Laser cut metal signs are cut straight from your vector artwork into flat sheet, then usually powder coated or left as bare stainless. The design work that matters is in the lettering: every enclosed shape in an A, O, or R needs a bridge to stay attached, or it falls out of the sheet.
Signs are among the most satisfying jobs to cut, and the most likely to arrive as a file that can't be cut as drawn. A fine script that looks great on screen can be a problem in 2 mm steel. Here's how to choose the metal, design lettering that works, prepare the file, and finish the sign for the weather.
Pick the metal for where the sign will live
The material decides how the sign ages. Indoors, almost anything works. Outdoors, especially near the coast, it's worth thinking it through.
| Material | Look | Outdoors | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild steel, powder coated | Any colour | Good inland if the coating stays intact | Business signs, house numbers, gates, feature panels |
| Aluminium, powder coated | Any colour | Very good; won't rust if the coating is scratched | Large or high-mounted signs where weight matters |
| 304 stainless, bare | Brushed or bright metal | Good inland; can tea-stain near the sea | Reception signs, plaques, modern house numbers |
| 316 stainless, bare | Brushed or bright metal | Better in coastal and pool areas | Coastal homes, marine settings |
| 3CR12, powder coated | Any colour | Good; tougher base than mild steel | Industrial and plant signage |
Mild steel is the usual budget choice, but only because it gets coated. A scratch through the coating to bare steel can start rust that creeps underneath. Aluminium avoids that, and it's lighter, which helps with big signs on walls. If the sign is going up in Durban, Cape Town, or anywhere on the coast, read our guide to the best metal for coastal areas before deciding.
Lettering: islands, bridges, and stroke width
Islands need bridges
When you cut the letter O out of a sheet, the centre of the O is a separate piece. Cut-through text has this problem with A, B, D, O, P, Q, R, and numbers like 0, 4, 6, 8, and 9. The middle bits, called islands, fall out.
There are three ways to deal with it:
- Use a stencil font, where the bridges are built into the letters.
- Add your own bridges: small strips of metal joining each island to the rest of the sheet. Make them at least one material thickness wide so they don't burn through.
- Cut the letters out as solid pieces instead, and mount them on a backing plate or standoffs. Then islands don't matter, because the letter is the part.
Strokes must be thick enough
Thin script fonts and fine serifs look elegant on screen. In metal, a stroke that's thinner than the material thickness may not cut cleanly and can warp from the heat. A good starting rule is to keep every stroke, gap, and bridge at least one material thickness wide. In 2 mm steel, that rules out hairline serifs.
If the brand uses a delicate font, consider scaling the sign up, using thinner material, or switching to cut-out letters on a background.
Cut-through signs vs cut-out letters
There are two common styles, and they suit different jobs.
Cut-through (stencil) signs are one plate with the design cut out of it. Light or a contrasting wall shows through the gaps. They're simple to make and mount, and they work well for house numbers, gate panels, and backlit signs.
Cut-out letters are individual pieces, each letter cut as a solid shape. They're mounted on the wall with spacers, or onto a backing panel, often with a different colour behind them. They look more three-dimensional and avoid the island problem completely, but each letter needs its own fixing and the layout needs a template.
Preparing your sign artwork
Most sign artwork starts in Illustrator, CorelDRAW, or Canva. None of those are cutting files on their own, so the artwork needs some prep.
- Convert all text to outlines. A font on your computer won't exist on the cutting software.
- Make sure shapes are filled outlines, not strokes. A line drawn with a thick brush is one line to a laser, not two edges.
- Set the artwork at real size in millimetres. A sign drawn at 1:10 gets cut at 1:10.
- Remove overlapping shapes. Merge them into single outlines, or the laser cuts the overlaps too.
- Export as DXF or vector PDF. A photo or JPEG of a logo has to be traced before it can be cut, which takes time and can lose detail.
Our guide to preparing a DXF file for laser cutting covers clean geometry in more detail.
Finishing: colour, edges, and mounting
Powder coating is the usual finish for steel and aluminium signs. It's tougher than wet paint and comes in a huge range of colours. RAL Classic is the common colour reference, so if the brand has a specific colour, give the RAL code or a physical sample. Screen colours lie. Our post on choosing powder coating colours covers how to get a match.
Edge prep matters on signs, because the cut edges are on show. Mild steel cut with oxygen has a thin oxide layer on the edge, which can affect how well the powder sticks, so edges are often cleaned before coating.
Plan the mounting before the sign is cut. Fixing holes and slots for standoffs are far easier to add to the cutting file than to drill on site later. And on cut-out letters, mark which way up each letter goes on a template.
Ordering a laser cut sign
Send the artwork with the size, material, thickness, finish, and colour. If you're not sure which metal suits the location, say where the sign is going and we'll help you choose.
We do laser cutting and powder coating on the same order, so the sign comes back finished. Start a quote for laser cutting and add the coating to it.