Local sign companies

Local sign companies typically sell signage directly to the end user.  Depending on your application, several other services may be required in seeing the completion of your sign project.  These services, in order, may include sign surveys, sign permitting, sign manufacturing, and sign installation.  Signs commonly require service, repair, and maintenance as well.  Ask your local sign company about the products and services they offer.

National sign companies

National sign companies, or "National Account Providers" as they are commonly called, are larger retail sign and graphics companies that specialize in corporate architectural and brand identity signage and graphics.  Facilitating brand equity, a National Account Provider offers its services for both manufacturing and fully integrated project management of turnkey signage and graphics solutions to larger buyers at the national level.

awning

A rooflike building mounted sign, often made of canvas or plastic, that provides additional functionality as shelter.  Awnings are most often found over walkways, doorways or window areas.

Awnings are typically constructed of non-rigid materials, (often canvas), and attached to lightweight, rigid skeleton structures which project from and are supported by the exterior wall of a building.  An awning may or may not be illuminated and/or decorated with graphics.

banner

A frameless sign made of fabric, plastic or other lightweight, non-rigid material.  Banners can be created for indoor or outdoor applications, and can be painted, screened, digitally printed or decorated with vinyl.

Banners can be fabricated in various weights, finishes, and textures and can be created in any shape, size, and orientation.  Grommets, webbing, or polepocketing can be included to facilitate installation.

cabinet sign

General term for a traditional "box" type sign made up of a face and back or two faces, with designs ranging from simple plastic faces to metal faces with push-thru letters.  Often called lightboxes, cabinet signs can be internally illuminated, externally illuminated or non-illuminated, and are good for both interior and exterior applications.

A cabinet sign can allow for a look not typically achievable with channel letters, as the background of the sign can be the element that illuminates and the copy can be either translucent (lighted) or opaque (non-lighted).  Cabinet signs can also be used when small letter size or graphical elements make the use of channel letters impossible.

channel letter

A formed or fabricated three-dimensional, individually illuminated letter or graphic.  Channel letters are comprised of U-shaped metal channels into which neon glass is installed.

Standard channel letters have a U-channel base with a colored Plexiglas face.  Reverse channel letters have metal faces and sides, but a clear plastic backing.  Mounted an inch or two away from the wall, at night these letters create a halo-lit effect.  Open face channel letters have a clear plastic face which exposes the letter's raw neon.

digital printing

A technique linking computers directly to high end inkjet, laser and other presses to print directly from an electronic copy of an image, thereby bypassing the need for film.

Typically used for on-demand or short-run color printing, the benefits of digital printing over traditional off-set litho printing include faster turnaround times, lowered production costs, and the ability to personalize documents.

electronic display

General term referring to any type of electronic programmable sign.  Often called electronic message centers or electronic changeable copy signs, the content of electronic displays is changed or altered via electrically illuminated or mechanically driven changeable segments.

Electronic displays may project still images, scrolling images or moving images, including video and animation.  Fixed message electronic displays have preprogrammed informational content, while computer controlled variable message electronic displays have content that can be changed or altered by computer driven electronic impulses.

fleet graphics

Any type of advertising applied to any type of vehicle.

Often referred to as a rolling billboard, fleet graphic techniques and materials include temporary magnetic signs, paint, pinstriping, computer-cut vinyl lettering, die-cut decals, full-color photo wraps, and perforated window film.

interior sign

A sign located inside a building or facility.  Typical interior signage uses include directional or wayfinding signage, point of purchase signage, directories, regulatory signs, and a wide variety of on-premise signs inside multi-tenant buildings.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) greatly impacts all elements of effective interior signage, including conspicuity, contrast, type of finish, and use of symbols, as well as tactile lettering, size of lettering, the use of Braille, and sign placement.

letter (non-illuminated)

A formed or fabricated three-dimensional letter.  Non-illuminated letters create lower profile identification than illuminated or channel letters, but offer a wide variety of uses at an economical price.

Almost any material can be used to fabricate non-illuminated letters, particularly for indoor applications, while dimensional letters for outdoor use made from materials such as acrylic, wood, and aluminum can provide years of durability and service.

monument

A ground sign with low overall height.  A monument is a detached, freestanding sign whose sign surface is attached to a proportionate solid base or structural frame.

Also called ground signs or low profile signs, monuments are typically have a solid base and are installed low-to-the-ground.  They can be internally or externally illuminated.

neon

A glass vacuum tube filled with neon gas and phosphors formed into signs, letters or shapes.  Although red is the color neon gas naturally produces, different colors are obtained by mixing other gases, or by using florescent coatings.

Neon signs are illuminated by either a transformer or a switching power supply.  The light-emitting tubes form colored lines with which text can be written or a picture drawn, and programming sequences of switching parts on and off can create dynamic light patterns.

pylon

A freestanding sign with a visible support structure.  Often called pole signs, pylons may be internally or externally illuminated and offer excellent visibility from a distance.

A pylon sign is a detached sign permanently installed in or on the ground, supported by uprights, braces, columns, poles, or other vertical members which are not attached to a building, and where the bottom edge of the sign face is generally located a minimum of several feet above the base of the sign.

real estate sign

General term for any temporary sign pertaining to the sale, exchange, lease or rental of land or buildings.  Real estate signs are typically not constructed or intended for long-term use.

Most often made of wood or corrugated plastic, real estate signs are an economical advertising option.  Non-wood versions of real estate signs installed in the ground generally use stab or step stakes and frames, requiring no tools for their installation.

sandblasted sign

A sign created by placing a rubber stencil over letters and images and etching the background with a high-pressure mix of sand and air.  The lettering and design areas are then sanded smooth and painted.

Both wood and High Density Urethane or HDU, (a substitute that weathers better than natural wood), can be sandblasted, with HDU sandblasted signs usually resembling a stucco or sandy texture.  It's easier to do fine detailed painting on sandblasted signs than it is on routed or carved signs as with sandblasted signs the design areas are raised, not recessed.

screenprinting

Also referred to as silkscreening, screenprinting is the technique of applying an image to a printed surface by ink squeegeed through a stenciled screen stretched over a frame.  The stenciled screen is treated with a light-sensitive emulsion, then film positives are put in contact with the screen and exposed to light.  The light hardens the emulsion not covered by the film, leaving a soft area on the screen for the squeegee to force ink through in the form of the desired image.  Each separate color requires its own screen.

Screenprinting allows printing on virtually any substrate of any shape.

sign painting

Hand painted signs, (in particular, hand painted lettering), as opposed to computer generated 4-color vinyl images applied to sign faces.  Each hand painted sign is a unique, original work of art.

Traditional sign painting may be required for surfaces on to which vinyl film cannot be adhered, such as concrete rendered and porous surfaces, canvas shop canopies, murals, and areas that must withstand harsh atmospheric conditions, but where the higher cost of an alternative is deemed prohibitive.  Hand painted signs also have the advantage of being able to be repainted as necessary.

vinyl graphics

An adhesive backed sign made of vinyl film, generally applied to windows, floors, displays or vehicles.  Vinyl graphics can range from stock letters and die-cut decals to custom computer-cut lettering, logos, and full-color photo wraps.

Vinyl graphics are composed of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) film backed with an adhesive that creates a strong bond to a surface when pressure is applied.  Available for a variety of short-term / long-term, indoor / outdoor applications, vinyl graphics can be applied to nearly any surface and are removable, leaving no residue.

Local sign companies

Local sign companies typically sell signage directly to the end user.  Depending on your application, several other services may be required in seeing the completion of your sign project.  These services, in order, may include sign surveys, sign permitting, sign manufacturing, and sign installation.  Signs commonly require service, repair, and maintenance as well.  Ask your local sign company about the products and services they offer.

Local sign companies

Local sign companies typically sell signage directly to the end user.  Depending on your application, several other services may be required in seeing the completion of your sign project.  These services, in order, may include sign surveys, sign permitting, sign manufacturing, and sign installation.  Signs commonly require service, repair, and maintenance as well.  Ask your local sign company about the products and services they offer.