The short answer
Direct to board prints your design straight onto the board, so there is no vinyl to bubble, peel or lift. Print and mount prints onto self adhesive vinyl that is then stuck onto the board. For most rigid signs, especially ones that need to last outdoors, direct to board is the stronger choice, and it's what we recommend for most jobs. Vinyl still wins when the design changes often, or when the graphic has to go onto a wall, glass or curve.
What is direct to board printing?
Direct to board, sometimes called direct to substrate or direct to rigid printing, means printing your artwork straight onto the board itself. We lay the sheet on the bed of our Fuji Acuity Prime L, a 3.2 x 2 metre LED UV flatbed, or our Liyu Platinum Q3-XL hybrid, which prints rigid boards up to 50 mm thick. UV LED lamps cure the ink the instant it lands, so the board comes off the bed dry and ready to be cut to shape on our Zund.
Left: site safety signs straight off our Fuji, printed directly onto ACM with no laminating or mounting. Right: hotel wayfinding printed directly onto brushed silver Dibond, so the metal shows through.
Because the ink becomes part of the board, there's no vinyl edge to lift and nothing to bubble. Fewer steps also means fewer places for something to go wrong.
What is print and mount?
Print and mount is the traditional way of making a rigid sign, and it's still widely used, particularly by sign makers without a flatbed printer. The artwork is printed onto self adhesive vinyl on a roll printer, usually covered with a protective laminate, then carefully applied to the board and trimmed. You'll also hear it called a vinyl overlay or a vinyl mounted sign.
Done well, it looks great. But it relies on a perfect application. Any dust or air trapped under the vinyl shows as a bump or bubble, and the edges are the first place a sign shows its age.
The layers, side by side
Direct to board
- Cut
Print and mount
- Laminate
- Mount
- Trim or cut
Direct to board vs print and mount at a glance
| Direct to board | Print and mount | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's made | Printed straight onto the board on a UV flatbed | Printed onto vinyl, laminated, then stuck onto the board |
| Layers | 2: ink and board | Up to 5: laminate, ink, vinyl, adhesive, board |
| Production steps | Print, cut | Print, laminate, mount, trim or cut |
| Bubbles and creases | None. There's nothing to apply | Possible if the vinyl isn't applied perfectly |
| Edges | Clean, cut through ink and board together | Vinyl edge can lift, catch dirt or be picked at |
| Outdoor life | Excellent on ACM Dibond and Correx | Good, but the adhesive and edges are the weak spot |
| Finish | Ink sits right on the board. Add a laminate if you need extra protection | Set by the vinyl and laminate: gloss, matt and more |
| Metal and clear boards | Brushed, mirror and clear surfaces can show through around your design | The vinyl covers the board's own surface |
| Changing the design later | Reprint the board | Peel and replace the vinyl |
| Best for | Long life signs, hoardings, fascias, wayfinding, displays | Signs that change often, refreshing an existing board |
Edges up close
Most of the difference between the two shows up at the edges. On a direct printed sign, our Zund cuts through the ink and the board together, leaving a clean, solid edge. On a mounted sign, the vinyl is a separate skin sitting on top, and its edges and corners are where it can start to lift, especially outdoors or where people touch it.
When direct to board wins
- Outdoor signs that need to last. Shop fascias, site hoardings and car park signs on ACM Dibond face years of wind and rain. With no vinyl to peel, there's nothing to fail. Our YOTELPAD, Birchley and ASK Lettings hoardings were all printed directly onto 3 mm ACM with our Fuji.
- Premium metal and clear finishes. Printing straight onto brushed, mirror or clear materials lets the board's own surface become part of the design.
- Shaped and cut signs. Print and cut happen back to back, so letters, arches and cut out photo ops come off the Zund with ink right to the edge.
- Big runs and quick turnarounds. Two steps instead of four means less handling and fewer chances for dust and bubbles.
- High traffic spots. No edges to pick at. For really busy streets we can add an anti graffiti laminate on top.
When vinyl is the better choice
- Information that changes. If prices, dates or offers change every few weeks, a vinyl overlay on a board lets you swap the graphic and keep the board.
- Surfaces that can't go on a flatbed. Walls, windows, counters, lifts and vehicles need printed vinyl applied on site. We turned a tired service station washroom into a reclaimed wood look with printed vinyl, without a single builder.
- Refreshing an existing sign. A sound board already on the wall can often be given a new look with vinyl rather than replaced.
Pro tip Not sure which you need? Tell us where the sign is going, how long it needs to last and whether it will change. We'll recommend the right method and the right board.
Our pick for your job
| Your job | We recommend | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shop fascia | Direct to board on ACM Dibond | Years outdoors with no edges to lift |
| Site hoarding | Direct to board on 3mm ACM | Weatherproof, add anti graffiti if the street is busy |
| Hotel or office wayfinding | Direct onto brushed or mirror Dibond | The metal shows through for a premium look |
| Event signs and seating plans | Direct to board on foamex or foam board | Light, crisp and cut to any shape |
| Estate agent and site boards | Direct to board on Correx | Light, waterproof and quick to produce |
| Lightbox faces and premium displays | Direct onto acrylic | Colour sits under a glossy surface, white ink where needed |
| Offers, prices or dates that change | Vinyl overlay on a board | Swap the vinyl, keep the board |
| Walls, glass, counters and curves | Printed vinyl applied on site | A flatbed can't print onto a wall or a curve |
Whichever method you choose, your artwork matters just as much. Send logos and text as vectors (read our vector files guide), keep colours in CMYK (see CMYK vs RGB), and add 3 mm bleed. If your file is RGB we can convert it to CMYK, but there is a possibility of colour change, so you'll see a proof first.
