Do not think that it may be silly to discuss printing some basic signs. This process is far more involved than a simple layman with no fundamental experience in graphic design may think of. Businesses of all sizes, ranging from small to medium or larger corporates, need signs of various types. It is critical for all these sorts of businesses to have a comprehensive offline presence for their smooth operations. You can consider such signs as tangible parts of the brands even if they are too far away to touch.
Along with the promoting aspects to consider, signs are also used to draw the viewer’s attention to different types of information, offers, and events. If you have to grab attention to the actual world, the business flyer designs and business cans can also work well. There is also large format printing, which is crucial in catching attention and cultivating interest in a particular brand or dragging audience attention.
Printed signs are considered the most practical form of low-cost advertising and display promotions and announcements. This mode of advertising has a high degree of quality and professionalism, which normal DIY signage cannot offer. Nowadays, printing signs is also much cheaper than investing in digital signages. Moreover, digital signs also need high-level maintenance and care. These also consume a lot of power and need additional infrastructure like memory and network to function. On the other hand, printed signs can just be illuminated with add-on lighting at night, typically the install-and-forget type of advertising.
Even though the technology is similar to printing, specialized sign printing has some add-on practical challenges, making it different from smaller format printing. Here are some tips to consider while thinking of professional sign printing.
Tips to consider for sign printing
Use vector image
The print designs may come in a wide range of file formats with varying pixel consistencies. Nearly all of them may look great on your computer monitor, but you need to follow appropriate image size guidelines to get a proper finish for your print. It is advisable to use vector images for optimum sign printing quality. Using vector instead of using vector images instead of pixel-based images will help avoid any pixelation or fuzziness, which often compromise the print image quality. Vector images are appropriate for large format signs, so you need not have to take risks with pixelated images anymore.
Using appropriate size image
Even though vector images are preferred over pixel images, most photos are still generated in pixelated format. The rasterized images would not be appropriate in such contexts. If you need to use a raster image, there are a few guidelines to be followed in image sizing. Here is an example. If the image has to be viewed from a distance, like from across the street, you may stay away from low-resolution image sizes. Here is a quick reference chart.
75 PPI (pixel per inch) – Poor to fair result for distance viewing
100 PPI – Fair to good
150 PPI – Good to very good for the majority of distant viewing applications.
200 PPI – Excellent distant view
These are just a starting point to bring up your quality sign prints. You need to consult with an expert provider to share your requirements and get the best recommendations for your sign printing project.
