Rigid Board Printing

Rigid board printing: pick by where the sign will live

Forget the jargon for a second and think about the wall. Is it inside, dry and out of the sun? Or is it a gatepost that gets a faceful of rain every week? That one question sorts out most rigid board printing orders.

• Reception, shop floor, office, classroom: Foamex Boards.
• Shop front, fence, yard gate, anything outside for years: Dibond Aluminium Composite Signs.
• A run of 25 or more boards for a promotion or an event: Foam Board Signs.
• You already know the size: jump straight to A1, A2 or A3 Foamex Boards, or A1, A2 or A3 Dibond Signs.

The boards in plain words

Foamex

Rigid PVC foam board. It is light enough to hang with sticky pads, and takes screws or cable ties too. 3mm suits wall signs and notices, 5mm is stiffer for bigger boards, and 10mm (on Foamex Boards) feels properly solid for a free-standing display. It can bow over time in strong sun or heat, so it isn't the first choice for a south-facing wall.

Dibond

Two thin aluminium skins with a plastic core, 3mm thick. It stays flat, doesn't rot and doesn't rust. This is the sensible buy for a sign that should still look tidy after a few winters.

Foam Board Signs

A separate product for 25 to 1000 pieces, on substrates including KAPA tex 5mm, KAPA plast 5mm, honeycomb cardboard 10mm, compact pressboard 1.6mm, doublewall E+E flute 2.3mm, and opal or clear polycarbonate in 3mm or 5mm. A scratch resistant gloss protection is optional.

Finishing options

With rigid board printing on Foamex and Dibond, boards can be printed on one side or both, laminated gloss or matt on one side, drilled at the top corners or all four, and profile cut to the shape of your design. Laminate anything that gets touched or wiped, such as a sign in a school corridor or a café kitchen.

Sizes

Foamex Boards and Dibond signs come in A4, A3, A2, 500 × 700 mm, 600 × 600 mm, 20x30 inch, A1, 1000 × 500 mm, 700 × 1000 mm, 30x40 inch, A0 and 1000 × 1000 mm. Live Foamex prices are in the size table near the top of the page, and Dibond prices are on the Dibond product page. A3 and A2 cover door and wall signs. A1 and A0 suit a fence or a big notice board. The long 1000 × 500 mm shape is made for a name above a door.

Artwork for rigid board printing

• Add 3 mm bleed on every edge, and keep text at least 10 mm inside the trim.
• Signs read up close want 300 dpi at full size, or vector artwork.
• Ordering drilled corners? Keep those corners clear so a hole doesn't land in a word.

Upload a print-ready file, make one in the free online designer, or use our paid artwork service. With every rigid board printing order, a real person checks each uploaded file for free. More in the artwork guidelines, and the Foamex, Dibond or Correx guide compares the boards side by side.

How long rigid board printing takes

Foamex Boards and A3 Foamex Boards take 3 working days as standard, 2 on express and 5 on saver. A1 and A2 Foamex Boards and all Dibond signs take 6 standard, 5 express and 8 saver. Foam Board Signs take 4 standard, 3 express and 6 saver. The count starts once your order and artwork are confirmed. Every board is made to order and dispatched from the UK.

UK mainland delivery is £7.95, free on orders of £100 or more after discounts (artwork fees excluded). Mainland Highlands add £10. Northern Ireland, the Scottish islands, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight are quoted, and boards bigger than A0 add £15. See the delivery page. For a temporary sign, Correx boards are lighter still, and business signs has more ideas. Big rigid board printing job? Get a quote.