Acrylic Signs in New York

Laser-cut and printed acrylic signs, plaques and panels, made in our own workshop in New York. Clear, colored, frosted and mirror acrylic in gold, silver and rose gold, finished with stainless steel standoffs. We make etched and sandblasted glass signage too.

Single signs, full office and retail sets, and repeat orders that match. Cut, polished, printed and mounted here.

Send Us Your Artwork

Most of the cost is in the edge

An acrylic sign is a flat panel with something on it. There is not much to it, which is why there is such a wide gap between one that looks expensive and one that does not, and why the difference is almost never in the artwork.

It is thick. It is in whether the edge is a clean polished cut or a slightly cloudy one. It is in whether the graphic is printed on the front of the sheet, where it sits on the surface, or on the back, where you read it through the acrylic and it gains depth. It is in how far the standoffs hold the panel off the wall and how much shadow that throws. Those four decisions produce a piece that reads as considered or as a stopgap, and they cost very little to get right at the start.

We cut, polish, print and finish in our own workshop in New York, which is why we would rather talk about the edge than about the file.

They look similar from six feet and behave nothing alike

Property	Acrylic	Glass
Weight	Roughly half the weight of glass. Easier to mount, less load on the wall.	Heavy. Large panels need proper fixings and often two people.
Safety	Does not shatter. Usually the right answer in public and high-traffic spaces.	Can be tempered for safety, which adds cost and prevents later cutting.
Edges	Laser cutting gives a clear, polished edge straight off the machine.	Standard glass has a green cast in the edge, which can be hidden or used deliberately.
Scratching	Scratches more easily. Matters most on clear and mirror finishes.	Much harder to scratch. The better choice for a surface people touch.
Shaping	Cut to any shape, drilled, routed and formed with heat.	Cut, water jet cut and drilled, but far less forgiving and not formed.
Feel	Reads as modern and light. Excellent in color, frosted and mirror finishes.	Reads as substantial and permanent. Hard to beat for a reception or donor piece.
Cost	Generally lower, and the gap widens as the panel gets bigger.	Higher, and rises steeply with size, thickness and tempering.

If you are not sure, tell us where the sign is going, whether anybody will touch it, and how big it is. Those three answers usually decide it.

Panels, plaques and everything mounted on standoffs

Type	What it is	Usually used for
Logo and identification panels	A cut panel carrying a printed or applied logo, mounted on standoffs.	Reception walls, suite entrances, meeting rooms, retail interiors.
Acrylic plaques	Smaller panels, often layered, sometimes engraved or printed second surface.	Donor recognition, awards, dedications, room identification.
Layered and dimensional panels	Two or more sheets in different colors or finishes, spaced or bonded.	Logos with depth, brand walls, anywhere a flat panel is not enough.
Frosted and satin panels	Non-glare acrylic, printed or cut, with a soft diffused surface.	Offices and meeting rooms. Hides fingerprints, kills reflections.
Mirror acrylic	Mirrored sheet in silver, gold, rose gold and other finishes.	Retail, hospitality and reception work where a metal look is wanted at a fraction of the weight.
Edge-lit panels	Light is introduced into the edge of a clear sheet so engraved artwork glows.	Feature signage, bars, reception desks. A real effect that photographs well.
Etched and sandblasted glass	Glass with the artwork abraded into the surface. Also water jet cut and frosted.	Reception pieces, donor walls, doors and partitions where permanence is the point.
Acrylic letters	Individual dimensional letters rather than a panel.	Covered on our acrylic letters page.
Acrylic displays and fixtures	Risers, pedestals, cases and holders.	Covered on our acrylic fabrication page.

Four decisions, made once, at the start

Cast or extruded acrylic

There are two kinds of acrylic sheet and they are not interchangeable. Cast acrylic laser-cuts to a clear polished edge, handles machining well and resists the fine surface crazing that solvents and adhesives can cause. Extruded is cheaper and perfectly adequate where the edge is hidden, but it cuts less cleanly and is less forgiving.

For a sign where the edge is visible, which is almost every sign on this page, cast is the right material. It is also a reason two quotes for apparently the same panel can be meaningfully different, and it is worth asking any supplier which one they are quoting.

Thickness

Thickness is the main lever on how a panel reads. A thin sheet looks like a notice; a substantial one looks like a fixture, and on a clear panel the edge becomes a visible design element in its own right. Larger panels also need more thickness simply to stay flat.

The edge

Laser cutting cast acrylic produces a clear, flame-polished edge as part of the cut. Routing and saw cutting leave a matte edge that has to be polished afterwards if it is going to be seen. Either is fine as long as it is a decision. A cloudy edge on a clear panel is the most common tell of a cheaply made acrylic sign.

Standoffs and how far off the wall it sits

Most acrylic signage is mounted on stainless steel standoffs, and they do more work than people expect. Diameter and projection determine how much shadow falls behind the panel, and that shadow is most of the visual effect. A panel sitting tight to the wall looks stuck on; the same panel held three quarters of an inch off it looks mounted.

Drilling acrylic is also less forgiving than drilling metal. It is done here, on a bench, before the panel ever goes near a wall.

Printed on the front, or read through the back

When a graphic is printed onto clear acrylic there are two places it can go, and they look completely different.

Aspect	First surface	Second surface
What it is	Printed onto the face you look at.	Printed onto the back and read through the sheet.
How it reads	The ink sits on the surface. Flatter, and more obviously printed.	The acrylic sits in front of the artwork, which gives depth and a glassy finish.
Durability	The ink is exposed and can be scratched or cleaned off over time.	The sheet protects the ink completely. Nothing can touch it.
Usually for	Frosted and colored sheet, where you are not reading through anything.	Clear acrylic. Reception panels, plaques, anything meant to look expensive.

Second surface printing usually needs a white layer printed behind the artwork so the colors hold against the wall. It is a small thing that is easy to leave out, and leaving it out is why some printed acrylic signs look washed out.

Color. Acrylic sheet comes in stock colors, and anything outside them is achieved by printing or by applied vinyl. Where a brand color has to be exact, we proof it before the panel is made.
Frosted and non-glare. Frosted and satin sheet diffuses light, kills reflections and hides fingerprints, which makes it the practical choice in bright offices and anywhere people are close to the panel.
Mirror. Mirror acrylic in silver, gold and rose gold gives a metal look at a fraction of the weight of real metal or mirror glass. It does scratch, so it belongs above hand height.

Etched, sandblasted, water jet cut and frosted

Glass is the right material when a piece has to feel permanent: a reception panel, a donor wall, a dedication, a boardroom door. It is heavier, harder to scratch and more expensive, and it reads that way, which is usually the point.

Etching and sandblasting. Artwork abraded into the surface of the glass. Permanent, subtle, and it catches light rather than sitting on top of the glass the way ink does.
Water jet cutting. Cuts shapes and apertures that a conventional glass cut cannot, which is what makes non-rectangular glass signage possible.
Frosting. A full or partial frosted surface, for privacy as well as for graphics. Where the frosting is on a window or a partition rather than a sign, our window film page covers it.
The green edge. Standard float glass carries a green cast that is visible in the edge. It can be avoided with low-iron glass, or used deliberately as part of the look. It is a choice, and it is worth making it on purpose.

Where glass is going somewhere it could be walked into or knocked, tempering is usually the right call. It has to be done before any cutting or drilling, so it is a decision made at the start rather than added later.

The most common way an acrylic sign is ruined

Acrylic is cleaned with a soft cloth, warm water and a little mild soap. That is the whole method.

This matters more in commercial spaces than domestic ones, because the person cleaning the sign is usually not the person who bought it. A cleaning contractor with a bottle of glass cleaner and a reception panel will do in a year what nothing else would do in ten.

Do. Warm water, mild soap, soft microfiber cloth. Nothing abrasive.
Do not use. Ammonia-based glass cleaner, solvents, alcohol wipes, paper towel, or a dry cloth on a dusty surface, which drags the grit across the face.
The useful step. Tell the cleaning team. We can supply a short care note to hand over with the sign, which is the single cheapest thing you can do to keep it looking new.

Artwork to wall

Send the artwork. Send the logo or artwork and tell us roughly how big. Vector artwork is ideal; if you do not have it we will tell you what we can do with what you have.
Material and finish. Acrylic or glass, thickness, finish and whether it is printed first or second surface. Samples on request, and this is the stage they save the most time.
Layout. Drawn at actual size with the standoff positions set, so you can see the proportions and the shadow before anything is cut.
Cut and finished. Laser cut, edges finished, printed and drilled on the bench, in our own workshop.
Installed. Mounted level and square, with the fixings suited to your wall. Acrylic and glass both need different anchors in drywall, masonry and glass partitions.
Handed over. And a care note for whoever cleans it. See Section 8.

Cut, polished, printed and mounted here

Capability	What it means for your sign
We cut it ourselves	Laser cutting in our own New York workshop, so the edge is part of the job rather than something that happened elsewhere.
We specify the material	Cast acrylic where the edge shows, the right thickness for the size, and glass where glass is the better answer.
We print both surfaces	Second surface printing on clear acrylic, with the white layer behind it, which is what gives a printed panel depth.
We do glass too	Etched, sandblasted, water jet cut and frosted, from the same workshop.
We mount it properly	Standoffs sized and set out for the panel, drilled on the bench, fixed to suit your wall.
We keep the specification	A matching panel for the next floor or the next office is a repeat, not a new job.

Frequently Asked Questions About Acrylic Signs

What is an acrylic sign?

An acrylic sign is a flat panel cut from an acrylic sheet carrying a printed, engraved or applied graphic, usually mounted on stainless steel standoffs that hold it off the wall. It can be clear, colored, frosted or mirrored, and the graphic can be printed on the front of the sheet or on the back and read through it.

Acrylic or glass: which should I choose?

Acrylic is about half the weight, does not shatter, costs less, takes any shape and comes in frosted and mirror finishes. Glass is harder to scratch, feels more permanent and is usually the choice for a reception or donor piece. If people will touch it, glass. If it is large, high up or in a public space, acrylic. Tell us where it is going and how big it is and we will tell you which we would use.

How thick should an acrylic sign be?

Thicker than most people first choose. Thickness is what makes a panel read as a fixture rather than a notice, the edge of a clear panel is a visible part of the design, and larger panels need more thickness to stay flat. It is the one decision that is genuinely hard to judge on a screen, so ask us for samples.

What is the difference between first and second surface printing?

First surface means the graphic is printed onto the face you look at. Second surface means it is printed onto the back and you read it through the acrylic, which gives depth and a glassy finish and protects the ink completely. Second surface is the premium option on clear acrylic and usually needs a white layer printed behind the artwork so the colors hold.

How do I clean an acrylic sign?

Warm water, a little mild soap and a soft microfiber cloth. Do not use standard blue glass cleaner: ammonia-based cleaners cause fine cracking in acrylic, known as crazing, which looks like permanent haze and cannot be polished out. It builds slowly over months of routine cleaning, so tell whoever cleans the space. We will supply a care note with the sign.

Will an acrylic sign yellow over time?

Acrylic is considerably more stable in light than people expect, and indoors a quality cast sheet should stay clear for many years. The material that yellows noticeably is polycarbonate, which is often confused with acrylic. Outdoors, the thing to plan for with acrylic is brittleness rather than color.

Can you match our exact brand color?

Acrylic sheet comes in stock colors, and anything outside those is achieved by printing or applied vinyl. Where the match has to be exact we proof it before the panel is made, and we hold the settings so a later panel matches the first.

Can you make one sign, or is there a minimum?

One is fine. A single reception panel is a normal job. It is also worth telling us if more are likely later, because we keep the specification and a matching second panel is then a repeat rather than a fresh start.