Magnetic signs turn a work vehicle into advertising you can take off at the end of the day. Print your business name, logo, phone number and services, put them on the doors in the morning, and pull them off before you drive home. No adhesive, no residue, and nothing permanent on the paint.
They are made for outdoor use on cars, trucks and vans, and they hold up to sun, rain and highway speeds. Printed on 30 mil magnetic material, they will not shrink or curl the way thinner magnets do.
Standard sizes run from 10 by 20 inches up to 24 by 36 inches, and we will cut a custom size if your doors need one.
Magnetic signs or car magnets, which do I need?
Both stick to steel and both come off clean. The difference is what the message is for and how big it needs to be.
Choose a magnetic sign
You are advertising a business. The panel needs to be read from across a parking lot or by a car in the next lane, and it usually carries a logo, a phone number and what you do.
Typical use: service vans, contractor trucks, delivery vehicles, real estate, anything with a company name on the door.
Choose a car magnet
The magnet is personal rather than commercial. It is smaller, it is often a shape rather than a rectangle, and it is saying something about you instead of selling something.
Typical use: team and school spirit, awareness ribbons, graduation, family and pet designs, more than 40 shapes to choose from.
The short version: if the magnet is working for your business, you want a magnetic sign. If it is personal, you want a car magnet. Size follows from that. Business panels need to be readable at distance, so they run larger.
What size magnetic sign do I need?
Bigger is not automatically better. A magnetic sign has to sit on one flat, unbroken area of the vehicle, so the size you can use is decided by the panel, not by the door.
The rule that matters: the sign must not cross a door seam, a handle, a trim strip or a curved body line. Anywhere the metal changes shape, the magnet lifts, and once an edge lifts at speed it is gone.
1. Find the flat area
Look at the door and find the largest area with no seam, handle, moulding or curve running through it. That rectangle is your working space.
2. Measure it
Take the height and width of that flat area, then take an inch off each dimension so the sign is not fighting the edges.
3. Test it with paper
Print or cut a piece of paper to that size and tape it to the door. Stand back where a customer would stand. If the phone number is not readable from there, go bigger.
How our sizes are usually used
| Size | Commonly used for |
|---|---|
| 10 by 20 inches | Car doors, where the flat area is smaller and broken up by handles and trim. |
| 12 by 24 inches | The common all rounder. Fits most pickup and SUV doors and stays readable from a lane away. |
| 18 by 24 inches | Work trucks and vans with a taller flat panel, where you want a logo above the text. |
| 24 by 36 inches | Cargo vans and box trucks, where a large unbroken side panel gives you room to be read from across a lot. |
| Custom | When the flat area on your vehicle does not match any of the above. Send us the measurement and we will cut to it. |
Who uses magnetic signs
Anyone who wants the vehicle working for the business during the day and looking like a normal vehicle at night.
Trades and contractors
Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, cleaning, pest control. The truck is parked outside a customer house for two hours, and every neighbour who walks past reads the door.
Service fleets
Several vehicles, one design, and a set that can move when a vehicle is sold or a lease ends. Nothing has to be removed from the paint first.
Real estate and sales
On for showings and open houses, off for the school run. The car does not have to advertise around the clock.
Delivery and driving work
Identification while working, and a personal vehicle again when the shift ends. Useful where a lease or an HOA rules out anything permanent.
Events and seasonal work
Catering, festivals, campaigns, seasonal trades. A run of signs for the season that comes off when the season ends.
Need big quantities?
We print magnetic signs by the hundred and by the thousand, for franchises, dealer networks, distributors and resellers. Tell us the run size and the deadline and we will quote it.
Request a bulk quote →Applying and caring for a magnetic sign
A large panel holds well when it is flat against clean metal, and badly when it is not. These steps are worth the ten minutes.
Before you order
Check the panel is steel. Plenty of vehicles use aluminium or fibreglass doors and panels, and a magnet will not hold on either. Take a fridge magnet you know sticks to metal and try it on the exact spot the sign will go, not just somewhere on the vehicle.
Check what is already there. Factory decals, pinstripes and moulded body lines all stop a magnet lying flat. If the sign has to sit over one of those, pick a different spot or a smaller size.
Applying it
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Clean both surfaces
Wash the vehicle panel and wipe the back of the sign. Grit trapped underneath is what scratches paint.
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Wax both surfaces
A thin coat of car wax on the panel and on the back of the sign. Go heavier if the vehicle lives in strong sun.
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Roll it on, do not slide it
Let one edge touch the panel where you want it, then let the magnet pull itself down across to the far edge. Sliding a big panel drags dirt across the paint.
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Check the edges
Run a hand around the outside. Any corner that is not sitting flat is the corner that will catch the wind.
Keeping it on the road
- Take it off once a week. Dry the panel and the back of the sign, then put it back on. Moisture collecting underneath is the single most common cause of trouble.
- Remove it before an automatic car wash or a pressure washer. Especially in winter, when de-icing chemicals are in the water.
- Take it off after heavy snow or rain and let both surfaces dry before it goes back up.
- Apply above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. A cold magnet is stiff and will not conform to the panel.
- Keep it away from fuel. These are not intended for anywhere petrochemicals may contact the sign, such as around a gas tank.
- Store it flat. Rolled or folded magnetic material keeps the shape it was left in.
If a sign is left in one place through months of sun, it can bond semi permanently to the paint and leave a mark when it finally comes off. Weekly removal is what prevents that, and it takes about a minute per door.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a magnetic sign stay on at highway speed?
Yes, as long as it is sitting flat on clean steel with every edge down. Signs come off at speed for one of two reasons: a corner was lifted when it went on, or it is bridging a seam or a curve it should not be on. Both are avoidable at application.
Will it damage my paint?
Not if you take it off weekly and keep both surfaces clean. Damage comes from grit trapped underneath, or from leaving a sign in one spot for months of sun until it bonds. Neither is the magnet itself.
Will a magnet even stick to my vehicle?
Check before you order. Many vehicles use aluminium or fibreglass panels, and a magnet holds on neither. Take a fridge magnet you know works and try it on the exact spot the sign will go.
Can I leave it on through a car wash?
No. Take it off before an automatic wash or a pressure washer, and put it back on once the panel is dry.
Do magnetic signs actually work for advertising?
The vehicle is already parked outside the job. A sign on the door turns that into a visible advert for the hours you are there, with no monthly cost and nothing permanent on the paint. Keep the design simple: who you are, what you do, and a phone number big enough to read from the kerb.
How long does a magnetic sign last?
With weekly removal and reasonable care, years. What shortens the life is constant sun on a sign that never moves, and moisture left sitting between the magnet and the panel.
Can I order just one?
Yes. There is no minimum. Most people order a pair so both doors match, and quantity discounts start once you are outfitting more than one vehicle.
What is the difference between a magnetic sign and a car magnet?
Magnetic signs are the larger panels used to advertise a business on a car, truck or van. Car magnets are smaller and personal, available in more than 40 shapes, for team spirit, awareness designs and the like.
Other ways to put your name on a vehicle
A magnetic sign is the right answer when you want it to come off. If it can stay put, or if the message is personal rather than commercial, one of these fits better.
Car Magnets
Smaller and personal, in more than 40 shapes. Sports, schools, awareness designs and family.
Vinyl Lettering
Cut letters applied straight to the vehicle. Permanent, works on aluminium and fibreglass, and no panel to lift.
Vinyl Decals
Adhesive graphics for a logo that stays on the vehicle, including curved and non steel panels.
Bumper Magnets
Bumper sticker shape and size, without the adhesive.
