FAQs

Traditional sign writers create any type of lettering, logos and artwork by hand. They use pencils, pens but mainly brushes and paint to reproduce anything hand done. These days the majority of sign shops employ sign makers who totally rely on robotic machines to produce signs for customers. We get customers asking us if we do hand painted signwriting. Yes we do all types of hand painting as well as vinyl cut lettering and digitally printed vinyl stickers. We do stickers, prints and more, however all our staff are traditionally trained sign writers with over 25 year experience. In other words when we started out there were no computers to cut lettering. We learnt how to draw letters with correct proportions and hand paint signs. We also learnt how to do murals and art work with signwriting brushes. Our team has the experience and knowledge to know what paint will work on what type of surface. Our staff have spent many years sign writing all types of jobs onto just about every surface there is! When you come to make an enquiry we can advise what will work best for your situation. If stickers will suit your project better and it works out cheaper for you, that’s great. But if hand painted signs are more suitable or you just want that hand painted traditional look we can handle any project with our expert signwriting team!

We do all sorts of things apart from just signs. We make things out of acrylic, cut foam to shape, paint murals, make props for exhibitions and parties, do logos on driveways and concrete plus line marking for business. We can print images on canvas, or hand paint original art for product launches or advertising campaigns. We can do decorative stencils for shop floors, walls and paint specialty finishes as well. We can spray paint letters, objects or any type of materials. We also can cut and print frosted films (etch film) for homes, boardroom glass areas, privacy glass areas etc. We have helped many businesses with product development by hand painting and airbrushing prototypes such as vehicles, sports equipment, packaging, event booths etc.

We do signage for all types of businesses in the Sydney area. We also make banners, signboards, honour boards, decals, stencils and more and deliver them interstate when requested. Our sign studio is based in Brookvale on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and we service all of the north side on a regular basis. This includes Manly, Freshwater, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Long Reef, Collaroy, Narrabeen, Elanora Heights, Terry Hills, St. Ives, Frenchs Forest, Allambie Heights, Narraweena, Forestville and Belrose. We also service customers further north at Mona Vale, Newport, Bayview, Avalon, Whale Beach and Palm Beach. We can make up signs and freight interstate as well as undertake jobs in ACT or up and down the NSW coast subject to customers requirements.

Look for sign writers with a great track record. Our sign writers have over 25 years experience in signwriting and graphic design. Collectively our staff have university and tafe training as well as education including fine arts, graphic design and signwriting trade qualifications. We can give you the options of print and cut graphics or any type of hand painted signs and murals which can be hand made to any size. You can be confident when choosing Absolute Sign Solutions as we can deliver:

• Quality signs of any type.
• The design and layout skills to make signage easy to read, attractive and effective.
• Our staff know the right materials needed to give you a premium job.
• Personal service and flexibility to meet the deadlines for your projects.

We make all types of traditional or contemporary honour boards for schools, sporting clubs, institutions and corporations. Traditional honour boards are usually made from different types of timber and they can be plain or very decorative. Timber honour boards are stained and then coated with 3 or more coats of lacquer giving a high quality finish which is then ready to be signwritten. Letter options are either either gold leaf or vinyl cut lettering. Many different letter styles are available. We can also reproduce any type of logo. When honour boards are hand painted with enamel, they are then coated with proper gold leaf. Gold leaf on honour boards is the preferred option for many schools and institutions in Sydney. Alternatively contemporary honour boards can be made from a variety of materials. Materials used can be clear or coloured acrylic panels, or aluminium and stainless steel sheets. We usually use various coloured vinyl film to cut the lettering and logos. The honour boards are installed with stainless standoffs which leaves a gap between the honour board and wall, giving a more 3 dimensional look.

We can advise what type of honour board might look best for your situation.

Gold leaf lettering is done by hand. Usually the font for gold lettering is a standard hand painted block type of lettering to give a traditional look. If self adhesive vinyl lettering is used on honour boards then we can offer a few different type of fonts. Ask our team what fonts and colour schemes will work for your honour boards.

Gold leaf is real gold which is rolled and pounded until it is the thickness of the thinnest paper. It is then cut into sheets which is used to overlay hand painted enamel lettering. This is an ancient process that lasts longer than any other types of decorative lettering.  Gold leaf gives a traditional look and has that ‘authentic ‘gold sparkle’ that cannot be replicated with vinyl letters.

If an existing lightbox is in good working order, then it can be easily updated with new acrylic blades.  Your logo or text can be added to the acrylic panels. Its just a matter of removing covers, sliding out the old Perspex panels and then sliding in the new signs. If the lightbox is old, you need to determine if its still solid and safe. The wiring can be replaced if lights are not working. This needs to be done by a qualified electrician. The exterior of the lightbox can be repainted if needed to make it look like new again. Otherwise we can quote to replace the old lightbox with a new one.

3D letters are any letter cut from a substrate. 3D letters are cut by either a router, laser cutter, hot wire or by hand. 3D lettering can be made from foam, plastics, perspex, aluminium, stainless steel and timber. Plastics and MDF can be cut from 1mm to 30mm thick. Metals can be cut up to 12mm thick. Foam can be cut up to 600mm thick. We also do fabricated letters from acrylic. These are hot glued together to any size with a hollow centre. Fabricated can be made to any size and are suitable for illumination with LED lights. They can also be custom sprayed to any colour.

Foam letters can be cut as small as 100mm or right up to 2.2mtrs tall and 600mm thick. Commonly if someone wants 3d foam lettering for a display or exhibition it may be 1m to 1.5m tall and 250mm thick.  The foam letters are white in their raw finish. However, they can be painted to any colour. Flat bases can also be made for outdoor applications where more stability is needed.

Vinyl lettering also called self adhesive lettering (SAV), is made from very thin vinyl sheet with a self adhesive glue. There are different quality grades which are classified on how long they last in an exterior environment. For example there is  a one year vinyl right up to vinyl that lasts 12 years or more. Longer lasting SAV is more expensive and a thinner more flexible type of film. Therefore it expands and stretches more so it is more forgiving on irregular surfaces giving a longer life especially outside. Vinyl lettering comes in all sorts of colours including metallic finishes as well as silver, gold, chrome, blackboard and whiteboard.

We use a fast drying solvent  based paint for our stencils and line marking as its fastest drying and customers don’t want to wait days to walk and drive on the newly completed markings. The paint is non slip and sacrificial, meaning it will wear out over time as does any marking on concrete and bitumen. Old and deteriorated surfaces will wear quicker than new concrete.

Perforated prints are just like normal printed vinyl (SAV) but with thousands of tiny holes 1mm or so perforated into the media. From the outside of the vehicle the perforated print looks just like a normal print unless you look closely and then you can see the holes. From the inside of the vehicle you do not see the print as the reverse glue layer is black, so its like a heavily tinted window as only half the light is being let in through the holes. Apart from the benefits of branding and having your message 24/7 on your vehicle, the perforated print will also give some UV protection and will help with security issues as it blocks viewing into the windows form a distance. With all our perforated window print signs we include a crystal clear laminate to help with clarity, enhance colour and give the prints a longer life.

Magnetic signs are durable and easily removable. Magnetics work well for people that require the option to remove there signage when needed – maybe on weekends or when they are contracting to another company and not wanting their business name showing. Alternatively companies who hire new contractors can have magnetic vehicle signs ready to install on their vehicles. We use premium vehicle grade magnetic that will stick to any flat metal surface and you wont have issues with them falling off. Make sure the surface is totally clean when applying magnetic signs, and remove every now and then wipe clean and apply again. If not using magnets signage, always store flat in a clean, dry environment. That way you’ll have signs that will last many years.

We only use high quality film for permanent vehicle graphics. By following these guidelines, your vehicle signage will look good for many years:

• Do not use high pressure water blasters or automated car washes as these can be quite aggressive and may compromise graphics. We recommend hand washing – clean carefully around small letters and sharp corners of graphics.
• We don’t recommend using wipers over perforated rear window prints. After a period scratching may occur due to grit accumulating onto wiper blades. Extra care should be taken when cleaning around the edges of perforated prints.
• Do not use solvents or petrol to clean vehicle.
• Use non abrasive micro fibre wash pads or similar.
• Clean off bird and bat droppings ASAP as these are acidic and can damage not only the vinyl film but your vehicle’s duco.
• For vehicle wrap installations, we recommend using Avery supreme wrap cleaning products on a regular basis. These come in convenient spray bottle packs.
• The Supreme Wrap Cleaner is for regular cleaning to help with dust, dirt, finger prints and other marks
• The Supreme Wrap Power Cleaner is for more difficult stains like bird droppings, road grime and tree sap.
• The Supreme Wrap Sealant is a protective layer applied to the wrap which will make it easier to clean off the everyday dirt and grime.
• After using the cleaner it is recommended to re-apply the sealant.

We often have customers requesting us to remove vehicle graphics for them. Usually theres no problem, just a bit of hard work. However sometimes an inexperience sign person or someone cutting corners has applied a film which really should not be left on your vehicle long term and this has caused it to effect the duco underneath. All the films we use at Absolute Sign Solutions are long lasting and have been tested over many years for durability and colour fade etc. We never have a problem removing films we have installed and are happy to quote car graphic removal for your business. Sometimes if your vehicle is old and the paintwork is dull we may recommend a quick buff of the vehicles duco which we can arrange for you at a very competitive price. The only things to consider when getting signage installed is if your vehicle has had body work done from a smash repair or touch up company. If this work has not been done correctly then the adhesive can take paint off your vehicle in these areas, however this is very rare.

Stencils are made from clear PET, which is very durable if looked after correctly:

• Stencils are supplied with a protective clear film which can be removed prior to use.
• Do not bend stencils excessively as you may snap the thin tabs which hold letter centres together.
• Always leave laid out flat when not in use. This will ensure it does not develop any kinks or curves and will mask the surface correctly when spraying.
• When paint builds up, you can carefully crack dried paint off stencil to maintain a sharp edge when spraying.
• Do not put stencils together while paint is wet. Keep separated until paint is dry to avoid sticking together.

By following these steps, your stencils will last for many years.

We rarely get asked this question as we have been signwriting in Sydney for over 30 years and most of our customers come recommended to us. We guarantee all our work, however different types of signs have a different life expectancy. This is due to whether it is a short term or long term type of job. For example a promotional window designed to last a month or two that is hand painted may last 10 years or more. However it may start to fade after a year or two. A short term window with vinyl and prints could last up to 5 years even though it only needed to be up for 6 months or so. Rear vehicle perforated prints are only warranted for 1 year maximum, but can last for 3 to 5 years if the vehicle is garaged, looked after, and the rear window doesn’t get a lot of sun. Regardless of the type of sign we do for you, we only use premium products to give the best results for our customers. If you ask the question, we will give you a reasonable idea of life expectancy and tips for things you can do to help maintain your new signage.

Any type of sign will benefit from regular cleaning. Just using a soft sponge or rag with water and detergent will keep surface of a sign clean and help it last longer. Any dirt or grime building up on the surface of the sign can solidify and bake on with the sun. Bird droppings are particularly acidic, so should be removed as soon as possible, especially on motor vehicles.