No. We offer a variety of sign sizes and models. If these sizes do not meet your needs, we will build the sign to your specifications. We match all PMS colors. You can even have your mascot placed on your sign.
You may want to ask your local code board the following:
Is there a minimum or maximum height restriction? What is it?
Are there set back requirements?
Is external illumination allowed?
Are you allowed a LED (moving message) sign?
Can anyone from your organization pull a permit or is a license necessary?
Can your organization install the sign themselves?
Can you have more than one sign?
Are engineer sealed prints required?
Can they be a copy?
Do they have to be sealed by an engineer in your state?
Most organizations choose to install their sign. 317 Signs and Wraps has local, licensed, insured contractors if you prefer to have the sign installed.
There are a few factors which influence the size of the sign. First and foremost, you should consider the speed of the traffic (at normal speed and during school hours) on the road adjacent to the sign.
35 mph or less = Small Sign 4" lettering, 4'x6' or 4'x8'
40 - 55 mph = Medium Sign 6" lettering, 4'x10' or 5'x10'
55 mph+ = Large Sign
8" Lettering, 6'x10' or 6'x12'
Additional factors to consider include how far the sign will be located from the road and zoning ordinances. Please check with your local zoning officials. If you have more questions, a Product Manager is available to assist you.
While vector graphics are usually small enough size to e-mail, many raster graphics are too large for an e-mail server to handle. In these cases you can either bring us a copy of the file burned to a disc or upload it to our FTP site that can be found at the top of the page Upload Your File.
Depending on what elements your sign has determines what type of file would be best to use. If your sign has photographs in the design then a raster type file is best. If your sign consists of mostly text and line-art then a vector type is best.
Raster graphics consist of a grid of tiny colored blocks called pixels. Like a mosaic, if you were to zoom in close the pixels would be apparent but from a distance they blend together to form the illusion of a smooth, continuous image. The distance that the pixels blend depend on the graphic's resolution, usually measured in Pixels Per Inch (PPI). Digital photographs and web graphics are common forms of raster graphics.
Vector graphics are an entirely different animal. Where raster images depend on pixels, vector graphics are built from connected points called nodes much like an elaborate connect-the-dots picture. Some of the lines are straight and others are curved depending on attributes assigned to the line by the computer. Since vector graphics do not depend on pixels like raster images they are resolution-independent, meaning that they can be enlarged to any size without loss of quality.
In order to determine what resolution is best for your sign, two things must be considered. First you need to figure out from what distance your sign will be seen. Full photo quality for most raster images starts at 300 PPI but make for a rather large and cumbersome file size. If the sign is to e viewed from a distance or by vehicles traveling past then generally a resolution of around 100 PPI is an acceptable minimum.
Second the final size of the graphics needs to be determined. The amount the graphic needs to be enlarged needs to be considered. For example if a picture is 300 PPI but only 3" by 5" then at a final size of 36" x 60" the resolution drops to 25 PPI! It should be noted that we can certainly make a sign that is below these resolutions but do not recommend it since the quality can interfere with readability.
While we certainly can make a sign from your web graphic it is not recommended that we use web graphics. Web graphics are typically small in size to facilitate faster loading times and are a resolution of 72 PPI. We would recommend a larger file with higher resolution.
You can certainly increase the resolution manually in an editing program but the computer can only work from what it was given. Generally it is not recommended since no further detail is achieved; only the file size is increased.
The most common file type used are JPG files, these are acceptable but JPG files create a smaller file by reducing the color quality. We recommend TIFF files, which are a larger file size but provide better color quality. If you have your graphic in a JPG we do not recommend converting it to a TIFF because it will not restore the color quality; only increase the file size
We most commonly use EPS or AI files but other formats include CDR, DXF, FS and sometimes PDF. If using EPS or AI files please save it to a version CS4 or earlier. Additionally please make sure all fonts are converted to outlines (also called converted to curves depending on your design program). If you are unsure how to convert the file just give us a call and we would be happy to walk you through the process. Please note that embedding a raster graphic into an EPS or AI file does not change it to a vector graphic.
If you also have business cards or pamphlets printed there is a good chance that your printer has a copy of your logo in vector format. If you contact them they should be able to send us the artwork.
If not we can re-create the logo for you for a fee.
Yes. Several graphic programs can convert raster to vector but generally some detail is lost. We recommend recreating the logo manually in a design program so no detail is lost, if you do not have the programs to recreate the artwork we can do that for you and simply add the design cost to that of your sign. Converting a vector graphic to raster can be more easily done with little loss to detail but in most cases it is not necessary.
If you still have questions please contact us via our contact page.
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