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A-Board Printing London

020 3375 6674 Open 24 hours, 7 days a week — call and we will tell you what is possible today.

A-boards and pavement signs printed in London the same day. Snap-frame A-boards in A2, A1 and A0 and water-base swing signs for exposed pitches — supplied as complete kits, or as waterproof poster inserts for the frame you already own. Inserts are synthetic, not paper: they stay flat and legible in the rain until you change the message. Collection round the clock or courier across Central London.

Turnaround Same dayOvernight for a morning delivery
Sizes A2, A1, A0Custom sizes to your frame
Inserts Waterproof syntheticStays flat where paper buckles
Frames Kit or insert onlySnap A-frame or water-base swing

Every job is quoted on its specification. Tell us the size and the pitch and we will come back with a firm figure.

What a pavement sign does, and why the insert decides everything

A pavement sign stands perpendicular to the foot traffic, which is the whole trick: shop windows face people who have already stopped, while an A-board catches the ones still walking. It is the cheapest street-level advertising a London shop, café or salon can run — provided the thing inside the frame survives the weather.

That is where most pavement signs fail. A paper poster inside an outdoor frame absorbs damp within days: it swells, buckles against the cover sheet and bleeds at the edges, and the sign starts advertising neglect instead of lunch. We print inserts on waterproof synthetic polypropylene with UV-cured ink — the sheet does not absorb water, stays dead flat inside the frame, shrugs off sunlight, and survives being swapped and re-inserted for as long as the promotion keeps changing.

Where they work: cafés, pubs and restaurants — daily menus and offers at the door; retail and salons — promotions and walk-in availability on the approach; estate agents and services — featured listings by the entrance; and events — queue direction and check-in signage outside venues and hotels.

Poster sizes and the two frame styles we supply. Other frame styles are quoted on request — inserts are printed to any frame you already own.
OptionPoster sizeWhere it earns its keep
A2 snap-frame A-board420 × 594 mmArcades, doorways and tight pavements where a bigger frame blocks the walkway
A1 snap-frame A-board594 × 841 mmThe London standard: readable across the street, light enough to carry in at closing
A0 snap-frame A-board841 × 1189 mmWide pavements and forecourts where the sign competes with traffic, not pedestrians
Water-base swing signA1 or A0 panelExposed corners and windy pitches — the base fills with water on site, the sprung panel gives to gusts
Insert onlyA2, A1, A0 or customNew message for the frame you already own — same-day and the cheapest way to stay current
The snap rail hides 10 mm Front view of a snap-frame poster. A border around all four edges is shaded to show the ten millimetres the aluminium rails cover when closed; the safe area for text sits inside it. THE RAIL HIDES 10 MM SAFE AREA text and phone numbers here Edge copy vanishes under the rail — keep it 15 mm in Which frame for which pitch Two frames side by side: a folding A-frame marked for sheltered streets, and a water-base swing sign with a filled base and sprung panel marked for exposed, windy corners. MATCH THE FRAME TO THE PITCH A-frame: sheltered street water base swing sign: exposed corner
Two facts that save a reprint: the closed snap rail covers the outer 10 mm of the poster on every side — copy placed at the edge vanishes under aluminium — and the frame must match the pitch: a folding A-frame for sheltered streets, a water-filled swing base where the wind gets a run at it.

Frames, inserts and the anti-glare cover

The snap-frame A-board is the working standard: an aluminium double-sided frame whose rails hinge open by hand, so the poster changes in a minute with no tools. The water-base swing sign is the answer for exposed pitches — the hollow base travels empty, fills with water on site for serious ballast, and the panel sits on springs so gusts rock it instead of flooring it. Other frame styles are quoted on request; if you already own a frame of any make, we print inserts to fit it.

Every kit includes the clear anti-glare cover sheet, and it earns its place twice: it keeps rain, dust and street splash off the print, and its matt surface stops the sign turning into a mirror under sun and streetlights — a glossy cover on a bright day is unreadable from exactly the angle most people approach.

Pavement rules are the buyer’s half of the bargain: keep a clear walking line past the sign — boroughs typically look for around 1.8–2 m of free footway — stand it against your own frontage rather than at the kerb, keep clear of crossings and tactile paving, and bring it in overnight. Each borough publishes its own rules and some require a licence; five minutes on your council’s website before the sign goes out is cheaper than a removal notice after.

Turnaround and delivery

Poster inserts are a same-day product: the synthetic media is stocked, the ink cures instantly and the cutting happens on the same floor. A file approved in the morning is normally ready the same afternoon, subject to capacity — and because the workshop is staffed through the night, files and approval by 21:00 are printed overnight for a morning delivery. Complete frame-and-poster kits ship the same way while frames are in stock. There is no fixed cut-off: capacity decides, so call at any hour and you will get a straight yes or no on your deadline.

Courier delivery runs across Central London — the City, West End, Canary Wharf and Southwark are daily routes — typically within 1 hour of dispatch. Collection from the counter is available around the clock, which is how a café owner picks up Monday’s menu board on Sunday night.

Artwork specifications

Rail overlap, bleed, colour, resolution, file format
Artwork requirements for pavement sign posters.
RequirementWhat we needWhy
SizeExact A-size — or the visible opening of your own frameFrames vary; the visible poster area of an owned frame is the measurement that matters.
Rail overlapKeep text and numbers 15 mm inside the edgeThe closed snap rail covers the outer 10 mm on all four sides — a phone number at the edge disappears under aluminium.
Bleed3 mm on every edgeThe poster is cut to the printed edge; bleed is what keeps it clean.
ContrastBig type, few words, high contrastThe reader is walking. A pavement sign that needs to be studied has already been passed.
Colour modeCMYK, not RGBBrand colours shift in an automatic RGB conversion — send Pantone references where the colour is the meaning.
File formatPDF preferred at 150 dpi final size — but send what you haveEvery file is checked here before production; if something will not survive at full size we say so before printing, not after.

Before you upload

  • Export a print-ready PDF, fonts converted to outlines
  • Keep phone numbers and offers 15 mm inside the edge
  • Say kit or insert-only — and the frame model if we are matching one
  • Double-sided? Send both faces, or say if one repeats
  • State the deadline — morning deliveries print overnight

Q&A

Yes. Poster inserts are a same-day product: printed on waterproof synthetic media, cut to A-size and ready for the frame within hours, subject to capacity. Files and approval by 21:00 are printed overnight for a morning delivery, and complete frame-and-poster kits go out the same way while frames are in stock.

A1 - a 594 x 841 mm poster - is the working standard for London pavements. It is big enough to read across the street and light enough for staff to carry in at closing. A0 shouts louder but needs more pavement; A2 suits arcades and doorways where space is tight.

Yes. Inserts are printed on synthetic polypropylene film, not paper, with UV-cured ink. Paper posters absorb damp inside the frame, swell and buckle within days outdoors; the synthetic sheet stays flat and legible until you choose to change the message, and it survives being swapped repeatedly.

The four aluminium rails hinge open by hand - no tools. Lift the rails, take out the clear cover sheet, swap the poster, put the cover back and snap the rails shut. Allow a minute per side once you have done it twice.

Weight and the right frame. A folding A-frame suits sheltered high streets and arcades. For an exposed corner or a windy forecourt, use a water-base swing sign: the hollow base travels empty and fills with water on site, and the sprung panel gives to gusts instead of toppling. Whatever the frame, bring it indoors overnight.

Yes, and it is the cheapest way to keep a pavement sign working. Measure the visible poster area or tell us the frame model, and we print same-day replacement inserts in A2, A1, A0 or a custom size - the frame stays on duty, only the message changes.

Often ordered with this

Tell us the size and the pitch

Poster size, kit or insert-only, single or double sided, and where the sign will stand — that is the whole specification. We come back with a firm price and check the artwork before anything is printed.

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Call before you set off after 8pm so we have your boards ready at the counter.