3mm Polyboard

Light work.

Polyboard has a foam centre with a smooth skin on each face, and it weighs very little. A print mounted on it turns into a crisp, flat panel you can tuck under one arm. That makes it the natural backing for pitch boards, design presentations, student work and short-lived indoor displays.

Same price, different board

On our list, 3mm Polyboard costs the same as 3mm Foamex at every size. So the choice comes down to how each one behaves.

Guide prices from our price list. They exclude VAT and delivery and assume print-ready artwork.

Foamex is the harder wearing of the two, and it can go outdoors for a while. Polyboard wins on weight. Carrying six A1 boards up a flight of stairs is a different experience with each. See Foamex or Polyboard for the full comparison.

The journey is the risky part

Polyboard is soft inside, so corners crush and faces dent. Most damage happens between the print room and the presentation, and a few habits will prevent it.

• Carry boards in a portfolio or wrapped in card, and do not let them rest on a corner.
• Stack them face to face with clean paper between them.
• Do not lean anything on top of a board, including a laptop bag.
• Leave them out of hot cars and damp boots, as a warm or wet day can curve them.
• Print a spare of the key board if the pitch really matters.

On presentation day

Boards at A2 and A1 sit happily on an easel or a picture ledge. Larger ones, at 3mm, may need a backing, as they can bow when propped up. If the panel will be pinned to a wall, the foam will take pins, though the holes will stay. Visit the room beforehand if you can, or ask what it has in the way of ledges and easels.

Who uses it

Architects, interior designers and students all rely on boards of this kind. Our guide to architect presentation boards looks at how to lay out a set, and mounted prints for presentations goes through the finishing. If you are at college, ask about student discounts, which are available with proof.