Outdoor Aluminum Sign - What finish Laminate?

[Quark]

Hi Guys, we're making a long term, hanging, outdoor 080 aluminum sign that will be laminated with 3M laminate (8518). Should we go for Gloss Laminate, Luster/SemiGloss, Matte or Ultra Matte? We would like to give the sign be best appearance as well as best usability - would hate the sign to be so shiny and reflective to be unreadable in the sunshine. So to keep it reasonable glossy without a shining mirror effect. Thanks all!

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Luster/Semi Gloss works well in AZ long term, but we prefer gloss since it helps with maintianing longevity (Full light reflectance).

Mattes will show the lest amount of fading over time since its flat initially, but in AZ we have experienced some mattes go glossy during the summers when exposed to direct sunlight. Mainly due to the excessive heat build up.