Sign-Making 101

3/25/2003 | JennyP

[jennyp]

I need some guidance on how to print & construct protest/rally signs.

We have some ideas, and some graphics made up. (We're not good at making hand-lettered signs.) But where do you go to get them printed? On what stock? What sizes are standard? How much do they cost? What's the turnaround time?

Here's my idea, scaled for 16x20. (see Full size GIF here):

Also, let's make this thread a repository of your best sign ideas, or the best ones you've seen so far.

Thanks!

[general_re]

Well, as someone who put himself through a couple of years of college as a bona-fide professional signmaker, I can offer a couple of suggestions ;)

If this is purely a one-shot, temporary kind of thing, I'd suggest going with the Kinko's-type route, as others have suggested. Stick to card stock in that case, as anything more is overkill unless you need a seriously big sign.

If you want something that'll last for a good long while, or you want something guaranteed to be weatherproof, or you really do want a seriously big sign, I would consider calling your local sign shops and describing what you want to get some price quotes - vinyl lettering on coreplast should prove surprisingly inexpensive, and it will last for years and years with no fading or running. Plus, a full service sign shop can help you through design issues, materials choices, how to mount it, and all sorts of stuff - even your graphics won't be a problem, as many shops now have vinyl cutters that do printed graphics right on the vinyl. And you'll be able to go all the way up to 4'x8' sheets of coreplast (or plexiglass or plywood or whatever) for your signs, which is good for anything short of signaling passing planes ;)

BTW, for maximum visibility and readability, stick with red lettering on a white background.

[fivetoes]

Do not Feed the Leftists by CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC

The original parasite sign by CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC

[ConservativeWebServant]

If your local Kinko's can't help, check your Yellow Pages for sign-makers and independent printers. They should be able to give you prices based on the size of the end product. Ballpark figure for a poster size would be around $20.00 - $50.00, (It depends on your local economy.)

I've never made a protest sign (I think it's time to start, though). But I would compare the cost of printing to a foam core versus printing to regular poster paper; seems to me it might be cheaper to pay for the poster, and get the foam core at Walmart along with some glue, and stick the poster to the foam myself.

[houstonian]

I just make a sign using PaintShop Pro and print it out with my Epson photo printer in "Poster" form. It sounds similar to your suggestion because it gives me cutting lines as well.

My Canon BJC-85 [portable] inkjet printer will also do this. The function is in software, so if you have a Canon or Epson inkjet printer, you can probably posterize a graphic simply by printing it.

[BreitbartSentMe]

Here's some I found around FR and printed out for a local Support the Troops rally:

Give FREEDOM a Chance
PEACE is not the absence of war...but the absence of EVIL
FREEDOM paid for by your US MILITARY
Land of the FREE because of the BRAVE

and Registered (I think) has a great one, a large peace sign, that says around it: Footprint of the Great American Chicken

[ConservativeWebServant]

This will work, also

I'm just an anal-retentive perfectionist.    :^)

[cherry]

can anyone post the antiwar sign that said...."we support our soldiers when they shoot their officers"...or was that a phony sign?

it outrages me and I think it needs to be shown around...

[proud American in Canada]

jennyp, I"m in the same boat as you... preparing for my first "freep" up here in Canada this Saturday...

I must say,you all are professionals!!
bookmarking for later reference! :)

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Paint Shop Pro, FrontPage, Dreamweaver..., or simply writing basic html in notepad if you don't want to spend anything.

[Mr. Silverback]

Bump for later reading

[Nick Danger]

Here's my El Cheapo solution, from a graphic by Registered. This was done with the Poster software referred to above. This is 25 pieces of 8-1/2x11 paper scotch-taped to the side of a cardboard box. It was good enough to get on the TV that night.

[finnman69]

[abner]

For signs with photos- Kinko's or your inkjet is your best bet. I love Kinko's for posters. They do a good job quickly.

For smaller stuff, get poster board and follow the other tips on this thread.

For the warmer weather- go buy yourself a couple of t-shirts and a transfer kit for your printer and iron them on.

For large quantities of signs and enough time to have them done, look for a political sign maker on the net.

I have people call me all the time for 50 or so signs and as much as I would love the business, I send them to the internet.

For the posters with photos- I go to Kinko's, and I own a sign company.

[jennyp]

How about these?

[Ichneumon]

And for god's sake, PROOFREAD it before you print it. It probably helps to have someone else doublecheck it, since everyone has a blind spot to their own personal misspellings.

It's embarassing to give liberals an excuse to write you off as an illiterate redneck, yet at every conservative rally, I see at least one sign with an elementary spelling error (or punctuation -- misplaced apostrophes are most often the culprits).

Even if you think you know how to write, get a second opinion just to be sure. "Loose" does not equal "lose", "missile" is *not* spelled "missle", and so on. If you're taking the time to make a poster that you want to be seen by a large audience, make sure it's done right.

[jennyp]

If this is purely a one-shot, temporary kind of thing, I'd suggest going with the Kinko's-type route, as others have suggested. Stick to card stock in that case, as anything more is overkill unless you need a seriously big sign.

This is pretty much a temporary thing. It's looking like a blowup copy from 8x11 to 3'x4' over Office Depot foam core. In that case, do you still recommend card stock?

Gangchen_gongpo, is that the standard stock when Kinko's blows up an 8x11 to 3'x4'?

Thanx everyone, this is great info!

[NH Liberty]

Wow! Fantastic!

Now whaddoo I do??? Can these be printed??

Maybe I'll just make my own with marker...

Now this is getting exciting!!!!

[jennyp]

LOL! And "it's" means "it is".

[jennyp]

I'm going with the directions in post 32 myself.

Now this is getting exciting!!!!

Hope to see you on the evening news! :-)

[general_re]

At three feet by four feet, card stock will probably be way too floppy and flexible - it'll fold right up in the first gust of wind, which you don't want - unless you take the card and then mount it on something else, like a piece of wood or plastic or something. Of course, if you were going to do that, you might as well skip the card stock and just put it directly on that something else.

For that size, you want something more rigid than card stock, whether you're going to be holding it in your hands, or whether you're putting stakes on it and planting it in the ground. Foam would probably be a good choice, in that case. You could either take it to a sign shop or a printer and have them print directly on the foam, or have Kinko's do the blow-up on paper, and attach the paper to the foam in that case - I'd suggest pricing both options, just to see which is cheaper.