Signet Signs and Advertising only uses the best grade of material
for your project.
We only use materials that are designed to be used for signs and banners.

There are other sign companies that will use products that were designed for other purposes other than sign making. These materials do not hold up and some can not be reused.

Vinyl’s

Cast or Calandered Vinyl – What’s the difference?

When talking about vinyl film, it helps to understand how it is made. The color part of the vinyl, which is called the face film, can be made using either the calandered or cast method. After the face film is made, the adhesive and backing paper are applied in other processes. The thickness of the vinyl, in mils, generally refers to the face film. The thinner the face film, the higher the quality.

Calandered – These films come in three types. Monomeric (3mil), standard polymeric (2.75 to 3.2 mil), and high performance polymeric (2 to 2.5 mil). Calandered vinyl is manufactured in a continual web process. It is made by putting continuous stress, pressure and heat on the vinyl material; it is literally pulled through the machine. The process resembles the way salt water taffy is made. Because the film is stretched and pressured into its final form, the thicker films, 3 mil or more, have little dimensional stability. This means if extremes of heat and cold affect it, the vinyl will tend to shrink back to its original size. This causes the adhesive ooze around the letters, as well as cracking and peeling. Basically if a calandered film is rated for 2 to 3 years and is 3 mil or more, it will not handle long term exposure. However, high performance polymeric films, 2.5 mil or less, perform just about as well as many cast films.

Cast – The face film is made in 2 mil thicknesses. There are two reasons why 2 mil cast vinyl is superior to calandered vinyl. The raw materials are of better quality in cast films and the manufacturing process is totally different. There is virtually no stress, no stretching, no pressure applied to cast films. The high quality cast vinyl raw materials are mixed and then poured out, or cast, on the casting roller. The mixture is then transferred through rollers to the casting paper. Since the cast liquid is supported by the casting paper once the liquid leaves the rollers, very little stress is applied. This means higher quality cast films are suitable for outdoor use and long exposure to heat and cold. Since the film was not forced into a size that it was not originally made for, shrinkage, splitting, and cracking is significantly less than the calandered film.

Specialty Vinyl’s

Reflective – EnduraLITE EG 48000, a 6.9 mil, 7 year outdoor durable reflective vinyl, is a retro-reflective sheeting material designed for many types of commercial signs, industrial, striping and fleet decal applications. EnduraLITE EG 48000 meets the federal specification requirements. Conforms over rivets and seams and will bend around corners and curves.

Avery MPI 1005 – Cast Self Adhesive Glossy Vinyl is a 2.1 mil cast glossy white digital print vinyl with 100% removable adhesive using new Easy Apply air egress technology. Ideal for fleet graphics, vehicle wraps, or any application on compound curves.

Avery Static Cling – A Calendered, flexible PVC that clings to most clean, dry, polished surfaces without adhesive.

Perforated window film – A 5.5 mil, 3 year perforated glossy white PVC film with a clear, removable adhesive. Ideal for commercial and automotive applications requiring opacity from one side and transparency from the other.

In most cases we try to use a high performance Cast Vinyl. There are some colors and some types of vinyl that are not available in a Cast vinyl then we will use the best vinyl for the application.

Sign Substrates

MDO – Medium density overlay, is an engineered plywood with a resin treated fiber applied to one or both faces. This gives an extremely smooth finish that is easy to paint. In addition it's rated for exterior use, which means it is safe from the elements, insects, or other outdoor hazards. Originally developed for sign painting and concrete formwork industries, MDO is also used for other applications as a paintable surface. One or both faces can be faced with paper. If you need to change your sign in the future, MDO will allow you to remove vinyl without damage to the sign board.

Luster board – Hardwood core is composed of a premium, exterior furniture-grade plywood, featuring smooth, tight, sanded veneers for optimum surface beauty. Factory baked polyester painted aluminum surfaces cover both sides of the hardwood core, creating a smooth, glossy finish.

Cor-Plastic – Corrugated plastic with 4mil vertical flutes. Can be used as indoor or outdoor signage. It's easy to apply and remove your vinyl letters or graphic designs. Great for an economical political campaign or point of purchase sign.

ENDURABANNER™ is the tough and reliable banner that is practical for all types of signage applications. These fire retardant, banners are made of a polyester inner core that is vinyl laminated on both sides. ENDURABANNERS are styled with brass grommets and reinforced with double stitched hems. To hang or tie down your banner just attach snap hooks, “O” rings, or sturdy rope through the grommets.

Roland Flame Retardant – Premium-quality flame-retardant 16 oz. scrim banner. It has a high tensile strength and tear resistance makes it ideal for a variety of indoor and outdoor applications and out.

Versacamm Banner – For Roland VersaCamm, Soljet and other compatible ecosolvent printers. All-purpose, low-cost, single-sided 13 oz. uncoated scrim banner vinyl. Good for a variety of indoor and outdoor applications. It is very flexible and has a great white point.

Avery Banner – A glossy, single side printable, ultra smooth banner fabric designed for high resolution printing on many popular solvent based ink jet printers, screen-printing with many solvent and UV based inks, and application of pressure sensitive cut vinyl graphics. Avery Banner is ideal for indoor banners or for short-term outdoor banners.

Metal Signs – Pre-finished aluminum and steel with a durable wax-free baked enamel surface.

Magnetic Signs – 30 mil magnetic sheeting will conform well to most metal surfaces. Remains flexible at high speeds yet it's easy to take off. Use a corner rounder for a finished look on car signs. Rounding corners is necessary to prevent wind lift off.

We do not use Medex !!!

Formaldehyde free MDF (medium density fiberboard), Medex must be completely sealed or will swell when wet. Medex is easily damaged. If damaged must be resealed. Nailing or the use of screws can cause chipping breaking or crumbling and must be sealed after hanging. Once vinyl has set to the paint you will damage the surface of the board if you try to remove the vinyl to make changes to the sign. Medex was made to be used in the manufacture of indoor cabinet shelving. Today many Medex boards are made from a variety of materials. These include other woods, scrap, recycled paper, bamboo, carbon fibres and polymers, steel, glass, forest thinning and sawmill off-cuts. Medex (formaldehyde free MDF) is a dark brown material, almost a black color that is light in weight. When bumped or dropped it will crush or break the corners or the sides and/or chip off sections of the board. If Medex is hit hard with a hammer you can put a hole in it or break off an edge.