Guide
Corflute sign design: sizes, lettering and what to keep clear
SS Signs print corflute at sizes from 450 × 600mm up to a full sheet of 2440 × 1220mm, on 5mm board for outdoor signs. A site sign read from 25m across a road wants its business name at least 140mm tall, set clear of the corners where the sign is fixed.
Updated
In Australia. Australian corflute printers quote by the sheet size in millimetres, and the sizes on this page come from one of their own price lists.
| Largest single sheet | 2440 × 1220mm |
|---|---|
| Outdoor board | 5mm |
| Indoor or short-term board | 3mm |
| Bleed | ask your printer; Printing Jet ask for 10mm |
| Site sign name | at least 140mm, read from 25m |
| A-frame name | at least 34mm, read from 6m |
Sizes as a corflute printer lists them, letter heights for a site sign and an A-frame, and why the bleed figure is one to check with your own printer.
What sizes do corflute signs come in?
Corflute is corrugated plastic board, printed flat and cut to size. SS Signs list the sizes below on their corflute page, up to a single sheet of 2440 × 1220mm.
| Size | Suits |
|---|---|
| 450 × 600mm | a small notice or a sign on a gate |
| 600 × 900mm | an A-frame insert or a fence sign |
| 900 × 1200mm | a builder's sign on the front fence |
| 1200 × 900mm | a square site notice |
| 1200 × 1200mm | a hoarding or a large site sign, one full sheet |
SS Signs list 5mm board as their standard for outdoor use and 3mm for indoor or short-term signs.
How big should the lettering be on a corflute sign?
We work to 5.6mm of capital height for every metre of reading distance. A site sign on a front fence is read from across the road, and an A-frame on the footpath from a few steps away, so the same business name needs very different sizes on the two.
| Surface | Name read from | Name capitals, at least | Phone read from | Phone capitals, at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site sign or hoarding | 25m | 140mm | 18m | 101mm |
| A-frame board | 6m | 34mm | 5m | 28mm |
On a site sign the name is the thing to get right. The phone number is read by somebody who has stopped, so it can be smaller, but it still needs the capital height in the table to be read from the footpath opposite.
What should a corflute sign keep clear?
Corflute signs are fixed at the corners, with cable ties through the flutes or screws into a frame, so the corners are no place for text. Our site sign keeps artwork out of all four corners and 60mm in from every edge. An A-frame insert loses its bottom edge behind the frame's foot, and the template keeps that strip clear too.
What bleed and what file does the printer need?
Printers do not agree on bleed for corflute. Printing Jet ask for 10mm on every side, where paper printers usually ask for 3mm, so ask your printer for their figure before you send anything. Our signage template supplies each surface as an SVG drawn to its finished size, 2400 × 1200mm for the site sign and 600 × 900mm for the A-frame insert, without bleed. Tell the printer the file is drawn to size and ask whether they extend the background themselves or want a file with bleed added.
The template is $149 for the set of surfaces, including the site sign, the A-frame insert and a hi-vis back in the same name and colours.
Common questions
What thickness of corflute should I use for a site sign?
The thicker board. SS Signs list it as their standard for outdoor signs, with the thinner board for indoor or short-term use.
How much bleed does a corflute sign need?
It depends on the printer. Printing Jet ask for more than a paper printer does, so ask yours before sending the file and tell them whether it already carries bleed.
Where should the phone number go on a corflute sign?
Under the name, clear of the corners where the sign is fixed. It can be smaller than the name, since it is read by somebody who has stopped to look.
What file format does a corflute printer need?
A print-ready PDF or a vector file at the finished size. Our signage template downloads an SVG of each surface, which a printer can scale to any sheet without losing sharpness.
Templates mentioned here
Written by BrandLaunch.