Shop sign maker

How it prints

Each sign is set so it reads in the right order from the street. The main words, such as Open, SALE or Back in 10 minutes, are lettered as large as the sheet allows, and every other line is held to a little over half their size. The open and closed pair prints as two sheets with the same layout and the same lettering size, with punch marks at the two top corners in the same place on both, so the sheets line up when glued back to back and hung on a cord. Opening hours print as a table, one row per day typed as Monday = 9am to 5pm, with alternate rows shaded, the shop name above and an optional note below.

A4 suits a door; A3 (29.7 by 42 cm) suits a shop window and is read from about twice as far away. You can print A3 on an A3 printer, or at a print shop or library. The solid band style puts the main words in white on a block of colour, which is what catches the eye from across a street; the border style is white with a double coloured frame and uses much less ink. A sign is one colour or black and white, since a mix of colours on a door reads as clutter. A notice can add a large block arrow pointing down, left or right, to a bell, a side door or a counter.