CUSTOM Printed Graphic Overlays

The choice comes down to flex-life vs, impact resistance. 

• Polyester (PET): Best for high use interfaces and harsh environments. It withstands over 1,000,000 actuation cycles without cracking and offers superior resistance to aggressive chemicals, sanitizers, and solvents. It is the standard for food processing equipment, medical devices, and laboratory instruments. 
• Polycarbonate (Lexan™): Best for high impact resistance, optical clarity, and ease of custom shaping. Rated for around 100.000 actuation cycles, it is ideal for large control displays, LCD windows, and heavy machinery interfaces requiring flame retardancy (UL rating). 

We print your artwork, logos, and button indicators using Second Surface (sub-Surface) Printing. The graphics are reverse printed on the underside of transparent polyester or polycarbonate. The thick top layer of plastic acts as an impenetrable shield. Because the ink is never directly exposed to the external enviornments, the print cannot be scratched, scrubbed off by harsh cleaning solvents or degraded by frequent operator touch. 

Yes. When paired with sub-surface printed polyester and full coverage high performance acrylic adhesives, our overlays easily withstand routine chemical washdowns, harsh sanitizers, (such as isopropyl alcohol, bleach solutions, and quaternary ammonium), and high pressure water spray.  They are engineered to maintain edge adhesion and optical clarity without clouding, peeling, or delaminating.

A deadfront panel utilizes semi-transparent, selectively tinted windows that appear completely opaque (opaque black or dark gray) until backlit by an internal LED light. When turned off, the panel displays a clean, uncluttered interface. When activated, hidden safety warnings. system status icons, or operational instructions light up sharply. Deadfronting is widely used in power distribution panels, medical equipment, and automotive / aerospace controls. 

Standard adhesives often fail to bond properly to powder-coated metals or Low Surface Energy plastics (like polypropylene or polyethylene. For difficult surfaces, we specify specialized adhesives like 3M™ 300LSE or 3M™ 9472LE. These high strength acrylic transfer tapes are specifically engineered to “wet out” on textured or LSE surfaces, preventing edge lifting, moisture ingress, and delamination over time. 

Embossing creates raised physical areas on the overlay to provide tactile feedback to the operator:

• Pillow (Dome) Embossing: The entire button area is raised into a soft, rounded dome. It is commonly used over membrane switch contacts or snap domes to provide a comfortable, distinct tactile feel.

• Rim Embossing: Only the outer perimeter or border of the button is raised, leaving the center flat. This creates a sharp perimeter ridge that helps operators locate key locations by touch without accidentally triggering the underlying switch—ideal for operators wearing thick work gloves.

You should specify a Metalphoto® overlay when your equipment operates in extreme environmental conditions that would destroy plastic substrates. Sealed inside a sapphire-hard anodic aluminum layer, Metalphoto® offers:

• A 20+ year outdoor UV rating with zero fading or yellowing.

• Continuous temperature resistance up to 650°F (and up to 1,000°F with intensification).

• Complete immunity to sunlight, salt spray, jet fuel, and hydraulic fluids. It is the gold standard for heavy agricultural machinery, power transmission equipment, and outdoor industrial controls. 

Click here to learn more about why Metalphoto is the right choice for your equipment.

Yes. We manufacture overlays engineered to comply with UL 969 (Marking and Labeling Systems) standards for permanent bonding and legibility under severe thermal and atmospheric conditions. Additionally, our materials, inks, and adhesives meet RoHS, REACH, and ANSI/OSHA compliance criteria where required for regulatory audits.

We achieve this through Tactile Embossing. By physically raising the button areas using custom tooling, we give the operator physical feedback. Rim embossing (a raised border) or dome embossing (a raised center) allows users to locate and press controls purely by touch, improving both safety and usability.

The right adhesive is entirely dependent on what you are sticking the overlay to. Standard bare metals might only require a general 3M™ high-performance acrylic adhesive (like 467MP). However, if you are applying the overlay to powder-coated cabinets, textured plastics, or Low Surface Energy (LSE) materials, we will specify a specialized adhesive (like 3M™ 300LSE) specifically formulated to aggressively “wet out” and bond permanently to those difficult surfaces.