Notes for sign shops
Pricing, quoting, LED neon, lit letters and selling signs online.
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Acrylic, PVC or Aluminum Letters: Which Unlit Letters to Offer
How acrylic, PVC and aluminum dimensional letters compare for look, weight, indoor and outdoor use, and price, and how to help customers choose.
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Shipping Signs: Parcel Carriers vs Arranging Your Own Delivery
When a sign can go by UPS, FedEx or USPS, when it is too big or heavy for parcel carriers, and how to quote delivery for large signs.
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How to Write a Sign Quote Customers Say Yes To
What a clear sign quote includes, from the mockup and size to line items, add-ons, delivery and payment terms, with an example layout.
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IP65 vs IP67 LED Neon: Which Rating Does a Sign Need?
IP65 LED neon suits indoor signs. IP67 is sealed for signs outside. What the numbers mean, where each fits, and how to price the difference.
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Lightbox Signs: One-Sided or Two-Sided, Rectangle or Shaped?
How to choose between one-sided and two-sided lightboxes, and between rectangular and shaped boxes, based on where the sign hangs and who sees it.
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Neon Sign Backers Explained: Cut to Shape, Panels, Mirror and Printed
The shapes and finishes for LED neon backers, how each looks, which belong outdoors, and how to mount the finished sign on a wall, cables or a stand.
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6 mm or 8 mm Neon Tube, and How Small the Letters Can Go
How the two common LED neon tube widths compare, why each has a minimum letter height, and which fonts bend well enough to work as neon.
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Online Sign Builder vs a Quote Request Form
A quote form is quick to set up. A sign builder brings better leads. How the two compare on effort, lead quality and how each turns into an order.
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RGB or Single-Color Neon: What to Offer and How to Charge
One tube color, a color per word, or RGB that changes with a remote or app. What each option suits, and how to price RGB fairly.
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Should Your Sign Shop Have an Online Sign Designer?
An honest look at putting a sign designer on your shop's website, what it saves, what it does not do, and what to check before you choose one.
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Approving Sign Proofs Without Endless Email Chains
How to get a clear, written approval on a sign proof, keep every change in one place, and keep the record for when questions come up later.
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Sign Warranties: What to Cover, for How Long, and How to Handle Claims
How to set a sign warranty policy, decide what it covers and how long it lasts, spell out what voids it, and handle claims with the full order history.
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Show Customers Their Sign on Their Own Storefront Before They Buy
A mockup on the customer's own building answers "will it look right?" Here is how to get the photo, get the scale right, and show day and night.
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Using AI to Make Sign Templates for Your Shop
How an AI assistant can lay out new starter sign templates using your own sign types, fonts and colors, check they fit, and show you a preview.
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Channel Letter Pricing: Per Square Foot, Per Letter or Per Inch?
Three common ways to price channel letters, where each one goes wrong, and a simple square-foot method with a separate LED rate that scales.
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Deposits for Custom Signs: Full Payment, 50% or Something Else?
When to ask for full payment, when to take a deposit, and how to make the deposit and balance clear on the invoice for custom sign orders.
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Front-Lit, Halo-Lit or Both: Choosing Illuminated Channel Letters
How front-lit, halo-lit and front and halo lit letters look by day and night, where each one fits, and how to mount them on a wall or a rail.
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Why Sign Quotes Take So Long, and How to Cut Quote Time
Most sign quote time goes on chasing sizes, logos and choices. Here is where the hours go, and how to get that information on the first contact.
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How to Get Usable Logo Files From Customers
PNG, JPG or SVG? What file is good enough for a quote, what you need for production, and how to ask customers for it without confusing them.
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How to Price LED Neon Signs: Tube Length, Backer and Add-ons
Price LED neon from its parts, tube by the meter, backer by area, then RGB, outdoor sealing and stands, so every quote is fast and consistent.