UK manufacturing · Midlands
Eight production lines.
All under one roof.
Direct Signs manufactures every sign in our UK facility. Digital print, screen print, CNC routing, vinyl cutting, lamination, engraving, photoluminescent, and tactile — all in-house.
Capabilities
Eight production lines, one factory
No outsourcing. No third-party reprographics. No drop-shipping. Every sign we sell is made on equipment we own, by people we employ.
Wide-format digital print
UV-curable inkjet printing on rigid substrates up to 2.5m wide. Outdoor-rated to 7-10 years on aluminium composite, 5-7 years on rigid PVC.
EFI / Mimaki / Roland UV flatbeds
Screen printing
Long-run, high-durability print for stock catalogue items. Lower per-unit cost above ~500 units. Best UV stability and chemical resistance.
Multi-colour screen lines
CNC routing
Precision cutting and engraving on aluminium composite, rigid PVC, acrylic, MDF, and dibond. Bespoke shapes, cut-outs, edge profiles, V-grooves.
AXYZ / MultiCam CNC routers
Vinyl cutting and application
Plotter cutting of self-adhesive vinyls in single and multi-layer. Application tape, weeding, masking, and lamination — applied to substrate or supplied for site application.
Summa / Roland plotters
Lamination
Cold and warm lamination with UV, anti-graffiti, anti-slip, or matte/gloss finishes. Critical for outdoor and high-touch applications.
Bourg / Drytac laminators
Engraving (Traffolyte)
Phenolic laminate engraving for switchgear labels, machine plates, room numbers, and asset tags. Won't fade, melt, or carry electrical charge.
Gravograph engravers
Photoluminescent technology
Photoluminescent vinyl and rigid sign manufacturing to DIN 67510 grades A, B, C, and D. Tested for glow performance under controlled charging conditions.
In-house DIN 67510 testing
Tactile and braille
Photopolymer raised-character production for accessible signage compliant with the Equality Act 2010 and BS 8300. Grade 1 and 2 braille.
Photopolymer + braille presses
Production process
From brief to despatch in 5 stages
Every order moves through this process. ISO 9001 documented at every stage, audit-ready on request.
01
Brief and quote
Specification, drawings, site survey if required. Quote with material recommendation and lead time.
02
Artwork
In-house artwork team prepares production-ready files. Customer approval before any material is committed.
03
Production
Print, route, laminate, and finish under ISO 9001. Every batch traceable to operator, machine, and material lot.
04
Inspection
Pre-despatch inspection against specification. Non-conforming product is segregated and recorded.
05
Despatch
Packed for transport, typically next-day for stock items, 3-5 working days for bespoke. Documentation pack on request.
Why we manufacture in the UK
UK manufacturing isn\'t a marketing claim for us — it\'s the operating model. It means:
- Lead times you can plan around — typically 3-5 working days for bespoke, 24h for stock. No 6-week ocean freight.
- Specification you can change — call us mid-production and adjust the order. Try doing that with an offshore supplier.
- Material traceability — substrates, inks, and adhesives sourced from UK and EU suppliers we audit ourselves.
- Carbon footprint we control — UK production removes 95% of the freight emissions of an offshore-manufactured equivalent. ISO 14001 certified.
- Defect resolution in days, not months — if a sign fails inspection on site, we make a replacement that week.
Materials we work with
We supply signs on every material standard in UK signage manufacturing:
- Self-adhesive vinyl — lowest-cost indoor signage
- Rigid PVC (Foamex) — the workhorse general-purpose material
- Aluminium composite (Dibond) — outdoor durable signs, 7-10 year life
- Photoluminescent — DIN 67510 graded glow-in-the-dark for fire safety
- Anti-slip floor signage — R10/R11 rated for wet and oily floors
- Tactile / braille — Equality Act 2010 accessible signage
- Correx (corrugated polypropylene) — lightweight temporary site signage
- Stainless steel — premium architectural signage
Bespoke vs catalogue
Our model handles both. Stock catalogue items (the 1,936-product safety sign range) ship within 24 hours from inventory. Bespoke production — custom artwork, sizes, materials, and specifications — typically completes in 3-5 working days. For volume tenders, lead times are agreed in the supply contract.
Visit the factory
For enterprise customers, framework qualifications, and significant tender opportunities, we welcome factory visits. Get in touch to arrange a tour with the production team.
Specify a project
Brief us on what you need. We'll come back within 24 hours with material, lead time, and quote.