When it comes to making your business premises stand out on the high street, few signage solutions offer the durability, versatility, and impact of aluminium sign trays.
At JMF, we have been designing, manufacturing, and installing shop fascia signs for over 25 years. Our all-service agency can assist in all aspects of the fabrication process, resulting in a custom sign that is perfect for your business, your building, and your customers.
For advice or to request a brochure, contact our expert team today. Alternatively, keep reading for our comprehensive guide to aluminium sign trays.
What Are Sign Trays?
A sign tray is a three-dimensional framework, most often made from aluminium, that provides an ideal base for flat signs. The frame can be used to create depth and interest, as well as providing weather-resistant housing for your sign.
How Are They Produced?
In the simplest terms, fascia signs are produced through metal sheets—typically aluminium, aluminium composite, or stainless steel—which are bent and fabricated to give a shop sign that has no face-fixing marks.
These panels can be powder coated or wet sprayed to match any colour in the RAL, BS, or Pantone range of colours—they can even be matched to a sample provided by a client, with accurate mixing conducted by our specialist paint department.
These trays can be specifically bent and fabricated to match your shop front elevations, allowing a shop with 4 sides to have a continuous tray around the fascia.
Applications for Fascia Signs
Aluminium is an extremely malleable material, making it a cost-effective solution for an extensive range of buildings and purposes. Here are just a few:
Shop Fascia Signs
As the name suggests, shop fascia signs are most commonly used on the front of commercial premises, such as high street stores and shopping centres. These signs are often highly visible and can include company logos, brand colours, and contact information.
Office Fascia Signs
Not only for the retail environment, a sign tray can be the ideal option for office parks and business locations. Bespoke fabrication is available in many different sizes, so you can be sure your tray sign will be supplied perfectly for your building.
Poster Holders
Aluminium sign trays can also be used to create poster holders, which can display health and safety notices, advertisements, or other important information. These holders are often placed in high-footfall areas such as train stations and airports.
Directional Signs
Another popular use for sign trays is as directional signage. These trays can be affixed to walls or posts and can be used to guide visitors around a building or site. They can also be used to create wayfinding solutions for large events.
Sign Tray Fabrication Options
As mentioned, aluminium allows for extensive options for sign makers to create unique and bespoke signs specific to the requirements of their clients. Here are some of the most popular fabrication methods:
Welded
The most common type of sign tray is welded, which involves joining the aluminium sheets together using heat and pressure. This method results in a strong, robust bond that is ideal for heavy-duty applications.
Riveted
Riveted sign trays are created by joining the aluminium sheets together using rivets. This method is often used for lighter-weight signs as it offers a less obtrusive finish.
Aperture Cut Trays and Push-Through Letters
A JMF speciality, through which 1050 grade aluminium is used to fabricate standard sign trays on the 3m hydraulic brake press machine. Similar to our flat-cut lettering signs, the trays can be aperture cut on the CNC flatbed router before fabrication to allow for backing with acrylic; by combining this with LED modules on a light tray, the apertures can be lit up, giving ultimate visibility for your shop signs.
Sign Trays: FAQ
Can I Use a Corporate Colour Scheme for My Shop Fascia Sign?
Absolutely! Fabricated trays can be supplied as raw material, or painted to a specific Pantone colour or a RAL colour with a matt, satin or gloss. If you choose to use our design services, our expert creative team will ensure your colours and graphics are consistent with your current branding.
What About Graphics and Logos?
If you want to rely on imagery to get noticed, we can manufacture any printed graphic elements, and apply them using the latest technology roller machines.
My Fascia Is an Unusual Shape; Will a Sign Tray Work for Me?
Almost certainly. Sign trays can be manufactured and installed to account for the peculiarities of most surface shapes and materials. We provide free site surveys to all our customers, and can create any angle fascia signage from those drawings. In the unlikely event sign trays are unsuitable for your locations, we can offers various signs of other formats, including built-up and flat-cut letters.
How Quickly Can You Delivery My Sign Trays?
Our lead time for fascia signs varies massively, depending on the specific requirements of your company. However, if you need a project completed quickly, contact our team and we’ll do whatever we can to help.
JMF Group: A Comprehensive Approach to Shop Fascia Signs
When it comes to business signage, you don’t just want a supplier—you want someone who can cover all aspects of your project, from survey to design, manufacture to quality assurance, and installation to ongoing maintenance.
Take a look below for information on our all-service agency process:
Site Survey
In order to provide an accurate quote, one of our team will need to visit your premises to take measurements and snaps. This way, we can get a feel for the size and scale of the project, as well as any potential obstacles that might need to be accounted for.
Design Concept
Once we’ve gathered all the necessary information, our award-winning design team will put together some initial concepts for your sign trays. Once you’ve approved a design, we’ll move on to the next stage.
Manufacture
JMF’s expert in-house fabricators will use only the highest quality materials to bring your shop fascia sign tray designs to life. We have a range of specialist machines at our disposal, which allows us to create signs of any size and shape.
Installation
Once your sign trays have been manufactured, our experienced installation team will fit them to your premises. We’ll make sure they’re installed correctly and securely, so you can rest assured they’ll last for years to come.
Maintenance
We understand that even the best-made signs will eventually need some TLC. That’s why we offer an ongoing support and maintenance service, which includes everything from emergency repairs to scheduled cleaning and replacement of bulbs/lettering.
What Are You Waiting For?
For more details about our great service or incredible products, contact us today. Our team are on hand to advise on the best solution for your business, no matter your budget or requirements.
