With so many different rigid substrates on the market it canⁱ be difficult to keep up with new products. Taking the time to compare product features, finishing requirements, supplier availability and price, you can create a handful of substrates for your company.

 

SHOP NEEDS

The first step is to assess your particular shop’s needs. Are you primarily a vinylⁱ shop, a screenⁱ printer, digital printerⁱ or an electrical shop? What substrates have you used in the past, and do they meet your currentⁱ needs? Do you stock too many different types of materials? Do you get requests for substrates that you’re not familiar with?

 

My company is primarily a vinyl and digital printing shop. For our signs we can break our substrate needs into a few categories. We purchase Sungard polycarbonateⁱ for our illuminated sign faces. For our smaller signs or large signs mounted flush on a building we use Alupanel or its economy version, Ecopanel. This is a layered aluminum and plastic material that is very similar to Dibond.

 

For outdoor applications that require a more rigid substrate we may use Alumalite, which is layered aluminum with a high impact, corrugated plastic core that helps to create a lightweight, yet strong substrate with an outdoor life expectancy of 10 years. While we occasionally use Omega board as a wood substrate option, the edges need to be sealed to help protect against the weather and are intended for short-term outdoor applications. For our sheet plastic we use either Celtec or Sintra depending on our suppliers and their stock. For temporary signs, Coroplast is an inexpensive, light weight choice.

 

There are hundreds of additional substrate choices on the market, but we have purposely narrowed our stock down to just these few. This reduces excess inventory that may go unused and also keeps materials consistent when a customer reorders a sign.

 

With a limited stock of substrates, employees are more likely to be familiar with a substrate and its particular characteristics. By being educated on the features of a product, they should be better able to meet a customers sign and budget needs.

 

PRODUCT FEATURES

One of my suppliers has 15 different categories of substrates. Each category contains multiple material choices. Some product lines are unique to a particular supplier, while multiple suppliers may carry the same type of material, each with a different name.

 

For example, I can order Sintra, Komatex, InteFoam or Celtec plastic sheets. They are all a plastic material, but each is different in some manner and is produced by a different manufacturer. It’s important to know what those differences are and how they affect your signage. Features that are important to your shop will depend on what types of signs your company produces. Some of the considerations are exterior durability, ink acceptance, rigidity, finishing requirements and supplier availability.

 

It is also important to look for features that will allow you to use the same substrate for multiple applications. Our company started using Alupanel a couple years ago. This substrate can be routed, cut to size on a panel saw, is fairly light weight yet strong, is outdoor durable and is also available in a large number of colors. Since we can cut the Alupanel down as needed we no longer have to stock aluminum blanks or order custom aluminum sizes.

 

For outside signs exposed to vandalism we prefer the Alupanel over plain PVCⁱ because the material is more resistant to breakage. We also prefer to use the Alupanel for routed letters because of the large selection of colors. We can order a 4 x 8 panel in a particular color, route out our letters, attach the hardware and the jobⁱ is ready for installation. Unlike some PVC materials, Alupanel colors also have a five-year exterior warranty.

 

PRICING

Pricing is always an important factor and should be considered when comparing product features. Beyond the square foot breakdown in price, look at labor costs for materials that need additional finishing as well as the long term durability of a product. Be sure to price your product accordingly and educate your customers on the substrate’s features, and why they are a good choice for their particular needs.

 

We’ve created a spreadsheet with the list of substrates we use. Each substrate has a price comparison for each supplier that carries that material. The supplier with the best pricing, including freight charges when applicable, is highlighted. At a glance I can see who I will purchase from when placing new orders. By having my pricing in a spreadsheet I can also easily update the prices as the market fluctuates.

 

TIPS & TRICKS

Here are a few tips we’ve learned around our shop that help us stay on top of emerging products and allow us to familiarize ourselves and our customers with a particular substrate and to track pricing.

For our vinyl and digital printing shop the substrates listed work great. A screen printer may stock more Coroplast or styrene substrates while an electrical sign shop may stock polycarbonate and acrylicⁱ substrates.
 

No matter what your company specializes in, it’s important to find the key substrates that work for your shop. Be diligent about material knowledge and follow up with supplier reps to stay on top of current products on the market.

Rigid Materials Resources