Lost on sign terminology? You don’t have to be with our beginner’s guide to signage terms! We’ve put together a great post to help you understand all you need to know about signage products and the verbiage we use in our industry!
Common Sign Terms
Aluminum Composite Panel (ACP) – This is a flat panel consisting of two thin aluminum sheets bonded to a non-aluminum core. This material is great for affordable exterior signage.
Calendered Vinyl – Vinyl sheets squeezed through a series of heated rollers to achieve a small enough thickness for cutting with a plotter. Calendered film is typically more affordable and thicker than cast.
Cast Vinyl – Vinyl film created by baking a molten plastic mixture at high temperatures. Cast vinyl generally costs more, is thinner, and lasts longer than calendered vinyl. Cast films are used on vehicles.
Footing – The concrete supporting base for a monument sign, pylon, or other structure.
Grommet – For the purpose of receiving cords or other fasteners for hanging, these reinforced metal eyelets are added to banners.
Laminate – The process by which different materials are layered and bonded together. Overlaminate vinyl films are usually used in vehicle wraps to protect your graphics.
Negative Space – The area within and around the copy and art of your sign.
Pantone Matching System (PMS) – Colors are described by a standardized numerical color system. There are thirteen base pigments plus black that simulate most PMS colors when mixed in specified amounts.
Plotter – A computer-guided device that moves a tool along X and Y-axes. These are used to cut materials precisely to match various shapes or fonts.
Push-through – A graphic or letter that is cut out and pushed through a corresponding space that has been removed from a signage substrate.
Router – A machine tool used in sign making to mill out the surface of wood, metal, or other signage materials.
Sandblasting – To remove material from glass, wood, or other substrates, we apply a pressurized stream of synthetic particles or sand.
Second Surface – When you have a clear substrate, like acrylic or glass, there are two faces: the front and the back. The back is the second surface. When the art is applied here, it has more protection.
Substrate – This is the material which receives the sign’s face, graphics, text, etc. For instance, metal, acrylic, and wood are all sign substrates. In fact, with window graphics, your window is the substrate.
Vector Image – A computer image that uses mathematical descriptions of files and paths to define graphic pixels. This allows us to make the image as large as we want. We always request vector images!
These are just a few of the common signage terms. Whether you speak the language or not, Vital Signs USA will help your business look its best with new signs. Contact our friendly experts today for a free consultation.
Areas We Serve
Based in Elmhurst, Illinois, we proudly serve Oak Brook, Lombard, Naperville, Schaumburg and Chicago!