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Cast metal plaques are made of Bronze, Brass & Aluminum............ Aluminum costs about 30% less than Bronze..............CAST Brass cost 50% more than Bronze, which is why it's rarely requested.............. Those materials are fashioned in the traditional sand casting process............ Bronze brass copper zinc aluminum & stainless steel are used for etched plaques...............Review the manufacturing methods results below and then decide which method best suits your project............Then visit the appropriate product line page for specifications & pricing.............

Two-Color Cast Bronze with Double-line Border

 Etched Brass with Raised Text Closeup of a PictureCast Plaque: Most suitable for Image Depiction
     
Cast Plaque Etched Plaque PictureCast Plaque

Among other purposes, Cast, Etched & PictureCast Plaques can:

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Project an image of quality, distinction & stability.
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Identify businesses, buildings, tenants, rooms & individuals.

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Dedicate the opening of a building, park, civic project & private facility.

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Recognize groups or individuals in honor of achievements, fund-raising efforts & other services.

   This page differentiates between plaque production methods. After identifying the type matching your needs, visit applicable pages for specifications and pricing. NOTE: For those seeking plaques in defined genres such as Military and Federal Seals, Dedication Plaques, Patriotic and Government Plaques etc.: Visit our Standard Cast Plaques Page.

Click pictures for enlargements. Open this page completely for best side-by-side comparisons.

Cast Plaques

Materials: Bronze, Aluminum & Brass. Aluminum costs approx. 30% less than Bronze; Brass, 50% more than Bronze (which is why it's rarely requested). All materials use the traditional sand casting method.

Minimum cast letter size: As small as 1/4" ALL CAPS or 3/8" CAPS & lower case.

Cast Bronze Plaque with Bas relief Image Attachment

Cast Bronze Plaque with Star Mounting Rosettes
Cast Bronze with Bas Relief Building Image Cast Bronze with Double Line Border & Rosettes

For a basic size estimate for cast plaques, count the number of characters and spaces then divide by four. This provides typical plaque size in square inches, allowing for design features such as borders, enlarged header and the like. Letters are usually raised. The largest size castable in one piece is 120" x 120".

Thickness: Average size plaques are 3/8" thick. For larger plaques, say 36" and above, thickness increases to 1/2" or even 3/4".
 

Etched Plaques

Materials: Bronze, aluminum, brass, copper, zinc, & stainless steel. Etched plaques are reproduced by exposing a piece of film onto a photosensitive metal plate. This allows for extremely fine reproduction details.

Minimum etched letter size: Prime Benefit- Unlike cast plaques, letters can be as small as 1/16".

Etched Stainless Steel with Recessed Text

Etched Bronze with Recessed Text
Etched Stainless Steel with Recessed Text Etched Brass with Recessed Text & Bevel

Standard etching depths are .01" to .02". Braille available for ADA compliance, deep-etched to .032”. Broadly, etched metal plaques cost 30% more than cast plaques. Best application is for when your specified plaque size is too small to meet cast letters size considerations. Letters are usually recessed, but can be raised.

 

Thicknesses: 1/16", 1/8", 3/16 & 1/4" are most common. Greater thicknesses available. Unlike with cast, the thickness you specify has a price effect.
     

PictureCast Plaques

PictureCast Plaques are an economical alternative to plaques with Bas-relief images. For a manufacturing method price comparison chart, see PictureCast Pricing. Maximum size in one piece: 72" x 36". Thickness: Plaque is 3/8" thick...the same as cast. Image itself is 1/8" thick. Thin, but best reflective of Image supplied.

 "Isolated text area" PictureCast Plaque

Minimum PictureCast plaque letter size: Same as Cast: 1/4" ALL CAPS or 3/8" CAPS & lower case. PictureCast bronze or aluminum plaques are a best value for "3-D" i.e. sculptural imagery, particularly if your plaque text is limited. These plaques are appropriate ONLY if your plaque entails a Portrait.

 

ARTWORK: Vector--eps, ai, dxf, cdr--(not jpeg, gif or bitmap) files are required for production art. Art charges of $25.00 or more apply to non-compliant art to facilitate file conversions. No art charges for text-only, standard-sized plaques. Bitmaps and jpegs are preferred for layout submissions.

SIGN COMPANIES seeking wholesale pricing: Please Contact a Manufacturer. We and our online competitors are Distributors. For all others: Please click the email icon below, as well as the ones on any of our other main Navigation pages, to mail to: admin@plaquesandletters.com

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