Acrylic Office Signs in Singapore: Buyer's Guide

An acrylic sign by a reception desk or meeting-room door is small compared with a banner or a backdrop, but it is looked at closely and lives on the wall for a long time. It is made of three things: a panel, a printed graphic and a fixing. The look of the finished sign depends as much on the panel’s thickness, edges and fixings as on the artwork.

This guide walks through those decisions for an indoor office sign: where the print sits, which sheet to ask for, how thick the panel should be, how standoff fixings affect the layout, which edge finishes are available and what to put in the brief. The panels, fixings and margins quoted are described on the signage page.

What makes an acrylic sign different from other rigid signs?

Acrylic is a rigid, clear or coloured plastic sheet that can be cut, drilled and polished at the edge. Unlike foam board or foam PVC, a clear panel lets the wall show through, and its edge becomes part of the finish. That is why acrylic is used for reception and directory signs, where the sign is seen up close.

The signage page groups rigid panels by where they are used and how long they need to last:

The guide to rigid board signs covers the board options for temporary and interior signs. This guide stays with acrylic.

Should the print go on the front or the back of the panel?

On a clear panel, printing on the back is the usual choice for an office sign. The artwork is printed in mirror image on the rear face and read through the acrylic, so the print is protected behind the sheet and the front can be wiped. Printing on the front suits opaque or coloured panels and signs that need a tactile surface.

How a reverse-printed sign is built:

1. Mirror-image colour. The artwork is printed reversed on the back of the panel, so it reads correctly from the front.
2. A white layer behind the colours. On clear acrylic, colours printed alone look see-through. A white layer printed behind them makes them solid.
3. Selective white, if wanted. The white layer can sit only behind the logo and text, leaving the rest of the panel clear so the wall shows through around the design.

Brand colours seen through acrylic can look slightly different from the same colours on paper. If a colour is critical, say so in the brief so it can be discussed before production.

Cast or extruded acrylic: does it matter for a sign?

Acrylic sheet is made in two main ways: cast, where the liquid material sets in a mould, and extruded, where it is pushed out as a continuous sheet. ASTM D4802 covers acrylic sheet made by various processes. For a sign that is drilled for standoffs, cast sheet is generally preferred; extruded sheet is often less expensive.

What the difference means in practice:

• Drilling and machining. A sheet supplier’s comparison describes cast sheet as ideal for drilling, sawing and milling, and extruded sheet as less expensive and better suited for bonding. Standoff signs are drilled, and many are cut to shape.
• Appearance. Both can be clear and glossy. For a flat rectangular sign, the visible difference is small.
• What to ask. Ask which sheet is quoted for your panel, especially if the sign has several fixing holes or a cut-out shape.

You do not need to specify a brand of sheet. Describe the sign, its size, its fixings and its edges, and ask what the quotation is based on.

How thick should an acrylic office sign be?

Thickness affects how stiff the panel is, how much edge shows and how much the sign weighs. A small door sign can be thinner; a larger reception panel needs more thickness and more fixings so it does not bow. The signage page’s sample specification is a 5 mm clear acrylic panel, reverse printed with polished edges.

Two warnings from the signage page apply here. Acrylic flexes, and a large panel on only two fixings bows visibly. Round the corners of anything at head height, so a corner cannot catch someone walking past.

How do standoff fixings affect the artwork?

Standoffs are metal barrels that hold a panel a short distance off the wall through drilled holes. Every hole needs a clear margin in the artwork. The signage page asks for 25 mm clear around every fixing hole and holes 30 mm in from any panel edge, with a 19 mm barrel as the usual diameter.

How to plan the fixings:

1. Mark the holes on the artwork. Put the hole positions on a separate, non-printing layer, so nobody places a logo or a line of text under a barrel.
2. Keep the margins. Leave 25 mm clear around each hole and keep holes 30 mm from the edge, as the signage page specifies.
3. Use enough fixings. Four corner fixings are usual for a rectangular panel. Larger panels may need more, so that the middle of the panel does not bow.
4. State the wall. Tell us whether the wall is plasterboard, masonry or another surface, and include a photo. The fixings are specified with the panel, not after it.
5. Confirm who fits it. Fitting is separate from making the panel. Confirm with your office manager, landlord or fit-out contractor who will fix the sign, and whether building rules apply to drilling.

Other fixings are possible: direct screws, cable suspension, battens or a freestanding stand. Choose the fixing before the artwork is finished, because each one changes the layout.

Which edge finishes are available for acrylic signs?

The signage page lists acrylic edges as cut square, contour cut or polished. A polished edge is the usual finish for a clear reception or door sign, because the edge catches the light and becomes part of the design. Contour cutting follows a shape, such as a logo outline, rather than a rectangle.

For a contour-cut sign, supply the cut path as a closed vector line on its own layer, and keep fixings and text well inside the shape.

How do you brief and check an acrylic sign before it is made?

Give the finished panel size, thickness or the look you want, front or reverse print, the white layer, the edge finish, the fixing method and positions, the wall type and the quantity. Then print the artwork at full size on paper and tape it to the wall, to check size, readability and fixing positions in the real space.

A short checking routine:

1. Measure the space. Record the available width and height, and anything nearby such as switches, door frames or glass partitions.
2. Mock it up. A full-size paper print taped to the wall shows whether the text is readable from where visitors stand and whether the panel suits the wall.
3. Check the view. Look at it from the entrance, from a seated position and in the room’s normal lighting.
4. Confirm the fixings. Mark the hole positions on the mock-up and check them against the wall.
5. Approve the proof. Check spelling, especially names and titles, before the panel is made.

For graphics applied directly to walls or glass rather than a panel, see the window, wall and floor graphic brief. For larger printed panels and boards, see the large format printing page.

Worked example: a reception sign for a professional office

Hypothetical illustration. Figures are assumptions for explanation, not a real transaction or advice. A small professional services firm is moving into a new office and wants one acrylic sign beside the reception desk, mounted on a timber-panelled wall. The example follows the decisions in order: size, print, panel, fixings, edges and the brief.

Step 1: Size the sign. The office manager measures the wall section beside the desk and tapes up a full-size paper mock-up at 900 × 600 mm. From the entrance, the firm’s name reads clearly at that size.

Step 2: Choose the print. The panel will be clear, reverse printed, with white only behind the logo and the firm’s name, so the timber shows through around them.

Step 3: Choose the panel. Because the panel is fairly large and will be drilled, the manager asks for cast acrylic and asks whether a thicker sheet than the 5 mm sample specification is advisable at this size.

Step 4: Plan the fixings. Four standoffs, one in each corner, 30 mm in from the edges, with 25 mm clear around each hole. The designer marks the holes on a separate layer. The manager notes the wall is timber panelling over a solid wall and sends a photo, and confirms the fit-out contractor will fix the sign.

Step 5: Choose the edges. Polished edges, with the corners slightly rounded because the sign sits near head height.

Step 6: Send the brief. The manager sends the quote request with the size, print method, white layer, panel question, fixing positions, wall type, edge finish and required date. The specification is confirmed in the quotation, and timing is agreed when the job is confirmed. Standard turnaround is 7–14 working days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a reverse-printed acrylic sign?

The artwork is printed in mirror image on the back of a clear acrylic panel, usually with a white layer behind the colours, and read through the front. The print sits behind the acrylic, so the front face can be wiped without touching the ink.

How much clear space does artwork need around a standoff?

The signage page asks for 25 mm clear around every fixing hole and holes set 30 mm in from any panel edge, with a 19 mm barrel as the usual diameter. Mark the holes on a separate artwork layer so nothing important sits under a fixing.

Who fits an acrylic sign to the wall?

Fitting is separate from making the printed panel. Confirm with your office manager, landlord or fit-out contractor who will fix the sign and whether building rules apply to drilling, and give the wall type in the brief so the specified fixings suit the wall.

Should I choose cast or extruded acrylic?

Both are acrylic sheet. Cast sheet is generally preferred where a panel is drilled, sawn or milled, as standoff signs are, while extruded sheet is often less expensive. Ask which sheet is quoted for your panel.

What should an acrylic sign brief include?

An acrylic sign brief should give the finished size, front or reverse print and where the white layer goes, the panel thickness or the look wanted, the edge finish, the fixing method with hole positions, the wall type and who will fit the sign, the quantity and the required date. Settling these together avoids a panel that cannot be fixed as planned.

• Finished size, checked with a full-size paper mock-up.
• Front or reverse print, and where the white layer goes.
• Panel: clear or coloured, thickness, cast sheet if drilled.
• Edges: polished, cut square or contour cut; corners rounded if at head height.
• Fixings: type, number and positions, with 25 mm clear around holes and 30 mm from edges.
• Wall type, a photo of the wall and who will fit the sign.
• Quantity and required date.

Same-day and urgent printing available. Subject to artwork approval, payment, print type and production availability. Timing confirmed per job. To start, send your brief through the request a quote page.

Same-day and urgent printing available. Subject to artwork approval, payment, print type and production availability. Timing confirmed per job.