Print and signage is full of jargon that exists mostly to make simple decisions sound complicated. These guides explain the things customers ask us every week — in plain English, so you can order with confidence.
Getting your artwork right
What makes a file print-ready
Five things decide whether your file prints cleanly:
- Format. A PDF is best. Vector files (AI, EPS, or PDF made from vector art) can be scaled to any size without losing quality — ideal for logos, text and signage.
- Resolution. For anything viewed up close, aim for 300dpi at final print size. Large-format signage and banners viewed from a distance can go much lower — a billboard at 30dpi looks perfect from across a carpark.
- Colour. Print uses CMYK, screens use RGB. Bright RGB greens and blues can't be reproduced exactly in CMYK, so colours may shift slightly. If you have brand Pantone colours, tell us.
- Bleed. Extend your artwork past the trim edge (usually 3mm on print, more on large format) so trimming never leaves a white sliver.
- Fonts. Outline your text, or embed the fonts. Otherwise your carefully chosen typeface can be substituted for something you'd never pick.
Templates take the guesswork out. On products with a size calculator, once you choose your size you can download a print template already set up with the correct dimensions and bleed. Design inside it and your file will fit.
Sending us your files
Files under 20MB can be attached directly on the product page as you order. Anything larger — and print files often are — can be sent through the artwork upload page, which handles large files without email bouncing them back.
We check every file before production and send you a proof. Nothing goes to print until you've approved it.
Choosing the right sign material
The honest answer is that it depends on where the sign lives and how long it needs to last.
- Corflute — lightweight fluted plastic. Cheap, light, easy to cable-tie to a fence. Perfect for real estate boards, site signs, election signs and anything temporary or short-run.
- ACM / aluminium composite — aluminium skins bonded to a plastic core. Rigid, flat, weather-resistant and the default for permanent outdoor business signage.
- Acrylic — glossy and premium-looking. Best indoors: reception signs, wall logos, plaques.
- Metal / aluminium — the durable choice for safety and statutory signage that must survive years outdoors.
- Self-adhesive vinyl — not a rigid sign at all, but printed film applied to an existing surface: glass, walls, vehicles, floors.
Rule of thumb: temporary and cheap, choose Corflute. Permanent and outdoors, choose ACM. Indoors and wanting to impress, choose acrylic.
Banners: PVC or mesh?
PVC is the standard banner material — solid, vivid colour, ideal indoors or on a wall.
Mesh is perforated with thousands of tiny holes so wind passes through it. That matters more than people expect: a large solid banner on open fencing acts like a sail, and in a strong gust it will either tear at the eyelets or take the fence with it. Outdoors, exposed, and large — choose mesh.
Either way, think about fixing. Eyelets and rope work on fencing; a hemmed pole pocket suits a hanging banner.
Vehicle signage: wrap, decals or magnets?
- Full or partial wrap — printed vehicle-grade vinyl covering large panels. Maximum impact, and it protects the paint underneath. The biggest investment.
- Cut decals — your logo and details cut from coloured or printed vinyl and applied directly. Far cheaper than a wrap and the usual choice for trade vehicles.
- Vehicle magnets — removable panels that go on and come off in seconds. Ideal for leased vehicles, dual-use personal cars, or casual staff vehicles.
One warning about magnets: take them off periodically and clean underneath. Grit and moisture trapped between magnet and paint is what causes marking, not the magnet itself.
Understanding safety signage
Australian safety signs follow a consistent visual language, which is why they're readable at a glance even when you don't read the words:
- Red — prohibition ("do not") and fire equipment.
- Yellow with a black triangle — warning of a hazard.
- Blue circle — mandatory: something you must do, like wear PPE.
- Green — safe condition: exits, first aid, emergency equipment.
Size matters as much as wording — a sign is only useful if it can be read from the distance where the decision gets made. If you're unsure what your site requires, your safety officer or a workplace safety consultant is the right person to confirm obligations; we'll make sure the signs themselves are correct and legible.
Branding promotional products
The decoration method usually matters more to the finished result than the product itself. The common ones:
- Pad print — ink pressed on with a silicone pad. Handles curved and uneven surfaces like pens and mugs. Best for simple one or two colour logos.
- Screen print — ink pushed through a mesh stencil, one screen per colour. Excellent on flat surfaces and cost-effective at volume.
- Embroidery — stitched thread. Durable and premium on caps, polos and jackets. Very fine detail and small text don't survive stitching, so logos often need simplifying.
- Digital / full colour print — photographic detail and gradients, no per-colour cost. Best when your artwork isn't reducible to flat colours.
- Laser engraving — burns or etches into the surface. Permanent, no ink to wear off, and typically a single tonal colour rather than your brand colour.
On product pages that offer several methods, each has a "What's this?" explainer next to it so you can compare without leaving the page.
A note on setup costs and quantities
Most decoration methods have a one-off setup cost — making the screen, digitising embroidery, preparing the print file. That cost is the same whether you order 25 units or 500, which is why unit prices fall steeply as quantity rises, and why very small orders can look expensive per item.
If you're deciding between two quantities, put both into the calculator on the product page. The difference is often smaller than people assume.
Something we haven't covered?
If you've got a question that isn't answered here, ask us — the answer probably belongs on this page for the next person. Get in touch.