Sign Guides

An opaque white field is a layer of white ink under your artwork. A keyline is a visible margin so the blade never clips the design. Here is when you need each one.

Kiss cut leaves the backing intact, die cut goes through both layers, contour cut is a plotter following your vector path. Here is what each one costs and why.

0.25 inches of bleed is the large format standard, hemmed banners need 1 to 2 inches, and safe area keeps your text clear of hems, grommets and mounting holes.

Cast vinyl is poured and cured, calendered vinyl is rolled under stress. That is why cast is 2 mil and rated to 8 to 10 years while calendered is 3 to 4 mil and shrinks.

Screens add light, printers subtract it with ink. Here is which colours shift, why neon cannot be printed, what rich black is for, and whether to supply RGB or CMYK.

Vector scales forever, raster has one true size. Here is which formats are genuinely print ready for signs, why a PDF proves nothing, and when the file type limits what can be made.

Most signs need 100 to 150 DPI at final size, not 300. Here is the viewing distance table, the pixels divided by inches check, and why the DPI tag in a file means nothing.

Published estimates put the benefit of wind slits at 6 to 15 percent, and some testing shows they increase load. Here is what actually works against wind.

A hem is reinforcement, not a hanging method. Here is how to choose between grommets and pole pockets by mounting situation, with spacing and sizing standards.

A hard spec comparison of the main sign substrates: what each one actually is, how rigid it is, what a 48×96 sheet weighs and what it costs per square foot.