Dibond Composite Aluminium Signage

Dibond is aluminium composite material (ACM) - two thin aluminium sheets bonded to a solid polyethylene core. It's flat, rigid, and weatherproof. If you need a long lasting sign that stays looking good for years rather than months, this is the material.

We've used Dibond for hoarding at housing developments, permanent wayfinding at hotels, pitchside advertising at sports grounds, and reserved parking signs in car parks. The common thread: these are signs that go up and stay up.

Why we print Dibond differently

Most rigid boards we print - Foamex, Corriboard - go straight onto our UV flatbed printer. That works well for indoor signs and short-term outdoor use. But if you're spending money on Dibond for a permanent sign, direct printing doesn't make sense. The material will outlast the print.

So we do it differently. We print onto a 5-7 year rated vinyl, then laminate it with a matching 5-7 year overlaminate in either gloss or matte. Gloss is our recommendation for outdoor signs because rain runs straight off and takes the dirt with it. Matte works well indoors where you want to avoid reflections.

This takes longer and costs more than direct printing. We can direct print to Dibond if you want to save some money, but we think if you're choosing a material built to last, everything else should match. Other printers might call it overkill. We'd rather you're still happy with the sign in three years, not just today.

What Dibond works well for

• Permanent outdoor signage at hotels, offices, and retail premises
• Development site hoarding with property visuals and branding
• Pitchside advertising boards at sports grounds (especially with rounded corners)
• Car park reserved signs and wayfinding
• Paintball and airsoft arena signage where signs take a beating
• Any sign that needs to survive Irish weather for years

We print Dibond for clients who've tried Corriboard or Foamex outdoors and watched it fade, warp, or blow about. Dibond stays flat, keeps its colour, and handles wind without flexing. It's heavier than plastic boards, which is a feature not a bug - it stays put.

What Dibond doesn't handle

It's not the cheapest option. If you need temporary signage for a weekend event or a short-term promotion, Corriboard or Foamex will do the job at a fraction of the cost. Dibond makes sense when the sign needs to last.

It's also heavier than foam boards, so fixing needs to be right. Wall plugs and screws rather than sticky pads.

Choosing the right material

When customers call asking about outdoor signs, we usually ask three questions: What's it for? How long will it be up? Where will it be?

A "Sale Now On" sign for a shop window that changes every few weeks? Foamex. Quick, cheap, does the job.

Parking signs for a hotel car park that need to last five years? Dibond with vinyl and laminate. Set it and forget it.

Large wayfinding signs for a hotel or resort - 2 metre high posts directing guests to reception, the pool, the bar, the spa? Dibond. These signs live outside year-round, guests see them every day, and they need to look as good in year five as they did on install day.

Site hoarding for a two-year construction project? Dibond. It'll still look professional when the last unit sells.

Signage for a paintball or airsoft arena? Dibond handles it. Foamex shatters on impact, Corriboard lets pellets straight through. Dibond takes the hits and keeps looking the part.

"But my Corriboard sign has lasted four years"

Fair enough. Some do. And if you're happy with how it looks after four years of Irish weather, that's your call. We'd rather sell you something we know will still look right, but we're not here to talk you into spending more than you need to.

Thickness

We print on 3mm Dibond. It's rigid enough for any standard signage application and keeps weight manageable for installation.

Sizes and finishing

We can print up to 8ft x 4ft (2440mm x 1220mm) in a single piece.

For finishing, we can CNC cut to any shape, route out holes for fixing, and round the corners. Rounded corners matter more than people think - square-cut aluminium edges are sharp, and if the sign is at head height or in a busy area, you want those corners softened. We can also supply heavy-duty standoffs for a floating wall-mount look, or fit rails on the back with clips for mounting to poles - useful for CCTV poles, traffic light posts, and similar.

Artwork

Supply print-ready PDF or high-resolution image files. If you're not sure about setup, send what you have and we'll check it over.

Turnaround

3-4 working days. There's drying time, and other chemical process that we can't rush, but if you're stuck, call us, we can sometimes move faster.