Articles

Make HDU board look like quarter-sawn wood

Here’s my method for creating a faux wood finish on HDU board that makes it look like the face of a sign panel… Read More

A banner still packs a lot of advertising value

Back before sign ordinances limited their usage in many communities, banners were a very popular low-cost, high-impact form of advertising for small businesses…. Read More

Bob Parsons: May 2023

When James drove the company’s crane truck on to the scale with a load of signs on board, he was told he was… Read More

A clean, organized shop makes sales easier

There are obvious benefits to keeping your shop organized. When you need something, you know where to find it—if you put it back… Read More

Inbox – May 2023

Australian Letterheads, a 3D printed model sand rail and the Quebec sign museum project…   28th Annual Australian Letterheads—October 13–15, 2023 The Australian Letterheads’… Read More

Classy, formal, decorative — script fonts have a look all their own

Ah, script fonts—the fancy, curly-haired cousin of the font world. These fonts are like the divas of the design world, demanding attention and… Read More

Wall signs were once a part of every cityscape

In early days, buildings in many of the large cities were made of bricks. Much like the brick house in the children’s story… Read More

Bob and Teresa Kaschak: The evolution of a custom sign business

For the Kaschaks, their sign business has been a three-decade work-in-progress. It has evolved from a part-time basement sign shop to a full-time… Read More

Font Favorites: Doug Downey on serif fonts

Oh, serif fonts…the sophisticated, elegant, and timeless beauties of the typography world. They’re the Audrey Hepburns of fonts—the fonts that never go out… Read More

Font Favorites: Doug Downey on sans serif fonts

Ah, sans-serif fonts! The no-frills, straight-to-the-point, “I ain’t got time for serifs” of the font world. These fonts are like the James Bond… Read More

Use the first five minutes to make the client feel important

The first five minutes of talking to a new client in your office is the most important time you will ever spend with… Read More

Fast Track Signs – Making it work in a small town

Location: Bellefontaine, Ohio Shop size: 1000 sq. ft. Graphics equipment: Gerber Edge Gerber HS15 cutters Online: https://www.fasttracksigns.net/ On Facebook as FastTrack Signs and… Read More

Those fine old “ghost signs” are disappearing by the minute

A photographer with a sign background probably sees the world differently than an average photographer. That’s especially true if the photographer likes vintage… Read More

Making the Wheelsmith sign

Here’s one of those how-the-hell-do-I-do-this-jobs? I love ’em. Jayson, the client, had definite ideas of what he wanted. He cut a mock-up from… Read More

Bob Parsons: April 2023

The old sign painter was not one to throw things away because “you never know when you might need ‘em.” That included off-cuts… Read More

Download these ready-to-print panels for FREE!

Ken Tamashiro invested a lot of time learning Photoshop, and particularly in creating the look of gold or silver leaf dimensional graphics. He… Read More

Tips & Tricks: Stains for cedar backgrounds

I sometimes use cedar planks for a background to mount a sign face on, or use cedar trim on a sign. For years… Read More

Tips & Tricks: The ultimate glass cleaner

I did window splashes and window signs for over 20 years, and the first step is getting the glass really clean. The very… Read More

Tips & Tricks: Bond acrylic without the applicator bottle clogging

When gluing acrylic, as when you’re replacing channel letter faces, don’t use hypo #25 bottles. They clog very easily and it’s difficult to… Read More

Tips & Tricks: Make weeding white and light-colored vinyl graphics easier

If you are getting old and decrepit like me, it gets harder to see the lines on cut vinyl, especially white material. This… Read More