material, it can be used for so much. If you’re thinking of the pvc pipes slow down, its like that but its way softer. It is restricted to indoor or climate controlled areas, it doesn’t do well to direct sunlight or high heat. You’ll see signs made of this hanging from ceiling, mounted to walls with fancy stand-offs or double sided tape. Mounted to A-frames or free standing with an easel mounted on the back. These can also be heated at the bottom and folded to create it’s own stand.
Foam Board
Foam board is used in applications where light weight and close up appearance are important. Typical uses for foam board are indoor event signage such as directional signs or welcome signs that will be standing on easels or mounted to walls, i’ve also used this is malls as a 4 foot by 8 foot “COMING SOON” sign mounted to the wall. Foam board is composed of a light weight foam center which will usually be 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2 of an inch thick in between two plastic or paper sheets depending on what your needs are. It’s flat smooth face allows for a clean appearance that preserves all the content and detail of the printed image.
Banner
Banners could be considered a commodity in many industries. Banners usually serve a purpose of grabbing the attention and educating the passing by public. You see these on fences, store fronts, hanging between poles or sometimes on the front of tables in trade shows. There are a few different types of banner material but the most common is your 10-13 oz vinyl banner. The ounce of the banner is the weight of the banner per square yard. These are usually strengthened with a polyester fabric which is woven into the material. Banners are usually white and will have vinyl cut to shape and applied to it or directly printed onto with a large format printer. Then the banner will be trimmed, hemmed with either heat or double sided tape and then grommeted to allow hanging.
Signs in essence will always have text or images or they wouldn’t be the directional or educational works of art that they are. In todays sign industry the methods of adding these texts and images are growing by the day. However in the end they will usually be applied to one of the above substrates. Here you have a head start in knowing what type of material you will need to get your message active with your new sign. Of course, there is a lot more information where this came from here at Eagle Signs and Graphics. So visit out website, give us a call, or stop by our facility and we’ll be more than happy to help you get the best solution for your situation.
