Acrylic
A thick plastic sheet used for making flexible sign faces. It can be clear or colored, but generally has some degree of translucency for backlighting.

A-Frames
Portable, free-standing sign frames that hold custom sign inserts. They can be plastic, metal, or wood. They are generally two-sided, and most of them are designed to fold.

Banners
Vinyl and nylon material available in weights from 11oz (for short term indoor use) to 15oz (for durable outdoor applications). They can be digitally printed or created using traditional vinyl. Banners are hemmed with reinforced tape to prevent tearing at stress-points.and grommeted for hanging based on customer specifications.

Channel Letters
Channel letters is the technical term for the illuminated letters you typically see above storefronts. They are generally manufactured from aluminum with translucent acrylic faces.

Coroplast
A brand name short for corrugated plastic. It's not unlike corrugated cardboard, except much more durable and weatherproof. Can be adorned with traditional vinyl or digital prints and can even be grommeted. Very useful for temporary signage and staked yard signs. And yes, this is the stuff used to build guinea pig pens!

Eco-sol Printed Vinyl
Eco-sol inks are printed digitally (photographic quality) via inkjet, but are waterproof and have the durability and of enamels, so that they can be used to create weather proof graphics on various signs. We can print on a wide variety of materials, including directly onto paper, adhesive vinyl, banners, artist canvas and more!

Foam-Cor
An extruded polystyrene foam board with clay coated paper liners that works great for mounting graphics for short term or light duty uses.

Gatorfoam
An extruded foam board with rigid outer layers of wood-fiber veneer. Useful in graphic mounting when you need something more rigid and durable than Foam-Cor. It is also often routed to create three-dimensional graphics for interior displays.

Magnetics
Flexible magnetic material that is typically used for removable vehicle graphics. Full color, digital printed, custome size and shape.

MDO
A high-quality, layered wood product that with a weather-resistant bond and a smooth, paint-ready surface. It can also be covered in digitally printed or traditional vinyl.

Post & Panel
Literally a sign composed of a panel of substrate (usually plywood or MDO, but sometimes aluminum or similar materials) suspended between posts (typically 4" x 4" lumber). Very durable and cost effective, especially since they can range from temporary styles to elaborate, full color permanent signs. They are often grouped together in a V or L shape.

PVC
A lightweight but rigid plastic sign material that is weatherproof except in very extreme temperatures. Used as a substrate for traditional or Eco-sol vinyl.

Pylon Sign / Monument Sign
Free standing signs that stand on the edge of property, facing traffic, and are usually electrical. Often, they act as a cabinet for removable shop names. Monument signs generally sit on a solid base while pylon signs are vertically oriented with a sunken support structure.

Raceway
Raceway is industry jargon for the metal box that supports channel letters and contains the wiring to the individual letters.

RTG
RTG, which stands for Ready To Go, is like MDO except it is pre-coated with a durable, smooth gloss finish on both sides.

Substrate
In the case of the sign industry, substrate is a fancy word that means material that the sign goes on.

Step-stakes
Thick metal wire frames for coroplast signs, called step-stakes because you can use foot-pressure on the lower cross-bar to plant the stakes into the ground.

Traditional Vinyl
Vinyl that has been applied onto a carrier sheet with an adhesive layer beneath it. Shapes and letters are cut out of it for application to windows, vehicles or sign substrates. Sometimes it is manufactured with special effects such as metallic patterns or a faux-frosted surface. A major portion of the signs you see each day are manufactured via this process.