The More You Know

Coroplast

Referred to in the industry as “Corex” or “Coro,” this material is predominately used for temporary and promotional signage.  It’s ideal for lawn signs such as election signs, sales and contractor signs, directional signage, real estate signs, or site signs for new building projects.  Ideally, you would use opaque coro for double–sided coro signs.  This way the image from the second side does not telegraph through.

  • Lower cost than other types of rigid signs
  • Quick turn around
  • Coro looks like a higher quality sign from a distance
  • Easy to replace
  • Can swell in heat if not anchored properly
  • Gets brittle after a couple of years, starts to degrade

Polystyrene

High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) offers a consistent, easily printed, smooth,  matte surface for either one or two sided printing applications. This polystyrene product, available in 4×8 sheet form in three thicknesses, is especially suitable for digital printing of displays, POP graphics, signs, translights, tags and cards. It can also be contour cut.

  • Smooth surface prints well
  • Comes in a variety of thicknesses, black or white
  • Can be printed single or double sided
  • Great for interior wall signs
  • If used outdoors, it gets brittle in very cold temperatures
  • Care must be taken when mounting not to screw too tightly at corners

Foamcore & Gator Foam / Gator Plast

FOAMCORE is a soft, inexpensive paper product with a wood-fiber veneer. GATORPLAST (gatorfoam, gator) is an extruded, rigid, lightweight polystyrene foam board bonded between two layers of ultra thin polystyrene veneer. These are typically used for medium term office displays, kiosks, POP, exhibits, custom shaped signs, easel signs, and temporary signs.

  • Rigid gator makes great dry erase boards and does not dent easily
  • Stocked foamcore and gator is 3/16″ thick, but Gator can be ordered in other thicknesses
  • Foamcore is an inexpensive product for short term easel signs or stand inserts
  • Because Foamcore is a paper product, it dents easily and is not great for long term use
  • Gator must be handled carefully in transport so corners do not get damaged

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Acrylic & Plexiglass

These are versatile substrates used for a large variety of applications. Available in multiple translucence levels and thicknesses, they’re perfect for modern lobby displays, backlit signs of all types, 3D lettering, and more.  Acrylic and Plexiglass are used frequently in healthclubs & offices.

  • Great for use with standoffs on interior walls for high class signage
  • Used as clear cover on other rigid signage
  • Material can scratch if not cleaned properly

Lexan / Polycarbonate

Lexan / Polycarbonate comes in translucent white or clear for use in sign faces on backlit signs. It is 3/16″ thick and can be cut to many sizes up to 100″ by length of sign.  You can print full color directly to the panel, or on translucent vinyls, or cut a variety of solid colors of vinyl to update your sign face.

  • Both are excellent for long term use. Depending on the condition, many times old panels can even be reused.
  • The method of printing full color for backlit makes the image color and saturation perfect whether lights are turned off during the day or lit up at night.
  • Lexan is virtually indestructible.
  • Polycarbonate yellows over many years in UV lighting outdoors.

Aluminum Composite Material / Dibond

Aluminum composite material, also known as Dibond, Signabond, or Epanel, is made of two sheets of thin aluminum with a solid polyethylene plastic core.  This material is ideal for mid-to-long term outdoor signs as it is not prone to warping in high heat, and moisture will not affect is like it does wood.  It’s great for use in post & rail signs or wall signs.

  • Easy to print and laminate
  • Very long term signs
  • Care must be taken in handling as edges can be sharp

Aluminum

This solid aluminum sheet features a smooth, baked enamel white surface (or clear aluminum) and is sold in a variety of gauges. Aluminum is ideal for long- to permanent-use signs such as traffic, parking lot, park, and reusable real-estate signs. White baked enamel faces come in .080, .063, and .040 thicknesses.  Raw aluminum faces may be used if the sign needs to be made reflective by sheeting out with engineer grade reflective vinyl before printing.

  • Very rigid and strong, even though thin
  • Does not bend easily
  • Very common in sizes under 36×24 for outdoor use, larger than that usually uses ACM material

Magnetic

Car-Safe magnetic material prints fabulously on our UV printer.  The magnetics can also contour cut simple shapes fairly easily.  This magnetic roll is 30 mil matte white and is specially coated to help prevent damage to paint.