General Signage FAQs

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Often clients need a sign to advertise their business but don’t know where to start. This is certainly understandable due to the dizzying array of sign options – wall signs, dimension letters, channel letters, pylon signs, awnings, ground signs, illuminated, non-illuminated… whew! It’s important to find a sign company that is willing to spend time at the beginning of the process to understand your signage goals and purpose. A good sign company will present several signage options to best meet your needs. At Insight, upfront consultation is one of our core competencies. We present several sign design options, along with pricing, permits and installation implications – all key areas that need to be fully discussed in order to ensure the delivered signage fully meets your needs.

How big should the letters be on my sign?

This is a very common question, particularly with exterior signs. Fortunately there are tried and true standards for determining letter height. These standards are shown in the table below. Exceptions should be noted:

A sign facing a street with fast traveling traffic should add one inch to the letter height to compensate for the speed potential viewers are travelling.
Neighbouring signs should be considered to ensure your sign lettering is not sized noticeably smaller than competing signs.

Letter Height	Distance for best impact
3”	30’
4”	40’
6”	60’
8”	80’
9”	90’
10”	100’
12”	120’
15”	150’
18”	180’
24”	240’
30”	300’
36”	360’

What file formats are accepted for my logo or artwork?

Most signs logos, branding elements and/or other artwork needs to be a vector file (.eps, .ai, .pdf, .cdr, .cgm, .cad, svg). This type of file allows sign companies to scale the artwork to a larger size while retaining high-resolution quality. Basically, vector files allow the artwork to be enlarged without sacrificing image quality. This is not possible with jpeg files or png files which will appear grainy or pixilated when expanded to sizes needed for most signs.

Do I need a permit?

Permitting by laws within Ontario vary slightly from city to city. For the most part, exterior signs being erected on a building wall or on the ground, require sign permits. Window signs, sign refacing or refurbishment (replacing a sign face but retaining the original sign frame) do not always require a permit. Additional permits may be required for construction or electrical work, or if a public city sidewalk will be obstructed during installation. Interior signs do not always require a permit.

Do you offer a warranty?

We are proud of our signage products and craftsmanship and we use only high quality components. We fully warranty all of our delivered signage AND our installation craftsmanship for the expected lifetime of the sign!

How much will my sign cost?

Pricing varies widely based on signage type – from simple one sided banners, to large channel letters installed at the top of a multi story office building. Pricing factors include the following:

Design – Will you provide a design in an appropriate file format or retain design services from the sign company?
Sign Type – The location and material used to produce the sign will impact the price. Consider interior, exterior, wood, metal, acrylic dimension letters, channel letters, aluminum framed signed, illuminated, non illuminated
Sign Size – Most signage can be priced by sq. ft. – larger signs will be higher priced
Permits – Sign companies charge fees for obtaining sign permits. For larger exterior signs, submission of engineered drawings is required by the municipality or city
Installation –Is the sign being installed at height (requiring a bucket truck) or is a concrete base or footings required?

Call 647-388-5204 for a free estimate!