Choosing the correct print substrate for your graphic is an essential part of the design process. Whether rigid medium or self adhesive vinyl, SAV, each come with they own strengths and weaknesses. At Specialized Signs, we offer a huge variety of print substrates to help create definition and tone to your graphic.

Self Adhesive Vinyl – SAV

SAV works by printing on the face of a sticky backed material. The material is flexible and can be easily cut to shape. There are various adhesion levels available for different situations:

Low Tac: for temporary application. The adhesive on the back is relatively strong however it will not form a full bond for 9 months, allowing the easy removal after a short period of time. The surface needs to be a smooth finish such as glass or painted metal

Bubble Free/Air release: Our standard SAV. The reverse adhesive side of the graphic has a minute lattice work of grooves in it, allowing any trapped air to be worked to the edges/spread out through the back. Our material is classed as having a high adhesion rating, however as there is less surface area contact because of the grooves, the adhesion rating matches that of a standard non air release SAV. Best used on permanent smooth surfaces such as windows, flat/recess panels on vehicles and our go for any print and cut graphic layering elements to sign trays

High Tac: The same print finish as the Bubble Free with a completely smooth backing, creating a larger surface area bond. Using the same brand of Bubble Free and High Tac allows us to ensure colour consistency over our two most popular SAV materials. Used on internal painted plasterboard walls, painted timber surfaces, galvanised metals or in high exposure areas

Clear SAV: The same brand again as Bubble Free/High Tac ensuring colour consistency. Our clear material is not 100% clear however it allows us to print backwards on the smooth face and apply internally so the graphic is seen properly from the external viewpoint. We can back the material up in a white vinyl material to essentially create a white print medium which is installed on the inside. Perfect for situations where the graphic risks being picked at by passers by/late night revellers. Our clear material can also be printed with a high saturation setting, layering down more ink than normal, which we use on our illuminated signage to ensure colours illuminated elements are as close to brand as possible.

Ultra Tac: The highest level of adhesion SAV we offer. It creates an incredibly strong bond to the surface it is applied and can be very difficult to remove. Best used for raw metal surfaces or areas where the temperature suffers large swings.

Forsting/Dusted: Used to create a privacy effect and replicate frosted glass allowing light transmission but inhibits viewing. We can cut shapes out of it like logos or text to reveal the glass underneath, or print on the face creating a translucent effect on the material and allowing for the inverse image to be viewed from the reverse side. Printed frosting yields a lightweight, softer finish than standard SAV prints due to the light transmission, often given the most impressive finish to window graphics.

Optically Clear: a clear SAV which is almost impossible to see when applied to glass. We predominantly use optically clear to print very complex window graphic with a lot of the glass still exposed where the detail is too small to cut/applied individually. It allows us to print and apply a single print, creating exact spacing between various elements

Contravision: a perforated SAV  with a white face (for print) and a black reverse. Most often seen on public transport vehicles. The benefit of Contravision is you are still able to see out of the glass but it is difficult to see in. Because of the perforations, it is best suited to large glazing panels with bold graphics, any smaller details can become difficult to discern as elements will be cut off with the holes. Used only on glazing.

Rigid Print Substrates

With all our ridged substrates, we print directly to the panel then over laminate in some cases, reducing the need to print on SAV then apply to the panel. This reduces the waste for production and allows us to provide prints at the most competitive rates as well as generating a quicker turnaround time by removing additional processes.

Correx: 4 or 6mm thick fluted panel material. It is low cost and lightweight and does not require an overlaminate to protect the graphic. It is popular for a budget option or in situations where the likelihood of damage to the graphic is high and will need replaced regularly.

Foamex (3mm/5mm/10mm/19mm): a dense foam material, lightweight with excellent colour render. Foamex provides the perfect material for internal signage. Being so light, we can easily bond it in situ with either strong double sided tape or contact adhesive meaning there can be situations with no visible fixings. We do not recommend foamex for large external prints as a long term solution.

Acrylic (clear/coloured): an incredibly strong plastic, acrylic is an excellent substrate for creating smaller prints where it will be seen close up. If a coloured acrylic is chosen to be printed on, we can layer down white ink before applying the print colour to ensure the print has just as much vibrancy as if it were printed on a white substrate.

Aeroboard: a 6mm thick bubble core plastic print substrate with a smooth print surface. Aeroboard is exceptionally strong for its weight and is ideal for situations where the graphic content is a higher priority than the overall finish (construction sites/festivals & events)

Aluminium Composite Material (ACM): Our main product for external permanent graphic panels. ACM is 3mm thick, 2 layers of aluminium finished in white to the outsides with a dense black foam core. ACM is exceptionally strong, can be CNC cut to shape as well as being folded to create sign trays. The benefit of using ACM for folded trays instead of powder coated aluminium is we can print the graphic to the face prior to cutting and folding instead of applying after, ensuring perfect alignment of all the elements and removing the need for additional labour and materials. We will always over lamination ACM with either a gloss or matt finish in order to protect the graphic and provide resistance to UV bleaching.

Above are our standard, day to day print substrates however with the machines we have in our workshop, we are able to print on a number of other material. From Reflective Safety SAV to plywood, glass and photo luminescent substrates, we will never be short of a solution to display a graphic in the best possible finish for any budget.

Get in touch today to see how we could bring your brand to life!