Decal And Nameplate Design Guide
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The purpose of this guide is to describe the creation, production, and delivery of decals and nameplates, and other graphic applications used for product identification. Download the pdf version of this guide
FAQ's Before You Begin the Design
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Where will the product be used?
Is the part going to be used indoors or out-of-doors (What is the environment?). What are the
general atmospheric conditions, humidity, and temperature ranges for product exposure? Are
there any corrosive elements to be considered or will the part come in contact with any
chemicals or petroleum products? Are there any approval requirements such as UL, CSA, or
AGA?
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How long will it—or do you want it--last?
How long do you envision the identification to remain on your product before replacement?
What do you think is the useful life for the identification product?
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What materials are best for my use?
Is the application surface flat, contoured or are there obstructions such as rivets or screw
heads? What is the texture of the surface? Does the part fit in a recess and if so what
dimensional tolerances will you require?
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How will the nameplate be attached?
If you don’t know the material and process required for your part, U.S. Nameplate engineers can
recommend the proper materials and production process based on the previous answers in A, B,
and C. Section II lists some of the various materials, processes, and adhesives available.
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Colors
U.S. Nameplate can match your color requirements if a PMS type or other standard color is not
available. Costs increase as the number of colors increases.
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Artwork
You can furnish camera-ready art or have our art department design it for you. All that is
needed is a rough sketch and we can take it from there. We print proofs for your approval
before any production job is started. When the art is approved we make films for plates and
screens in a minimum amount of time, and therefore at a minimum cost. We can receive your
via FAX or email. Call to discuss any artwork possibilities you may have in mind.
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Size and Shape
If your identification product requires a special shape, you will more than likely require a die for
this purpose. We have hundreds of hard dies that we own, in a variety of sizes and shapes.
Metal parts requiring “hard tooling” may cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to
thousands of dollars. If any of our dies that we own fit your size or shape we will use our tooling
at no charge to you. Shapes that are square or rectangular are the most cost effective to
produce because in most cases they don’t require any special tooling. U.S. Nameplate is
equipped to produce parts to with 0.002” in tolerance and for non-die-cut parts, plus or minus
0.005” is a reasonable tolerance to work to. Giving us as much tolerance as possible minimizes a
great deal of time setting up each phase of production, thereby reducing your costs.
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Delivery
Give us as much lead time as you possibly can. We strive to turn around jobs in 7 days from the
acceptance of the proof. If you need your parts sooner, a special premium charge can be
applied to rush your job through within 48 hours of acceptance of proof.
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Inspection and Shipping
If your part is a highly decorative piece and integral to the cosmetic perfection of your product,
we will produce to that standard, 100% inspect each part and ship for ZERO reject potential. If
your part is not of such exacting standards, we still produce to the finest industry standards however, the inspection level is less. We typically ship within a 10% over/under quantity
standard. If you have unusual or very specific packing, handling or shipping instruction, be sure
to let us know prior to production.
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Release Program
U.S. Nameplate understands and works comfortably with the “Just-In-Time” concept of planning
and inventory control. We would be pleased to discuss with you your requirements and our
ability to interface with your system.
Cost Guidelines
Typically, 4/5 of the cost of a decal or nameplate is labor, and 1/5 is the cost of material. As you
can see, it is only a slight increase in the overall price to specify highly durable films or even
metal. The following figures chart the relative differences in durability from one substrate to
another.
Description
of Substrate |
Expected
Durability (yrs) |
| Premium Cast Vinyl Films – High Performance |
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| 2mil permanent acrylic adhesive |
5-7 |
| 4 mil permanent acrylic adhesive |
5 |
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| Calendared Vinyl Films-Less Durable-Economy Grade |
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| 3 mil soft gloss white – permanent adhesive |
3 |
| 3 mil ultra clear – permanent adhesive |
2 |
| 4 mil matte – permanent adhesive |
2 |
| 4 mil hard, matte – removable adhesive |
½-1 |
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| Polycarbonate |
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| Standard |
3 |
| Coated |
5-7 |
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| Polyester Films(including Mylar) |
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| 1 mil clear – acrylic permanent adhesive |
2 |
| 2 mil clear – acrylic permanent adhesive |
2 |
| 1 mil metallic chrome – acrylic permanent adhesive |
2 |
| 2 mil metallic chrome – acrylic permanent adhesive |
2 |
| 1 mil metallic gold – acrylic permanent adhesive |
2 |
| 2 mil metallic gold – acrylic permanent adhesive |
2 |
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| Other Films |
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| 4 mil acrylic film, metallic chrome, embossable |
5 |
| 4 mil acrylic film, brushed chrome, embossable |
5 |
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| Metals |
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| Aluminum, stainless steel – screen printed |
20 |
| Aluminum, stainless steel – etched |
50+ |
| Aluminum, stainless steel - lithographed |
20 |
Length of durability varies greatly by exposure to the extremes: humidity,
temperature, and ultraviolet radiation (sunlight), for example. Lengths of durability
listed are generally suggested under “normal” conditions and are not guaranteed.
Consult U.S. Nameplate for specific durabilities.
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Materials to Use
Paper – Usually for temporary signage or for applications like promotional bumper stickers.
Vinyl – Tough plastic films used to hug curved surfaces as well as forming over minor surface
irregularities. They are available in many colors as well as woodgrain and transparent
appearances.
Polycarbonate – Strong, rigid plastic film with high impact strength and good electrical and
optical qualities. Polycarbonates may be heated to conform to surface irregularities. They offer
excellent chemical and abrasion resistance. Lexan is a trade name for polycarbonate.
Polyester Film – Very strong plastic film, which does not form as well as vinyl, but offers little or
no shrinkage. Polyesters are available in bright metallic finishes as well as transparent and can
be printed in any color. Mylar is a trade name for polyester.
Reflective Film – Plastic film coated with tiny glass beads that reflect light like a cat’s eye. For
decorative effects, transparent colors are applied so that the light is reflected in color. These
films conform to curved surfaces fairly well and offer relatively long life in outdoor applications.
Other Considerations for Decal Products
Shelf Life – Store decals at around 70°F (20°C) with the humidity level less than 50%. Under
these conditions, the decal is useable for at least 2 years.
Clear Backing – If you want to view your image against the background material consider
printing your decal on transparent material. This is less expensive than cutting out the outline
of your decal.
Borders – Try to avoid a printed outline or border around your decal. This requires a close
registration and additional cost to produce.
Sizes – Decals are produced from film stock procured in standard widths and sizes. Finished
decals are increments of these standard sizes with minor loss for trim. To minimize cost and
material waste, specify decals in standard sizes – ask your printer for recommendations. Small
decals (under 2”) should be die cut.
Processes
Another major factor concerning the cost differential from one decal or nameplate to another has to do with the process selected. The more durable the product, the greater the cost.
Durability of Printing Process in Years
Lithographic Process – A photographically imaged “press plate” transfers inks from rollers on a
printing press to the substrate. This process is excellent for highly decorated products requiring very
tight tolerance and process color work. The ink layer that is laid down is relatively thin and on top of
that layer is added a clear gloss or matte top-coat to protect the graphics. This process is
recommended for use on metals.
Screen Printing - This process forces screen “paint” or ink through the tiny mesh of a screen that has
been photographically imaged. Selected holes are blocked, allowing in to flow through open holes.
The result is accurate imaging on the substrate with a dense, thick layer of “paint” that will in and of
itself be very durable. Additional protection of the graphic can be achieved by over laminating a film
to the cured substrate. This process works very well with vinyls, polyesters, polycarbonates, or any
of the “plastic type” substrates, as well as metal.
Metal Etching – This process results in the desired image etched into the metal by a process of first
lithographic printing a photographic negative on a sheet of metal, dusting the still wet ink with a
special etching powder(creating what is called a “resist”) , then immersing the sheet in acid or
caustic solution. The resist protects the metal from etching, while the exposed areas of the sheet
are allowed to be etched. When the resist is stripped away, what is left is the desired image etched into the sheet. This etched surface can then be further decorated with inks or paints to give more
color and definition to the etched graphics. Because of the considerable number of processing steps
necessary to produce this kind of part, it is the most expensive, yet most durable. This method is
recommended for the toughest and harshest environments, as well as military specs.
Other Considerations – It is sometimes desirable to “reverse print” (print on the backside) of a
transparent substrate so the graphics are protected by the thickness of the substrate material.
There are interesting variations of this technique, one of which is called “dead front” printing. Using
the “dead front” technique, the user is unaware of the graphics until a light source from the
backside illuminates the graphics. Typical of this application would be instrument and/or control
panels. U.S. Nameplate has considerable experience in these forms of screen printing.
Adhesives
Selection of the proper adhesive (if any) depends upon a number of factors:
- What is the product to which the nameplate or decal will be attached? Metal, glass, plastic, composites, fibers?
- What is the texture of the surface to which the nameplate will be attached?
- Is the product intended for indoor or outdoor use?
- What temperature range will your product live in?
- Has the surface been treated in any way or are there other materials between the nameplate and the actual surface of the product?
- Have silicon or other mold releasing compounds been used on or around your product? Have these materials been thoroughly cleaned from the product or are they still present?
When these questions have been answered, a selection can be made regarding the proper
adhesive to meet your requirements. Adhesives come in a variety of thicknesses from 1.5mils to
4 mils unsupported, or up to 1/8” or more for foams having special applications. Adhesives are
typically acrylic in nature for permanent adhesion, or rubber based for temporary adhesion.
Adhesive films can be colored when desirable for certain applications. U.S. Nameplate
Company does not manufacture the adhesive. We work closely with adhesive manufacturers to
meet your requirements should we not stock the appropriate adhesive.
We hope this design guide will prove useful to you. When you have a
requirement for nameplates or decals, or any other product
identification, please call U.S. Nameplate Company: 1-800-553-8871
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