What do you need to know about the sign, photo or artwork I need?
Let us know if it will
be displayed indoor or outdoor, approximately how large it should be (a guess is just fine), and what material you would like
it to be crafted from (i.e., banner, aluminum, PVC, etc.). If you're not sure, tell us how you plan to use it and we'll happily
make recommendations.
I think I need a banner, but they don't last very long, do they?
Our banners are typically
constructed of strong 13 oz vinyl canvas. While not guaranteed, we expect their service life to well exceed a year or more.
In fact, hundreds of our banners are used on buildings and along major roads to promote new housing developments, car
dealerships, restaurants and new businesses. Customers frequently mount them to simple 2X4 frames, subject to summer storms,
winds and sun, yet the banner still survives several months, often several years.
Why don't you recommend plywood for signs?
For years, wood or plywood was the material of
choice for construction signs, building signs and inexpensive free-standing signs on posts. That's changed. Unless wood is
maintained by resealing or repainting at least every other year, it absorbs moisture and begins to rot. Many of the newer
products available to us completely avoid that problem. White Sheet PVC, impervious to water and very resistant to sun damage
and impact, is one material we frequently recommend. Available in thicknesses from 1/16" up to half-inch, PVC is quite strong
and not easily damaged. It's also available in several colors, (though we don't recommend them for outdoor use, since they
tend to fade). and can easily be cut to custom shapes. Another recommended material is corrugated aluminum, another weather-resistant
substrate. It's also available in colors, but unlike PVC in colors, they're UV-stable, which means it takes a long
time before noticable fading occurs.Alumicore is highly recommended for indoor or outdoor use.
I'd really like to design my own logo, maybe even the whole sign. What kind of design
program should I use?
There are several fine programs
available, well-suited for design work. CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator are
two of the better ones. Both are vector-based, allowing us to scale them up or down in size without loss of quality. (Just
be sure to convert all your text to outlines before sending to us, and avoid bitmaps). Generally, don't use "paint" programs, since
these rely on dots rather than lines, unless we are printing a poster or display on one of our large format printers.
Call us and we'll gladly discuss some guidelines you should use to create your artwork. Usually you'll find that allowing
us to design your signs, using your suggestions and ideas, will yield a better result, and a whole lot less hassle. After
all, we've been doing this for 23 years.
I need this sign right away (I told the boss it was already taken care of), but
my usual sign company tells me it will be two weeks at the earliest. Now what do I do?
First, don't
panic. Take three deep breaths, count to ten, then call us. Most of the time, we're able to meet your deadline, even if it's
tomorrow. In some cases, we may need to add "rush charges", but not always. Just call us and tell us what you need. We can
usually "bail you out". If we can't, at least we're a shoulder to cry on.
