Flat Cut Letters Made to Measure: Fret Cut Lettering Ordered Online

Flat cut letters are individual letters, numbers, words or logos cut from a single flat sheet, with no welded returns. Otypo cuts them to your design in acrylic (plexiglass), expanded PVC (Foamex), Aluminium Dibond, natural aluminium, brass or solid wood, from 1.3 mm to 19 mm thick and from 7 cm to 4 m. Fix them with Ultra Adhesive, with magnets on a steel surface, or with snap-on spacers about 1.5 cm off the wall. Preview and price your whole composition online, with no trade account or quote needed: tiered pricing by size. Made within one working day.

Flat Cut Letters and Flat Cut Lettering, Made to Measure

Flat cut is the sign trade's name for a letter cut straight from a solid sheet. The profile is constant, and the face and edges are the same material. You can add a chamfered edge so each letter catches the light. Flat cut letters are the same product as our wider range of cut-out letters and shapes.

Flat cut lettering works on shopfronts, office receptions, feature walls, wayfinding, counters and indoor window displays. It gives more relief than a printed panel and is simpler and lighter than box letters. If you would rather have a single plate with your name and logo, our business signs are a better fit. Ordering is simple. Type your text or upload your logo in the editor, then preview the whole composition at scale. The price appears instantly, with no quote.

Fret Cut Letters: the Same Thing, a Different Trade Name

In the UK, fret cut letters and fret cut lettering mean the same as flat cut: letters and shapes cut from a sheet. The term comes from the fretsaw, the fine saw once used to cut shapes by hand. Cutting is now digital, but the name has stayed.

At Otypo, a fret cut sign means fret cut letters fixed directly onto your façade, onto your wall or onto a backing board you supply. We deliver the letters separately and never pre-mount them on a panel; a mounting template is included with spacers and optional with the other fixings. We don't make routed sign trays, illuminated push-through lettering or fret cut vinyl. If you need a backing board, you can order it separately. Our Dibond sign panels give you a rigid aluminium composite base, and our Foam PVC sign panels keep the combination light.

Flat Cut vs Built-Up Letters: Which Do You Need?

Built-up letters are fabricated boxes, made from a face plus welded returns. Flat cut letters are solid pieces. Here are the main differences:

• Construction: flat cut letters come from one solid sheet. Built-up letters combine a face and welded returns to form a box.
• Depth: flat cut letters are 1.3 to 19 mm thick, plus about 1.5 cm when mounted on spacers. Built-up letters have deep returns.
• Lighting: flat cut letters are not illuminated. Built-up letters are often illuminated.

Otypo makes flat cut letters only. For a deeper look, choose 18–19 mm wood or 19 mm PVC. You can also mount thinner letters on snap-on spacers so they cast a shadow on the wall.

Materials and Real Thicknesses for Flat Cut Letters

We offer 25 materials. They come in five families and in real thicknesses. Thicker letters cast stronger shadows, so thickness controls how three-dimensional the result looks.

• Printed / Transparent plexiglass (acrylic): 3, 5 or 8 mm. Printed in the colour of your choice, or clear, green or blue. Indoor and outdoor.
• Mirror plexiglass: 3 mm, in silver, gold or rose gold mirror. Indoor only.
• Standard / Black expanded PVC (Foamex): 3, 5, 8 or 19 mm, or black in 19 mm. Colour of your choice. Indoor and outdoor.
• Thin PVC: 1.3 mm, in about 38 metal, standard and wood-look colours. Indoor and outdoor.
• Aluminium Dibond, Brushed or Mirror: 3 mm, printed, brushed silver or gold, or mirror. Indoor and outdoor, except Mirror, which is indoor only.
• Natural aluminium: 1.5 mm, in Anodised, Brushed, Gold, Black, Bronze, Blue, Red or Green. Indoor and outdoor.
• Polished glossy / Raw matt brass: 1.5 or 3 mm, in mirror gold or matte vintage. Indoor and outdoor; may develop a natural patina, which a clear lacquer applied after fitting prevents.
• Douglas fir / Okoumé / Hevea wood: 19, 18 and 18 mm. Natural wood. Okoumé is indoor and outdoor, Douglas fir indoor and sheltered outdoor, Hevea indoor only.
• Plywood veneer: 3 mm, in maple, oak, bamboo or walnut. Indoor only, up to 2,000 × 1,200 mm.

Sizes run from 7 cm high up to 4,000 × 2,400 mm. Green and blue transparent plexiglass is limited to 600 × 600 mm. Looking for stainless steel? Our cut-out letters don't come in stainless steel. Brushed Aluminium Dibond gives the same brushed metal look, and polished brass gives a mirror gold finish. Acrylic flat cut letters and flat cut metal letters each have a dedicated page, listed below.

Indoor or Outdoor Flat Cut Letters

For outdoor use, choose Okoumé wood, Standard or Black expanded PVC, Aluminium Dibond, Brushed Aluminium Dibond, natural aluminium or brass. Brass may develop a natural patina over time, which a clear lacquer applied after fitting prevents. Premium Douglas fir suits sheltered outdoor spots only. Mirror Dibond, Mirror plexiglass, Hevea and Plywood are for indoor use only. Printed and transparent plexiglass and Thin PVC also work outdoors, although aluminium is often preferable on a very exposed façade.

On a façade, snap-on spacers are the reference fixing, and Ultra Adhesive holds well on render and brick. Rules for shop signs vary from area to area, so check with your local council before installing.

How to Fix Flat Cut Letters: Tape, Spacers or Magnets

Four fixings are available (No fixing only for thick 18–19 mm letters):

• Ultra Adhesive: high-performance double-sided foam tape, no drilling needed. It suits render and brick, and works indoors and outdoors.
• Snap-on spacers: the trade's stand-off locators. The fixings come pre-mounted on the back of each letter and are screwed to the wall, with a drilling template. Letters sit about 1.5 cm off the wall. Drilling is required.
• Magnetic: for letters of at least 20 × 20 mm. This works on a steel surface only, such as a steel door or partition. Repositionable, it is handy for temporary displays and shop windows, but it won't hold on a plain wall.
• No fixing: thick 18–19 mm letters simply stand on a shelf or counter.

A 1:1 paper mounting template is included with spacers and is available as an option with the other fixings. It places each letter exactly where it appeared in the editor.

Your Artwork: Any File, Proof by Email

You don't need vector files drawn at 1:10 scale with bounding boxes. We accept AI, EPS, SVG, PDF, JPG and PNG files. Once you confirm your order, you receive a proof by email within 24 business hours. For large formats, SVG gives the cleanest edges.

The editor offers a wide choice of fonts, including script and handwritten styles, and you can import an SVG with your text converted to outlines. Logos are cut just as easily. Browse our work to see real projects.

Flat Cut Letters for Sign Makers and Trade Buyers: Pricing Without a Price List

Sign makers, installers, agencies and fit-out teams can order trade flat cut letters online without a trade account. The editor shows a live price, you receive a proof by email, and letters ordered with spacers come with a template. We don't publish a flat cut letters price list, because the price depends on size, material and fixing. You get tiered pricing by size, shown instantly in the editor. Every order is made within 24 hours, and delivery options and costs appear at checkout.

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