The Maine Sign FAQ
The Maine Sign's Frequently Asked Questions
Do you only make signs?
The Maine Sign offers a full range of visual, printed communications services such as vehicle and fleet wrapping/lettering, window/floor/wall art, office branding- inside and out, graphic design and logo creation, promotional products, custom apparel. If you can think it, touch it, and feel it, we can print it!
I can’t find what I’m looking for on your website? Do you offer products not listed here?
ABSOLUTELY! The huge variety of possible sign types or the thousands of other products that can serve to brand your business is impossible to list in one place. With our 20+ years in the industry, we’ve built relationships with vendors all over the world to get the standard to the one-of-a-kind, unique type substrates/products and we can print on just about anything with our line up of printers.
What type of sign should I choose?
It depends on what function you want the sign to perform, where you are located, what type of business you are in, what type of impression you wish to project and how you wish to attract to your business. Our trained, experienced customer service staff can recommend the best materials and find the right solution for you!
Do you offer home or office interior décor-style printing?
Yes! Whether you need a full wall mural, a custom door mat, printed doors, countertop/table wraps, custom shower curtains, printed canvas art, custom blankets, and so much more, we got you covered! Whether it’s because you can’t find that piece that matches the rest of your décor, or if you want a doormat with your last name—contact us. We will create that custom piece just for you!
Do you offer lighted or LED signs?
Yes! We can offer the full line-up of custom lighted signs. From a lighted cabinet sign, or custom-built channel letters, we’ll find the right solution.
How do I go about getting pricing or an estimate from you?
You can email any of us or call the office to give us your specifications, and we will either give you pricing right on the spot or email you a comprehensive email within a day or two if it’s more complicated.
Do you offer design services or do I need to bring print-ready artwork?
Yes! From logo creation, full vehicle wraps - We have a team of amazing, experienced designers that are experts in which design elements are most effective to communicate your message in a printed format.
What is a proof?
Once we create a digital design of your sign, we will email a proof to you to ensure that we have communicated your message accurately and your layout is everything you expected. We ask that you send a written “Approved” email back to the designer to begin production.
What file type should my logo be in?
Ideally, we prefer a vector based file of your logo or artwork. .EPS, .PDF, .AI files work best. If you don’t have a vectored format- our design team can recreate or redraw your images for a design fee.
What is your turnaround time for an order?
If you waited until the day before and need a simple sidewalk sign for your even tomorrow, we got you! Ideally, we’d like a bit more time especially if there is any type of intensive design needed, but you let us know when you need them and we’ll do everything in our power to make that happen for you!
Can I put a rush on my order?
Absolutely, let us know your deadline and we’ll make it happen!
How does my order get to me?
If you are local to Greeley, you are free to pick up from our office directly. If you’re unavailable, we can deliver locally and we can, of course, ship nationwide!
Learning Center
ABC’s of the Importance of Signage
Signs are an integral part of advertising your business. If done well, your signage can be
responsible for half of your customers! (International Sign Association)
- Attracts New Business – 85% of your customers live or work within a five-mile
radius of your business. But according ot the U.S. Census Bureau, 18.6% of the
population relocates annually. The most efficient, effective, and economical
way to attract new customer and grow your customer base is with signage. - BRANDS YOUR BUSINESS - When driving to and from work, school, and
shopping, your customers pass your locations some 50-60 times a month. Your
sign should be designed to command their attention every time they pass.
That’s how signs build top-of-mind- awareness and brand your business! - CREATE IMPULSE SALES: Best Buy discovered that about 17% of its
customers were people who did not intend to stop there, but did so specifically
because THEY SAW THE SIGN!
VISIBILITY:
Before deciding on the placement of your sign, stop and look at your store from the same angles as your future customers would.
Notice the passing traffic, trees and foliage,
power lines and other street signs, all of these things can limit the visibility of your sign.
You only have a few seconds to grab the attention of passing drivers, use proper color, typeface, and lighting to distinguish from busy surroundings.
LETTERING:
Capitalization and Font. As a general rule, capital letters are more easily recognized but are tend to be read individually.
Lower case letters on the other hand are generally read as whole words or phrases. Sign design research designates six font styles as the most basic.
GRAPHICS:
The most important reason to consult with an experienced sign design professional,
we can help create an effective and attractive sign within budget or sign code limitations.
- Choose a font that not only fits your businesses’ style, but is easily legible. Bold, sans-serif fonts tend to be more legible. Make your message clear because drivers have just
seconds to read your sign, some experts suggest three to five words.
- Maintain white space, an industry guideline suggests that 30-40% of the sign area should remain blank space. Too much clutter can distract drivers from your message.
- Color combinations and color shades are important factors as well. The most easily read combinations are black, dark blue, or red on a white or yellow background.
- DID YOU KNOW: 8% of males in the U.S. are color blind. It’s important to use
high contrast color combinations, blue and yellow for example, is a good color
combination, but blue/green on white or grey are more difficult color
combinations for a color-blind person to read.
LIGHTING:
Is your business open for business at night? Your sign needs lighting.
Lighting options are vast, internally, externally, back-lit, light fixtures mounted above a flat wall sign, a sign cabinet lit from within with LED or fluorescent bulbs, channel letters lit from within or behind with neon tubing, a light behind the sign face, lighting the main message through a translucent material.
As a business owner, you should realize the importance of the location of light fixtures has on the readability and always remember that your sign is working for you 24 hours a day!
LETTER VISIBILITY:
For a sign to be most effective, it must be legible at enough of a distance for a passerby or driver
to properly read and comprehend in just seconds. Generally, letters with a taller and wider
“stroke” can be read from further away. The below table shows recommended heights for
maximum readable distance vs. readable distance for maximum impact.
Maximum Readable Distance | Readable Distance For Maximum Impact | Letter Height |
---|---|---|
100' | 30' | 3" |
150' | 40' | 4" |
200' | 60' | 6" |
350' | 80' | 8" |
400' | 100' | 9" |
450' | 100' | 10" |
525' | 120' | 12" |
630' | 150' | 15" |
750' | 180' | 18" |
1000' | 240' | 24" |
1250' | 300' | 30" |
1500' | 360' | 36" |
1750' | 420' | 42" |
2000' | 480' | 48" |
2250' | 540' | 54" |
2500' | 600' | 60" |
Below are Color Combinations ranked in order of optimum legibility:

