PVC Letters Cut to Your Design

Otypo's PVC letters are individual letters, numbers, words or logos cut to your design from rigid expanded PVC (the material often called Foamex or Forex), 3, 5, 8 or 19 mm thick and printed in the colour of your choice, from black expanded PVC 19 mm, or from thin 1.3 mm PVC in 38 colours. Light, affordable and made for indoors and outdoors, they start at 7 cm high and go up to 4,000 × 2,400 mm. Fix them with Ultra Adhesive, snap-on spacers or magnets. Made and dispatched within one working day, with tiered pricing by size.

PVC Letters Cut to Your Design

A PVC letter is a single piece cut from a PVC sheet and mounted in relief. It can spell a business name, a slogan, a first name, a set of numbers or reproduce a logo. Each piece is made to order, so custom plastic letters are the norm here, not an upgrade. PVC is one of several materials in our range of cut-out letters and shapes, and the most accessible one.

You can order PVC letters online in our editor: choose a font, type your text, and see a real-time 3D preview with the price updating live. There is no minimum order. Prefer to send artwork? Upload a jpg, png, pdf, svg, eps or even a Word file; a designer checks it and sends a proof by email within 24 business hours. No vector file is required.

Searching for routed PVC letters or laser cut plastic letters? Every Otypo letter is cut in our own workshop on a ZUND machine, accurate to a tenth of a millimetre, so curves stay clean and counters stay crisp.

Foamex and Plastic Letters: What Is Expanded PVC?

Expanded PVC is a rigid, closed-cell PVC: very light, easy to fit and with a smooth surface that takes colour printing well. In the UK it is usually called Foamex or Forex. We cut expanded PVC with equivalent properties without selling those brands, so Foamex letters and PVC foam letters from Otypo are the same type of material under its generic name.

The phrase plastic letters covers two families in the UK: acrylic and PVC. Choose PVC for a matte finish, low weight, thicknesses up to 19 mm and a tight budget. If you want gloss, transparency or a mirror effect, acrylic is the better fit. Looking for a full rigid board rather than individual letters? See our Foam PVC sign panels.

Three Types of PVC: Standard, Black and Thin

Our editor offers three PVC options, each with its own character:

• Standard expanded PVC – 3, 5, 8 or 19 mm, printed in the colour of your choice: your exact brand colour, a logo, even a gradient.
• Black expanded PVC – 19 mm, a deep matte black that suits contemporary signage and bold relief.
• Thin PVC – 1.3 mm, available in 38 colours: 11 metallic and carbon shades (including silver matte, gold, bronze, copper, anthracite and carbon), 24 standard colours (including white, black, blue, red and green) and 3 wood looks (walnut, maple, bamboo). It is the thinnest, most colourful and most economical version.

In our experience, black and white remain the two most requested colours, for shop fronts and offices alike.

At a glance, the three PVCs compare as follows:

• Standard expanded PVC (often called Foamex / Forex): 3 / 5 / 8 / 19 mm · colour of your choice (printed) · indoor and outdoor (5 mm minimum outside) · best for shop fronts, logos, thick 3D letters · Ultra Adhesive, snap-on spacers, magnetic, no fixing (19 mm).
• Black expanded PVC: 19 mm · deep matte black · indoor and outdoor · best for contemporary signage and bold relief · Ultra Adhesive, snap-on spacers, magnetic, no fixing.
• Thin PVC: 1.3 mm · 38 colours (metallic and carbon, standard, wood look) · indoor and outdoor (very exposed façade: aluminium preferred) · best for light, low-cost lettering · Ultra Adhesive, snap-on spacers, magnetic.
• All three: minimum height 7 cm · maximum 4,000 × 2,400 mm per piece · optional 0.8 mm chamfer · magnetic and spacers available on pieces of at least 20 × 20 mm.

3D PVC Letters: 3, 5, 8 or 19 mm Thick

With 3D PVC letters, the relief comes from thickness: the thicker the letter, the deeper the shadow it casts. At 19 mm, our maximum, the result comes close to a premium dimensional letter. If you have seen 30 mm elsewhere, 19 mm is the limit we offer. For most façades, 5 to 8 mm already gives excellent legibility.

To sharpen the effect, add the optional 0.8 mm chamfer: the edge is cut at an angle and catches the light. It is available on every thickness, Thin PVC included. For letters that appear to float off the wall, choose snap-on spacers, which hold the piece about 1.5 cm from the surface. These are flat-cut PVC dimensional letters and 3D plastic letters, not built-up or illuminated letters.

PVC and Plastic Letters for Signs

This is where PVC shines. We make individual plastic sign letters that are mounted in relief on a façade, a wall or an existing sign board or fascia to form a name, slogan or logo. Our plastic letters for sign boards are not a full printed panel or a lightbox: if you need a flat printed board, see our PVC signs.

From small plastic letters for signs on a reception door to large plastic sign letters across a shop front, PVC letters for signs serve shops, hotels and restaurants, offices and local tradespeople. Spacers come with a 1:1 paper template so your PVC sign letters line up perfectly. For plastic letters for signs in the UK, every order is made and shipped within 24 working hours. You can browse finished projects in our work.

Large PVC Letters, from 7 cm to 4 m

Each piece can measure anywhere from 7 cm high up to 4,000 × 2,400 mm, cut to the millimetre with no batch production. For large plastic letters and big plastic letters, we recommend 19 mm expanded PVC with snap-on spacers for rigidity. For very large formats, an SVG file gives the cleanest result. These are made-to-measure letters for signage and walls, not event props or toys.

Plastic Letters and Numbers

Numbers are cut in the same order as your letters, in the same material and finish: unit numbers, floor numbers, a company's door number. Combining plastic letters and numbers keeps your signage consistent. For a house number on a single plate, our house number signs are the right choice.

PVC Letters for Walls

Indoors, plastic letters for wall decoration work well in receptions, living rooms and children's rooms: a word, a quote, a name. Thin PVC in a wood look or metallic shade gives a refined finish without the cost of metal, and its light weight makes fixing simple.

Can PVC Letters Go Outside?

Yes. All three PVCs are suitable for indoor and outdoor use and handle the UV, humidity and temperature changes typical of a façade. Outdoors, choose expanded PVC of 5 mm minimum. In very exposed locations, such as the seafront or high altitude, go for 8 or 19 mm with snap-on spacers. Thin PVC works outside too, but on a very exposed façade aluminium is often the better option. We give honest advice rather than overselling a material.

How to Fix PVC Letters: Adhesive, Spacers, Magnetic or Freestanding

Four fixing options are available on every PVC:

• Ultra Adhesive – double-sided foam tape, no drilling. It holds on glass, tiles, satin paint, and also on render and brick.
• Snap-on spacers – for pieces of at least 20 × 20 mm. The letter sits about 1.5 cm from the wall with a cast shadow; a 1:1 paper mounting template is included, and the fixing anchors firmly in render or concrete.
• Magnetic – for pieces of at least 20 × 20 mm, on a steel surface such as a steel-framed shop window or partition. Repositionable, ideal for changing menus or window messages.
• No fixing – thick 19 mm letters can simply stand on a shelf or piece of furniture.

The paper template is optional with the other fixings and especially useful for long texts.

PVC or Aluminium Letters?

PVC is lighter and more affordable: it is the reference for sign lettering with the best value for money. Aluminium and Dibond bring a premium metal look, with brushed or anodised finishes for high-end projects. Looking for stainless steel letters? We don't make stainless steel, but our brushed aluminium and brushed Dibond give the same brushed-metal look, and polished brass offers a gold mirror shine. Your choice depends on budget, environment and the effect you want.

Price and Ordering

PVC is the most accessible material in our catalogue, with tiered pricing by size shown live in the editor: no quote, no minimum order. Here is how it works:

1. You configure your text or logo, material, thickness and fixing, with a live 3D preview and price.
2. A designer checks the file; imported artwork receives a proof by email within 24 business hours.
3. Your letters are cut in our own workshop.
4. They are made and shipped within 24 working hours, with an optional template to fit them straight.

For multicolour logos, gradients or tricky fitting requirements, a designer will review your project and send you a quote.

You may also like :

• acrylic letters
• aluminium letters
• brass letters
• flat cut letters
• name signs
• letters for outside signs
• sign letters in every material
• 3D letters for walls
• 3D wall logo
• wooden letters for walls