Custom Reflective Aluminum Signs

Frequently Asked Questions

Product Specs

• What is a reflective aluminum sign?
• Reflective aluminum signs are metal signs popularly used for road, safety, and real estate signage. One or both sides can have a graphic or advertisement. Use them indoors or outdoors for years to come, but when used in the latter, be sure to not install your sign where heavy, gusting winds could blow it into other objects. Further, the reflective element of the sign allows them to be used for situations where visibility at night is critical. Thus, these signs are excellent options for residential and highway road signs, parking garages, business premises and many other uses.
• Since reflective aluminum is a thin sign, is it really durable for use outdoors?
• Yes. Aluminum is one of the most durable signs on the market. It’s corrosion resistant and it will never rust, even in wet weather conditions like some other metals do. It’s also highly resistant to cold, hot, dry and humid weather conditions. These features make reflective aluminum signs a great choice for your outdoor signage needs.
• What is the lifespan of your reflective signs?
• While the lifespan will vary depending on the circumstances in which it is used. generally speaking your reflective sign should last 5+ years with proper care and placement.
• Are your reflective aluminum signs single sided or double sided?
• Our reflective aluminum signs are single sided. If you are looking for a double sided aluminum sign, our standard aluminum signs allow for double sided printing.
• Is my graphic printed directly onto the sign?
• With reflective aluminum signs, the reflective vinyl is mounted onto our 2mm e-panel aluminum, rather than a direct print like several of our other products are done. Notwithstanding the print options are limitless and the end product results in both a visually appealing and functional sign for your reflective signage needs.
• Do you apply anything over top of the graphic to help protect it?
• We can apply a laminate covering over top of your graphic, but this covering requires a custom quote. Please contact us if you have any questions or wish to receive a custom quote. But, we recommend just printing directly onto our signs with our UV ink without using any kind of laminate. The reflective signs are designed to be durable for outdoor use with or without a laminate.
• If I print my sign in more than one color am I charged more? What about printing something very simple, does that make my sign cheaper?
• No. We print all our signs in full color, so no matter what your design looks like, the cost isn’t impacted. The type of sign, as well as its size and how many you purchase, are what determine your cost.
  Likewise, because we print in full color even 1 color and/or simple designs will not reduce the cost of the sign. To reduce the cost of your sign you can make it smaller or reduce the quantity.
• Am I restricted to the size of reflective aluminum sign I can purchase?
• We offer an array of size options, including 6"x18", 6"x24", 18"x24", 2’x1’, 2'x2', 4’x2’, 4'x4', 6’x3’, and 4'x8'. But that doesn’t mean you’re limited to these sizes. You can design and order a custom-sized sign from our site. Our only dimension restrictions are that your sign be no smaller than 4”x4” and no bigger than 48”x96”. The biggest reflective aluminum sign we can make is 48”x96”.
• Can my sign be cut into a certain shape?
• Yes. Each reflective aluminum sign we make can be contour or halo cut. Contour cut means we cut your sign to the exact shape you’ve specified in your design. Halo cut means we cut your sign to shape but a small border is left around your design’s edges. Either of these options can be selected on the design tool or in the shopping cart.
• Is a reflective aluminum sign the same as a metal sign?
• Yes. Aluminum is a type of metal, therefore if you’re looking for a metal sign, then one of our custom reflective aluminum signs will work for what you need. We also offer other metal signs, including standard aluminum and brushed aluminum, so jump over to one of those product pages if you’re looking for other types of metal signs and don’t need the reflective nature of our reflective signs.
• What is the lifespan of your reflective aluminum signage?
• With the proper care and placement, our reflective aluminum signs will last five or more years.
• Can I drill my own holes into my sign?
• If you know how to and you have the correct tools, then yes, you can drill your own holes and it should be fairly simple to do. However, most of our customers choose to have us drill the holes for them because it’s more convenient, it ends up looking cleaner and better, and because if any damage is done to the sign while you’re drilling it voids any sign warranty or satisfaction guarantee that we offer.
• What if I need more than four drilled holes? Can I get drilled holes in custom locations?
• The standard is four holes in a sign, one in each corner. But if you need more than four, select the “Custom” option within the “Drilled Holes” dropdown and then make a note in the customer comments field when you’re on the checkout page. Custom drilled holes will cost extra.
• Are the sharp edges dangerous?
• Since aluminum is a metal, the edges are naturally sharp and dangerous. This is why our reflective aluminum signs default to rounded, safer corners. If you’re fine to have the sharper, pointed corners, simply deselect this option while designing your sign with our design tool. If you keep the rounded corners, they have a .25” radius.
• Do I have to use one of your templates for my sign?
• Absolutely not. We’ve provided many templates that are commonly used for reflective signage. Nonetheless, if you don’t see the template you need or want feel free to also contact us to take advantage of our free design services from one of our designers or upload one of your own files to our design tool to create your own custom reflective aluminum sign.
• How thick are your signs? Do offer additional thickness options?
• The aluminum portion of the sign is 2mm thick, this is approximately .078” thick. The vinyl overlay is likewise paper thin and adds very little thickness to the sign. These signs are designed to be lightweight yet extremely durable.
  At the current time we do not offer additional thickness options.
• Are the signs heavy?
• As detailed above our reflective signs are thin and lightweight yet durable. Nonetheless, larger signs or many smaller signs can become heavy for shipping and or moving/hanging. For larger signs we recommend more than one person do the installation.
• Why does shipping cost so much if you offer free shipping?
• We offer free shipping on all orders over $75 that do not have a rigid sign with either dimension over 36”. Once this dimension threshold is hit the sign is required to be shipped via freight shipping which can result in high shipping costs. This is completely out of our control and should be factored into the decision making process when buying a large rigid sign. Nonetheless, our competitive pricing, free design services and fast turnaround often offset this extra shipping cost when compared to local sign companies.

Usage

• Will my reflective sign have a matte or gloss finish?
• In short, it depends. The vinyl overlay will be a smooth surface but will not have a glossy shine like you would expect with a photo print. The printed area on the vinyl will have a slightly matte finish due to the ink being printed but this will be far from feeling or looking a textured wall or surface.
• What is the color of the sign before printing?
• The default color of the underlying aluminum portion of the sign is painted white before applying the vinyl overlay to it. Thus, the sign can then use the white background with any design as part of it or have any other color used as the background by printing onto the vinyl overlay that will then cover the white aluminum.
• Can I use my reflective aluminum sign outside?
• Yes. Our reflective aluminum signs are made for indoor and outdoor use. They’re corrosion resistant, and the reflective sheeting makes these signs easy to see during the daytime and nighttime. Our only suggestion is that you don’t place your sign where heavy winds will blow it into other objects, as it could dent or warp.
• Will my reflective aluminum sign dent or warp? Will it bend?
• Your sign will only dent or warp if it’s placed in a high windy area and blows into another decent-sized object. The highest risk of this happening is very large signs (96”x48”) that are mounted between two posts. For larger signs that will be mounted in this fashion we recommend a middle post to provide extra stability. Your reflective signs will not warp in normal day to day usage.
  No matter the size, there’s always some bend to any aluminum sign. However, there’s less bend in smaller-sized signs versus larger ones. Our signs have less bend than most aluminum signs, but we still recommend securing your reflective aluminum sign to help prevent bending.
• Will my sign rust?
• Your sign should never rust, even when subjected to wet weather conditions. Aluminum is a corrosion resistant material.
• What are reflective aluminum signs regularly used for?
• Reflective aluminum signs are a versatile indoor/outdoor signage option. They are most often used for outdoor uses. These uses included but aren’t limited to: traffic and parking signage, roadside signage for residential and highway/interstate roads, safety and regulation signage in buildings and businesses, real estate signs, directional signs in parking garages, businesses, parking lots and more, and property signs including construction sites and a wide variety of businesses and settings.
• Will my reflective aluminum signs scratch?
• We print with an ink that is scratch resistant. Further, with the vinyl overlay overtop you are unlikely to scratch the aluminum portion of your sign. You or someone else is much more likely to damage the vinyl overlay than to damage the sign itself. Regardless, with the exception of an intentional effort to damage the aluminum or overlay portion of your sign it is very rare to see your sign peel away or get scratched.
• Will the vinyl overlay portion peel away?
• No. The vinyl overlay portion of the sign should not peel away with normal usage. It is adhered with an extremely strong adhesive backing. Only intentional efforts to peel away should impact this part of your sign.

Installation and Care

• How do I install my reflective aluminum sign?
• Your sign has the ability to be mounted on or affixed to numerous surfaces. Really any rigid surface, such as wood, concrete, or brick, works to mount your reflective aluminum sign to. To install your sign to such a surface, drill pilot holes into the surface material and then use bolts or screws to mount it. If you opted out of us drilling the holes into your sign, you’ll of course need to drill holes into your sign beforehand. These signs can also be hung with several different things including strings or metal chains. Doubled sided tape or strong adhesives can also be used. Nonetheless, we recommend mounting the signs as the best option.
• How do I store my reflective aluminum sign?
• You should store your reflective aluminum sign in a cool, dry place at room temperature. If you have multiple signs, be sure to place a soft fabric between the two if stacking them together or leaning them against one another to keep your signs from getting scratched. It’s best to store your signs horizontally assuming nothing heavy is placed on top of them. Also, avoid putting them in a position of being a weight bearing object as this can damage the sign over time.
• How do I best care for my reflective aluminum sign?
• Besides properly storing your sign, the best way to care for it is correctly washing it. Use a non-abrasive cloth and warm, soapy water to wash it. Never use strong or harsh cleaning solutions, as these solutions can permanently damage the sign.