Materials and Fabrication
This material, often used for long-term exterior panels, combines two aluminum faces with a polyethylene or PVC core.
What is ACM? (Aluminum Composite Material)
This process adjusts input data so color reproduces more predictably on a specific printer/media combination.
What is Profiling?
(accept: ICC Profiling)
This step, typically performed after conforming vinyl to deep recesses, helps lock the film into place by reducing memory.
What is Post-Heating?
This type of artwork is preferred and is made of points and paths, instead of pixels.
What is Vector?
This type of sign extends perpendicular from a building facade for better visibility to passers-by.
What is a Blade Sign?
Compared with cast films, this type of vinyl is generally less conformable and more prone to shrinkage.
What is Calendared vinyl?
This rendering intent is commonly used when preserving the visual relationship between out-of-gamut colors matters more than exact numeric matching.
What is perceptual?
This extra image area beyond the trim line helps prevent unintended white edges after finishing.
What is Bleed?
This sign type is typically freestanding, low to the ground, and used at entrances to businesses, communities, or campuses.
What is a Monument Sign?
This routing-friendly foam board with a dense polyurethane core is commonly used for carved and dimensional exterior signage.
What is HDU? (High Density Urethane)
A brand color that looks vivid on-screen but dull in print is often outside of this printable limitation.
What is the CMYK gamut?
These adhesive micro-channels are designed to improve install efficiency by helping reduce trapped air
Before sending art to print, type is often converted to these to prevent print issues.
What are outlines?
This illuminated sign type usually consists of an internal light source, a framed box, and a translucent face.
What is a Cabinet Sign?
What are standoffs?
This spot color reference system is often used when a client wants tighter brand color consistency across vendors.
What is Pantone Matching System? (PMS)
Before wrapping, installers often remove this hardware item on vehicles to reduce seams and improve finish quality.
What are door handles? (Also, mirrors, badging, lights, and cameras)
This path, usually assigned a specific named swatch in workflows, tells the machine where to cut.
These individually mounted, often illuminated letters are built with returns and faces rather than as one large piece.
What are Channel Letters?
This fabrication method bends aluminum returns around a letter face to create a dimensional illuminated letter.
What is Channel Letter Fabrication?
When a print file is built in RGB and then output through RIP, this conversion issue often causes surprises if expectations were based on screen appearance.
What is RGB-to-CMYK color shift?
This failure occurs when tensioned film slowly tries to return to its original shape after installation.
This resolution problem occurs when an image does not contain enough data at final output size.
What is Pixelation?
Unlike a flat panel sign, this sign style uses individually fabricated or cut elements mounted off the surface to create depth and shadow.
What are Dimensional Letters?