We print four rigid board materials on the Durst flatbed: corflute, foamed PVC, KAPAPlast and ACM. They cover most of the flat signage a sign shop or reseller gets asked for, from a one-week real estate board to a shopfront panel that needs to last years.
Picking the wrong one is expensive in a way that a wrong banner material usually isn't. A banner that fades early is a reprint. A foam board that bows in a north-facing window is a reprint plus a site visit to take the bowed one down. This guide is about matching the board to the job before it goes on the flatbed.
If you already know it's a corflute-versus-ACM-versus-foam decision, the corflute vs ACM vs foamboard comparison runs that head to head. This guide sits above it and covers all four materials, including KAPAPlast, and the file rules that apply to every one of them.
The four boards at a glance
| Board | Core | Thicknesses | Where it belongs | Custom shapes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corflute | Corrugated polypropylene | 3mm, 5mm | Outdoor, short to medium term | Yes, simple shapes |
| Foamed PVC | Closed-cell PVC foam | 3mm standard | Indoor, short-term outdoor | Yes, including detail |
| KAPAPlast | PU foam, plastic-coated liners | 5mm, 10mm, 19mm | Indoor only | Simple convex only |
| ACM | Aluminium skins on a polyethylene core | 3mm | Outdoor, long term | Yes, routed |
Maximum print size across all four is 2400 x 1200mm.
Corflute: the outdoor workhorse
Corflute is corrugated plastic, 100% virgin polypropylene co-polymer, in 3mm and 5mm. It is light, cheap, waterproof and shrugs off rain, and it is what most temporary outdoor signage in Australia is printed on.
Outdoor life is up to 24 months, which puts it well past real estate boards and election signs and into seasonal retail territory. It tolerates -20 to +90°C, so a hot ute tray or a frosty morning doesn't bother it.
The limits: it is not flat in the way a foam or composite board is flat. The flutes show through as faint lines in some lighting, and a large 3mm sheet flexes. For anything that has to read as a solid, premium panel, step up.
Corflute is the one board that also folds, which is why toblerone signs are made from it. The corflute pillar covers stakes, frames and folding in depth.
Foamed PVC: the indoor all-rounder
Foamed PVC is a closed-cell PVC foam board, 3mm as standard, with a smooth matt surface that takes flatbed print very well. It is the board for retail point of sale, exhibition graphics, internal wayfinding and short-run display where the panel needs to look solid and finished rather than temporary.
It cuts to custom shapes with reasonable detail and takes routed holes down to 6mm, so it works for shaped standees, hanging signs and anything mounted on standoffs.
Its limit is heat. Maximum service temperature is 55°C, and a dark-printed board in direct Australian sun goes past that. Foamed PVC is indoor, with short-term outdoor use only in shade or undercover. Longer than that and it softens and bows. The foamed PVC guide covers the full spec.
KAPAPlast: the thick, light display board
KAPAPlast is a polyurethane foam core with plastic-coated, primer-finished liners on both faces, in 5mm, 10mm and 19mm. It is very light for its thickness, which is the point: a 10mm KAPAPlast panel stands up on its own, reads as a substantial object, and can still be carried under one arm.
That makes it the board for exhibition stands, museum and gallery graphics, presentation boards and large indoor displays where a 3mm sheet would look thin.
Two hard limits. It is indoor only: sun and moisture deform the liners. And it cuts to simple convex shapes only, up to five points, with no concave sections and no V-cuts. Detailed shapes go on foamed PVC instead. The KAPAPlast guide explains why.
ACM: the long-term outdoor panel
ACM, or aluminium composite material, is two thin aluminium skins bonded to a polyethylene core. It is the board for shopfront fascias, building signage, carpark and directional signs, and any flat panel expected to stay outside for years and stay flat.
It routs and cuts cleanly to custom shapes and takes fixings well, and the printed surface is the most durable of the four outdoors.
The trade-off is weight and cost. ACM is the heaviest and most expensive of the four per square metre, and the aluminium skins do not fold, so it is a flat-panel material only.
An ACM guide with the full spec is coming to this cluster.
Choosing between them
It's going outside for under two years and price matters. Corflute.
It's going outside for longer than that, or it has to stay dead flat. ACM.
It's indoors and needs to look like a finished panel. Foamed PVC for 3mm, KAPAPlast for 5mm and up.
It has a detailed custom shape. Foamed PVC for indoor, ACM for outdoor. Not KAPAPlast.
It needs to be as light as possible for its thickness. KAPAPlast.
It needs to fold. Corflute, and only corflute.
Artwork rules that apply to all four
Every rigid board uses the same file setup: PDF at 100% size, trim box equal to the finished size, 3mm bleed for single-sided and 5mm for double-sided, fonts outlined, CMYK with Pantone C for spot colours, 300dpi imagery, and a spot colour named Thru-cut for any custom shape or routed hole. The rigid board artwork setup guide walks through each rule and lists the mistakes that come back from prepress most often.
What we don't do
We print and cut boards. We don't supply frames, stakes, standoffs or fixings with them, and we don't install. We don't laminate rigid boards, and we don't offer fire-rated grades of any of the four. If a job needs a certified fire rating, ask before you quote it.
FAQ
Which board lasts longest outdoors? ACM, then corflute. Foamed PVC and KAPAPlast are indoor products.
Can I get any of these double-sided? Yes, all four print double-sided. Supply a two-page PDF with 5mm bleed.
What's the biggest board you print? 2400 x 1200mm on all four materials.
Is foam board the same as foamed PVC? No. Generic "foam board" usually means a paper-faced foam core that isn't suitable for flatbed print or any moisture. Foamed PVC is a solid PVC foam that is.
Can KAPAPlast be cut into a shape with a notch in it? No. Simple convex shapes only. Use foamed PVC.
Do you stock fire-rated boards? No.
Key takeaways
- Corflute for cheap outdoor up to two years; ACM for long-term outdoor and dead-flat panels.
- Foamed PVC for indoor 3mm signage with custom shapes; KAPAPlast for thick, light indoor display in simple shapes.
- Foamed PVC and KAPAPlast do not go outdoors long term. Heat bows one and moisture deforms the other.
- Only corflute folds. Only KAPAPlast is restricted to convex shapes.
- One set of artwork rules covers all four boards.
Ready to order rigid boards?
All four materials are live in the trade portal with prices, sizes and shape options. Log in, pick the board, upload the PDF and prepress checks it before it prints.
