GLOSSARY
When you’re having something printed or produced, it’s helpful to know the materials that are available and how they differ from each other. We offer a broad array of materials (also known as substrates) that you can learn about in our glossary. But don’t worry. You don’t have to decide yourself what will work well. Our experts will help you choose the one that will work best for your project.
Foamboards
Fome-Cor 3/16” White or Black
Fome-Cor is a 3/16″ thick graphic arts board made of extruded polystyrene foam bonded on both sides between white clay-coated printing grade paper.
Fome-Cor is recommended only for very short-term projects where price is the biggest concern.
Gatorfoam 3/16”, 1/2”, 3/4”, 1” Black, White
Gatorfoam is a lightweight extruded polystyrene foam board bonded between two layers of Luxcell wood-fiber veneer and is ideal for indoor use and some limited outdoor use. It can be cut, routed or shaped as easily as wood and painted with latex or acrylic paints.
Solvent paints are not compatible with the material’s core and should be used with care.
Gatorplast 3/16” White
Designed to save time in screen printing, this rigid polystyrene foam board features smooth, high impact polystyrene facers. There’s no need to prime the surface, which saves time, labor and materials.
Gatorplast also resists warping and may be used outdoors when protected with a UV coating. Vinyl lettering also may be applied and removed without damaging the surface.
Ultra Board 3/16” White or Black
Extruded polystyrene core; .015” high-impact polystyrene facers.
Metals
Alumilite 6mm and 10mm
A two-sided sign panel with high gloss baked enamel finish aluminum sheets laminated over a corrugated polyallomer (CPA) core.
Lightweight, yet strong, with an average 10-year life, Alumalite will not swell, corrode, rot or delaminate.
Aluminum Blanks .032, .040, .063, .080
Aluminum blanks prefinished with white baked enamel on both sides, square corners or radius corners.
Sizes: 12” x 18”, 18” x 24”, 20” x 28”, 24” x 24”, 24” x 36”
Great for street signs and parking lot signs.
Dibond 2mm and 3mm
Dibond is a two-sided aluminum composite material (ACM) panel. Faces are .012″ aluminum with a coil-coated satin polyester paint finish, laminated over a solid black polyethylene core.
Plastics
Acrylic
Plexiglas® is a premium cell cast acrylic sheet with a unique combination of high molecular weight and uniform thickness. Cast acrylic sheet is lightweight and easily fabricated.
Weather resistant, and offers rigidity and strength.
Corrogated Plastic 4mm and 10mm
Corrugated plastic sheets and pre-cut blanks are extruded high-impact polypropylene copolymer twinwall plastic. An excellent, economical product for indoor/outdoor signage, it is easily screen printed, hand painted or vinyl lettered.
When ordering blank sizes, give the flute direction as the last dimension.
PVC
Expanded closed-cell Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) extruded sheet with a smooth low-gloss finish, PVC sheets are ideal for indoor or outdoor signs and displays.
Black PVC is available in 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 6mm, 10mm, 13mm, and 19mm White, 3mm, 6mm, and 10mm. Eight additional colors are available in 3mm and 6mm.
Woods
MDO Plywood 3/8”, 1/2”, 3/4”
1/2″ MDO (Medium Density Overlay) board is a 5-ply engineered pressed plywood panel with a brown resin-treated paper applied to the faces, giving a very smooth surface that is easy to paint.
Rated for exterior use, MDO is generally safe from outdoor weather conditions if properly finished. Good one-sided or two-sided, primed or unprimed.
Panel edges should be edge capped or sealed.
Omega Signboard 1/2”- 4’x8’, 3/8” – 5’x10’
A one-sided or two-sided sign panel made with an exterior furniture grade plywood (hardwood) core, covered with a high gloss white vinyl on one or both sides. The back of the one-sided panel is covered with a bonded plastic covering. Panel edges should be edge capped or sealed.