signcraft

3-D signs can grow your business

3D signs pack a lot of appeal and it’s easy to add them to the type of signs you offer. It opens the… Read More

Give your layout the squint test

Many years ago, SignCraft asked the legendary Chicago sign designer Bob Seelander how to tell if a sign layout was going to work…. Read More

Tips & Tricks: Smart Paint Racks make handling sign panels easier

If you’re short on space, Saker Smart Paint Racks can help. They let you hold sign panels by the edges for painting and… Read More

Do you really need to print at 300dpi?

The short answer is no, according to Doug Downey [The Image Factory, Stratford, Ontario, Canada]. Doug says that many sign designers are working… Read More

Tips & Tricks: Get the right blade for your bandsaw

Don’t use a blade for your workshop bandsaw that’s designed for cutting wood only. A bi-metal blade isn’t that much more expensive and… Read More

10 easy ways to boost your bottom line

It’s a simple fact of business that is easier to increase the value of a sale to an existing customer than it is… Read More

Scottie Kania: Plenty of trucks and racecars

When we first featured Scottie Kania in SignCraft back in 2008, he was busy turning out signs and vehicle lettering—and doing plenty of… Read More

Reflective film can double the value of a sign

Highway signs take great advantage of the power of reflective film for lettering and graphics, but ironically relatively few commercial signs do. As… Read More

Four steps to high-impact vehicle signage

“We all know that truck lettering is the most bang for a client’s advertising buck,” says Braun Bleamer, Jet Signs, Palmerton, PA. It’s… Read More

Graphics and striping complete the lead sled look

In the late 1940s and early ’50s, American auto makers turned out big, heavy cars powered by hefty V-8 engines. They were the… Read More

Keep 4×8 ACM signs from buckling

Readers want to know: “What’s the most practical way to support a 4×8 sign made of 3mm aluminum composite sheet that is mounted… Read More

Prevent lettering enamel from losing its shine

Readers want to know: “Lettering enamel seems to start to lose its gloss in just a few months these days. Should I be… Read More

Signs We’ve Seen: Estes Park, Colorado

Tourist towns always have more than their share of interesting signs, and Estes Park, Colorado, is no exception. Though the town has a… Read More

Design & Price: Lettering for a 16-ft. trailer

In every issue, SignCraft gave a few sign makers an imaginary project. We asked them to do a sketch of the sign they… Read More

10 everyday truck layouts

Bob Behounek has lettered loads of trucks. In his 50-plus years of sign making, he has probably lettered thousands of them. You could… Read More

Inbox – November 2023

Graphics instructor gets the Hero Award Tom Lamont, instructor at the Design Technology program Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton,… Read More

Don’t give your designs away

Maybe they’re just going into business, or maybe they are an established business that doesn’t really have a consistent image. But when you… Read More

Get the most out of your digital printer’s color capability

Customers often bring a Pantone color chip or some other color swatch and want that color used on their sign. This can be… Read More

Succeeding as a design-oriented sign shop

When we first featured Dan Antonelli in SignCraft in the May/June 1998 issue, he had left the world of advertising design to run… Read More

Font favorites: David Showalter

We’ve been asking sign designers about their favorite fonts—both long time and current ones—recently. David Showalter [David Design, Bryan, Ohio] is no stranger… Read More