A-frame signs and sandwich boards

A sandwich board is an A-frame sign — the two names describe the same object. Two printed panels hinged at the top, standing open on a footpath, like a person wearing a sandwich board, which is where the name came from. In Australia both words are used: the signage trade tends to say A-frame, cafes and retail tend to say sandwich board, and in the UK the same sign is a pavement sign. Everything on this page applies whichever word you use for it.

It is the sign the format was made for. A cafe changes its message more often than any other kind of shop — today’s special, the coffee brand, a lunch deal, a weekend menu — and a sandwich board is the only outdoor sign you can change without touching the building or asking the landlord. Order spare panels with the frame and a new message costs a printed panel rather than a new sign; ask the desk and we price them against the same run. Most councils regulate what may stand on a public footpath, so confirm with yours before it goes out.

This one is the everyday footpath sign: a black steel frame with two TEKflute inserts that slide out, so a new special is a new insert. The premium A-frame is the showpiece: a powder-coated frame with rigid aluminium composite panels, printed edge to edge and gloss laminated, from $289. Choose this one for a message that changes; choose the premium for a sign that is part of the shopfront.

One A-frame sign costs $198 including GST and delivery: a 4.5kg black steel frame with two printed 5mm TEKflute inserts. It drops to $170.50 each at five or more. A premium A-frame, with a powder-coated frame and laminated aluminium composite panels, is from $289. Delivery is Australia-wide.

A-frame signs take 2-4 working days from payment, delivered. Need it sooner? Ask — a tighter date is quoted per job — talk to us or put the date on the order request. That is longer than flat print because the frame is assembled and the panels are cut and fitted before it ships. They are made in New South Wales or Queensland, whichever is closer to you.

At 4.5kg of steel it holds its place on an ordinary day on a footpath, which is what it is built for. No footpath sign is made for a storm: in a strong wind, bring it in, or stand it out of the gusts against a wall, because on a public footpath a sign that travels is a liability rather than an inconvenience. Bring it in overnight too.

Yes — the panels slide out of the frame, so a new message costs a printed insert rather than a whole new sign. Inserts are 600 × 900mm 5mm TEKflute, one on each side of the frame. Ask the desk for spare inserts with the order and we price them against the same run, which is what makes a seasonal or weekly-special sign worth doing properly.

Usually yes — most councils in New South Wales and Queensland regulate signs placed on a public footpath, separately from signs fixed to your building, and you should confirm with yours before ordering. Councils typically set rules about width, placement and leaving clear passage for pedestrians. What to ask your council takes about ten minutes.

For a footpath sign read from about 10 metres, letters need to be at least 25mm high, and 75mm to read comfortably. A person walking past gives you a glance rather than a reading, so use the comfortable figure and cut the message to a few words — the full table is here.

Tell the desk as soon as it lands, with a photo of what you received. If the fault is in the making, it is remade under the reprints policy; if it is in the artwork, we say so straight rather than reprinting the same mistake. When your print arrives wrong walks through what to photograph and what to expect.

Yes. A-frame signs, aframe signs and sandwich boards are the same freestanding two-sided footpath sign. Ours has a black steel frame and two inserts that slide out, so a new special is a new insert. Footpath signs usually need a council permit; see our signage approval guides.