When you are designing and ordering a new sign for your business,one of the questions you should ask is “How long will this sign last?” Different materials have different life expectancies and choosing the right material for the job you require will make your sign more cost efficient.
So first decide on the length of time you want your sign to last. Is it a long term sign for your business to last as long as possible? Or is it for a short term project and only needed for six months or so? Do you upgrade your brand regularly? In this case you might only want to produce a sign that lasts three years or so,before you’ll be designing a new one anyway.
Here we look at various sign options and discuss their life expectancy,so that you can choose and budget more realistically.
Perspex signs
Perspex or Plexiglas signs are made of durable clear plastic. They are the longest lasting of the common sign materials,with an outdoor life expectancy of seven to ten years of normal usage. This estimate includes hot sunny climates such as Australia and South Africa,where the sun can age other types of signs more quickly.
More information on business signs
Vinyl signs
The life expectancy of vinyl signs depends on the quality of the vinyl used. The better quality materials last between five to seven years according to the manufacturers. In practice that translates as seven years in less extreme European climates and five years in hot sunny climates. Cheaper vinyl is more likely to shrink unevenly over time,so you sign can begin to distort in shape after prolonged exposure to sun and extreme temperatures.
It is generally better to invest in the better quality materials,as even though they cost more,they are likely to outlast the cheaper ones considerably which reduces the actual cost per year. However if you only need the sign for a short period of up to a year,the cheaper option will of course be more cost effective.
Printed vinyl signs
The inks used in printing on vinyl do tend to fade in bright sunlight,so the outdoor life expectancy of printed vinyl signs is reduced to between one and three years,according to the quality of the original print. Lighter weight vinyl is used for these signs,which itself has a life expectancy of three years,as there is little point using the longer lasting vinyl when the print will have faded in that time. These signs are best suited to sign s that will be regularly updated and replaced.