| Materials | Min/Max Heights |
| Depth | Background Colors |
| Typeface/Fonts | Line Art and Photography |
| Finishes | Install Environment |
| Mounting | Shipping |
Materials
What materials can I use for etched plaques?
Our etched plaques are available in three metal materials.
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| Stainless Steel (Alloy C304) | Bronze (Alloy C22000) | Brass (Alloy C46400) |
Min/Max Heights
How small can etched plaques be?
They can be as small as 2 inches by 2 inches.
How big can an etched plaque be?
Depending on material thickness, an etched plaque can be up to 36 inches by 72 inches.
Depth
What thicknesses are available for etched plaques?
Our etched plaques come in three thicknesses.
| 1/16 in | 1/8 in | 1/4 in |
Background Colors
What background colors can etched plaques be?
We have a selection of standard background colors or provide your own custom paint color.
For multi-color paint fill, add $109 (US) or $144 (CND) per color. Additional colors are available.
Note: Our standard plaque paint colors have a satin finish.
Typeface/Font
Can etched plaques be made in a custom font?
We have a standard selection of fonts or custom fonts for etched plaques.
Note: Etched plaques require customer-supplied vector art or photographs for portraits or images.
Raised or Recessed Graphics
Our etched plaques come in paint-filled recessed text and graphics. Customers can have raised text, but there are stroke and artwork limitations with raised graphics.
In raised text plaques, the background is painted, leaving the text or graphics in the alloy color.
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| Recessed Graphics (standard) | Raised Graphics (optional, +10%) |
Edges
Customers have two edge choices for their made-to-order plaque: square or bevel edges. It’s important to note that the edge color matches the fill color.
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| Square Edge: The edge is at a straight 90˚, a standard for etched plaques. | Bevel Edge: A 41˚ bevel edge is applied at 1/2 the material thickness. Bevel edges are not available on 1/16 in thick material. |
Note: The edge color matches the fill color.
Line Art and Photography
Can a photograph or drawing be etched?
Sketches or drawings can be reproduced into a black-and-white line drawing for etching to produce clean, fine lines. There is no halftone screening used in this process for sketches or drawings.
Etched photos are created with halftone images that resemble newspaper photographs and have visible dot patterns. These dots are filled with black paint to contrast the brushed metal finish. High-contrast photographs work best for etched images up to twenty-four-by-twenty-four inches. Additional costs apply for complex line art and photo etching.
Complex line art or halftone photographs, add a minimum of $194 (US) or $262 (CND). Not available in aluminum.
Halftone photographs available up to 24 inches by 24 inches maximum.
Finishes
What finishes are available for etched plaques?
Etched plaques come in a variety of finishes depending on the metal material.
Note: Horizontal grain is standard, and a vertical grain is optional.
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Brushed Standard on raised or recessed plaques |
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Random Orbital Recessed text plaques only, add 30% |
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Paint-filled Recessed plaques only. Multi-color paint fill, add $109 (US) or $144 (CND) per color. Additional colors are available. |
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Polished Recessed plaques only, available only on raised copy plaques, add 60%. Not all plaques may be polished as size limitations may apply. |
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Chemically Oxidized Available for bronze and brass. An alternative oxidized finish is available. Learn more here. |
Clear Coat
We have four clear coat options to seal your plaque for a long-lasting installation.
Clear Coat Options
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| Satin - standard on brushed finishes | Gloss - standard on polished finishes | Semi-gloss | Matte |
Note: A clear coat for harsh environments is available upon request at no charge. Blind stud mount, screws, or thru hole mount required for this option.
Install Environment
Where can I install etched plaques?
Etched plaques are for interior or exterior installations.
What mounting options are there for etched plaques?
We have five surface mounting options for etched plaques.
Surface Mounts
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Blind Stud Mount |
Blind Stud Mount |
Thru-hole Mount | Double Face Tape Mount | Plain Mount |
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Welded Stud Boss - 1/8 inch material only. |
Drilled and tapped Standard for 1/4" and thicker material. |
No mounting hardware included | Size and thickness limitations will apply. For interior applications only. |
Stake Mounts (Minimum 1/4" thickness required)
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Garden Stake Mount Up to two stakes are available for a single plaque. The minimum plaque height required is 4 inches. The maximum plaque size for a garden stake mount is 12 inches by 8 inches for one stake or 20 inches by 8 inches for two stakes. Machine screws through 5/16-inch thick black stakes are placed into the back of the plaque. |
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Post Mount A post mount includes black coated aluminum brackets attached to the back of the plaque by machine screws. The square aluminum post bolted into the aluminum bracket is at a 45˚ or 90˚ angle. Plaques over 24 inches wide require two posts. A 1-inch post is on a 4-inch by 6-inch bracket. A 1-1/2 inch post is on a 5-inch by 7-inch bracket. A 2-inch post is on a 6-inch by 8-inch bracket.
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Shipping
Oversize shipping will apply to plaques with a single dimension of 36 inches and up.
Note: Artwork: Art charges will be billed for any cleanup required for a satisfactory etched product.
More About Etched Plaques
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