A standoff is simply a fixture that holds a sign away from a wall, but it can also help enhance the sign’s appearance. Standoffs can be used whenever the client wants a fixed-position sign—no matter its size or shape—mounted to a flat wall surface (or, in some cases, a desk or display unit). Standoffs are often used in office reception areas, for example, to mount directory signage, collages of images or artwork to the wall. They are also frequently used to display large-format menus for restaurants and promotional signs for retail stores.
One of the advantages of standoffs is they make it relatively easy to change a sign at a later date. Also, since they hold the sign away from the wall, any dust gathering on that wall will drop down behind the sign, helping it to remain clean in appearance.
The majority of standoff fittings on the market today have a small hole on the side where they can be tightened with an Allen key, making them pilfer-resistant. Another benefit of a standoff is it can be visually attractive in its own right, compared to an ordinary wall screw that becomes rusty over time. Not all fittings are the same. Choosing the right one for the job at hand will save time and money.Small and large signs alike can easily be accommodated, with standoffs ranging in diameter from 12 to 25 mm (0.47 to 0.98 in.) and in depth from 14 to 75 mm (0.55 to 3 in.). Fittings can be made in two or three parts. A three-part fitting is more expensive, but the advantage is it will be much quicker and easier to fix into place.
The back section is a brass boss (i.e. protuberance), designed to be quickly and simply screwed to the wall. It will take screw threads up to 4.8 mm (0.19 in.) in diameter (i.e. ‘#10 screw’), which means a solid fixture can be achieved in a brick or concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall. The hole in the boss is big enough to allow an ‘interset’ fixture, which means the standoffs can be secure on partition walls.
Another advantage for sign installers is not having to work with a screwdriver down a long barrel, where it is very difficult to see what is happening. This type of fixture is particularly useful when working on a ladder.
On some larger-diameter fittings, there is a special added ‘lip.’ This is a significant asset for an individual installer when fixing a large sign panel into place, as the lip acts as a panel locator and stops the panel from sliding down. This type of standoff will typically hold panels up to 20 mm (0.79 in.) thick. Smaller two-part fixtures are ideal for attaching standoffs directly to wooden display panels or doors. Their hole size may vary, but normally will accommodate screw threads from 3.5 to 4.2 mm (0.14 to 0.16 in.) in diameter (i.e. #6 to #8 screws).
While the majority of panels and acrylic poster holders are mounted to walls by use of their panel holes, some standoff manufacturers provide plastic washers that can be inserted directly into fixtures, such that small signs do not need holes at all. These can be extremely useful for quick installations.