Method of making and applying alignment-maintaining plastic lettering material

For lettering a substrate, making and using polyvinyl chloride sheet lettering material having a release sheet and adhesive layer comprising the steps of

• compounding a display layer by intermixing polyvinyl chloride, partially carboxylated polyvinyl chloride, and pigments,
• applying and heat curing said display layer onto a release sheet,
• whereby to form a vinyl display layer wherein said partially carboxylated polyvinyl chloride affords enhanced adhesion to said release sheet, and
• applying a layer of non-encapsulating thermoplastic adhesive having a lower melting point than said display layer onto the surface of said display layer while the temperature of said display layer is higher than the fusing point of said adhesive layer,
• allowing said lettering material to cool to room temperature, and thereafter
• cutting outlines of a plurality of adjacent substantially separate lettering elements through said adhesive and display layers, but not through said release sheet,
• removing from said release sheet those portions of said display layer and said adhesive layer not included within said outlines,
• positioning said substantially separate lettering elements, so aligned by their continued adherence to said release sheet, onto such substrate with their adhesive layer in contact with such substrate,
• applying, against the portions of said release sheet overlaying said lettering elements so positioned, heat and pressure sufficient to soften said adhesive layer and fuse said elements to such substrate, and
• removing said release sheet.