ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Clark,

Jeff has offered a couple of good points to look for in these products.  I have had experience with Fossil and Izone(sp.?)  Both are quite durable. But as mentioned they are buried in a resin and I have yet to see a true bright white (always slightly warm) and edges get blurry.   I believe if the graphic designer is made aware of the issue it can be taken in to consideration and its impact made minimal.

The baked enamels can be pretty nice but they only seem to make sense where exposure to harsh weather is a big issue and a steel structure is practical.  I have seen them used in highly interactive environments and they looked like crap being chipped and cracked.  I remember seeing one set in a nature preserve where the steel panels themselves were rusting away from underneath the enamel. I have seen them used well in zoos and nature preserves where they were set back away from easy reach and it was a lower energy (as in KID energy!) environment.  It can also work well for headers and title graphics where it, again, is out of reach.

Call me if you need, I'm just up the road.

Erich Rose

Erich Rose Design
807 The Living End
Austin, TX 78746
512-626-9930; [log in to unmask]




On Dec 8, 2009, at 11:16 AM, Jeff Courtman wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Hi Clark:
> 
> We do a fair amount of outdoor signage - while I'm not familiar with Porcelite, I did go to their website because we're always looking for better products.
> 
> The thing that jumped out at me was the 5 year warranty - two of the other companies I know about offer 10 year.
> 
> Our preferred product right now is from Fossil  http://www.fossilinc.com/  .  Main advantage is in imaging - truer greyscale and colors, and type,  than we've seen with other products.  The material is 100% phenolic resin, so its pretty tough (think formica).  It wouldn't  handle a major impact, as in a hammer blow to the corner.   Although we use 1/2" and thicker, which is very heavy, it is available down to a postformable thickness.
> 
> We also got a sample from Rhino the other day.    http://www.rhinopanels.com/index.html  They seemed to have improved their printer's resolution and they sample was quite crisp for both photo image and smaller type (down to about 18pt? - didn't measure).   Nevertheless, the sample did show issues with color rendition, particularly in the whites.  Whether or not that's an issue with the calibration, or a result of their process, I don't really know.
> 
> One of these days, I'm going to ask all these companies to step up and produce sample graphics from a set of identical files because it is really hard to make a comparison with different images and text.
> 
> Hope this info helps.
> 	
> 
> 
> On Dec 8, 2009, at 9:47 AM, Hancock, Clark wrote:
> 
>> *This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>> *****************************************************************************
>> 
>> Does anyone have insight into PorceLite by Bunting Graphics for exterior
>> signs?
>> 
>> Clark Hancock
>> Exhibit & Collections Coordinator
>> Austin Nature & Science Center
>> 301 Nature Center Dr.
>> Austin, TX  78746
>> (512) 327-8181 ext.14
>> (fax) (512) 327-8745
>> 
>> work schedule: Tues - Sat
>> 
>> "Big things that are distant too often take precedence over important
>> things right under the nose.
>> <http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/26950.html> "
>> -Roy Bedichek
>> 
>> Sign up for "Austin Notes" at
>> http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/news/notes/index.cfm
>> <http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/news/notes/index.cfm>  the City of Austin
>> E-Newsletter for up to date Parks and Recreation Department news.
>> 
>> 
>> ***********************************************************************
>> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
>> 
>> Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
>> 
>> The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
>> http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
>> 
>> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
>> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
>> [log in to unmask]
> 
> 
> ***********************************************************************
> For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
> 
> Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
> 
> The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
> http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
> 
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
> [log in to unmask]

***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.

To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]