The 5 Biggest Problems With Custom Printed Outdoor Signage and How to Fix Them

One of the first questions you might be asking yourself about exterior signage for your business is how you can get your signs up without much hassle. Maybe you’ve heard horror stories about municipal regulations, faded colors or blown out lighting, and you’re just not looking to deal with stressors. And who could blame you?

At Integra Graphics Synergy, we work with several top-notch sign professionals to provide companies just like yours with everything from conception to design to installation to aftercare.

In other words, we’ve seen it all. While we can’t promise you’ll never face any problems with your exterior signage, we can certainly help you prepare for the possibilities and avoid as many issues as possible.

So before you get overwhelmed and scrap the whole signage project altogether, let’s walk through some of the issues common with exterior signage, as well as how best to handle or altogether avoid those problems the easiest way with the space you want to decorate.

Once you’ve made your way through this signage blog post, you’ll be ready to get your signs up without worrying so much about municipal regulations, blown out lights, color issues, architectural instability or smaller inconveniences like bugs and buzzing.

If only the rest of life were so easy to destress!

1. Municipal Regulations for Custom Exterior Signage

The problems: Restrictions, codes, zoning. Your local region will have restrictions and requirements for any permanent and sometimes even semi-permanent structures, including your permanent outdoor signage. If you misstep here, you could find yourself in legal trouble, which could lead to fines or even full removal of your carefully designed and installed signage. The best sign in the world won’t do you any good if it’s stuck somewhere in storage.

The solutions: The important part is that you check with the proper authorities on the matter. Every area is different, so we can’t tell you exactly who to talk to or where to go, but we can say that just about every region has some set of rules for what structures and signage can be permanently established. Your signage professional might be able to handle the zoning and appropriate approvals for you for a fee if you’d rather take a hands-off approach.

2. Lighting Failures in Outdoor Spaces With Signage

The problems: We’ve all driven past a CVS or Walmart in the middle of the night and tried to pronounce the brand without whatever letters happen to be burnt out that week. It’s funny when it’s not our own brands, but it’s one of the first concerns you probably have when you’re ready to erect and light your own sign. Nobody wants to get a city-approved, well-lit sign that looks awesome for a month but then has spotty light the next month.

The solutions: Lights burn out eventually. That’s just a sad fact of our modern life. But with every uncontrollable variable, you’ll find a bundle of factors you can carefully manage, and this situation is no different. For one, while certain lighting solutions can cost more at installation, they’re likely to last longer and serve you better. Some of the choices you can make that will affect the longevity of your sign lights include:

• Light type: You’ve probably heard of the two primary types of bulbs you might find in your sign lights — halogens and LEDs. You’ll avoid the well-known, thoroughly obnoxious problem of heat building up from halogen bulbs if you opt into LED bulbs, sidestepping the prospect of melted signage components while you’re at it.
  
  
• Power source: You’ll have numerous options to choose from by way of powering your exterior lights, some more efficient and reliable than others. Solar power is one option that doesn’t take much setup, but it will depend on proper placement and sunny days. Hardwiring is another great option, but you may need to dig trenches to hide the cords and keep the lights functional.
  
  
• Placement: If your sign is lit from the inside rather than externally, it’ll be more difficult to manage the problem each time a bulb blows out. In fact, assuming your sign is well-built and weatherproofed, you may need to reach out to your sign professional for fixes, since they’ll know how to access the lights, fix or replace them and then reassemble and reseal the affected components. If you aren’t hardline on the lightbox aesthetic, you can consider simpler alternatives, like exterior lighting from the front or back of the sign.

3. Color Washouts in Your Outdoor Signage

You probably have your signage design all figured out. Maybe it’s going to be a giant version of your logo, or perhaps you want to try something new to excite your clientele. Whatever it’s going to be, the color no doubt matters, sometimes more than anything else for readability, positive branding and community recognition. Some factors can make your signage colors look different than they did in the design phase. A few of the most common problem areas, along with some viable solutions, include:

• The improper substrate: When you look at your sign colors in the proofing stage, remember that they won’t necessarily look exactly the same in real life as they do in a digital mockup. Your signage professional will do their best to get as close as possible, but the material your sign is made out of — aluminum, PVC plastic, ACM board with a composite filling, vinyl that affixes to your substrate rather than printing directly onto the substrate — will affect how the colors show up after they’ve been applied.
  
  
• Bad artificial lighting: You may want to light your signs so that they’re visible even in the dead of night. We don’t blame you — a good sign should be seen from every angle at any hour, right? But make sure you do some test runs with the lights you choose vs. the placement of your signage, especially if the lights will be on night and day. Whether they’re internal or external light sources, any enhancements should be exactly that, and not detract from your design’s colors by shining in all the wrong places.
  
  
• Shadows at certain times of day: Remember that your sign colors might look a little different in twilight hours than it does in the wee hours of the morning. This might sound like common sense, but it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of the design phase and forget that the great outdoors comes with its own set of unique characteristics that can sometimes change the best laid visual plans.
  
  
• Weathering/wear and tear: Speaking of Mother Nature, she tends to take a “survival of the fittest” attitude toward just about anything that’s placed outside long-term. If you don’t want to deal with melting, peeling or dulling colors, consider the climate you live in and plan accordingly. You may choose to print with UV-cured ink to avoid damage from sunlight. You could also add a protective laminate to the entire sign, for instance. Your sign expert should be able to brainstorm with you about an adequate solution so that your signs stay looking great for years to come.

4. Structural or Architectural Breakdowns in Signs Installed Outside

The problems: Depending on your business’s location and the ordinances of the local area, you may have a few options in terms of installation. You could have a double-sided freestanding sign that’s mounted between two posts, a single-sided sign that’s mounted on posts facing out from your building or a single-sided sign that’s mounted directly on the building. If any one of these signs is not properly installed from the start, it could cause damage to the sign or building rather quickly.

The solutions: Building-mounted signage must pass architectural standards to avoid causing damage to the building or sign. You’ll want to consult with the architect of your building to make sure the weight, size, placement and mounting methods will work with the substrate of the building. Independently mounted signage needs to have large enough posts to support the sign’s weight, and they should be dug at least 2 to 3 feet into the ground.

5. Miscellaneous Concerns With Outdoor Signage Setups

The problems: So many issues can and do come up with signage that it would be downright silly to list every potential pitfall here. Some common themes exist, though, and you’ll want to make sure you’re well-informed before you decide on the details and sign on the dotted lines. Some problems and their potential solutions include:

• Heat: As mentioned, certain types of lighting will get hotter than others. Incandescent bulbs specifically tend to throw off a lot of heat, which can melt ink and acrylic from inside your sign. If you need lots of lighting that will come from several bulbs and stay on some or most of the time, consider aiming for LEDs.
  
  
• Insects: Lots of things attract bugs, from bright colors to heat to moisture to, of course, light. Remember to avoid spaces where bugs might get trapped and die if it will detract from the visual appeal or functionality of your signage.
  
  
• Residents: Most residential concerns will be handled by the time you’ve acquired the permissions you need for your outside signs, but it’s best to be extra careful than to regret an expensive display after it’s already been installed. If your sign is considered garish by the locals, or installed lights interrupt their sleep, it’s a safe bet that your signage will have the opposite effect of drawing business.

Aim to Futureproof Your Exterior Signage and Avoid Common Problems

Nobody in the world wants to invest money in something that will cause them grief and possibly even harm their business, and you are no exception. But it’s never easy to anticipate potential breakdowns and prepare for every possibility, especially in an outdoor space, where conditions are more variable.

While these worries may have been on your mind before you came here, we hope you’ve learned some of the major problems that could occur and how to bolster your signage against the majority of them. Keep the above tips in mind as you move through your signage installation project and choose the best designs for your space.

If the next thing on your to-do list is to figure out what kind of outdoor signage fits into your budget, we’ve got you covered. And if you think you might want to opt for temporary signage options for your outdoor space, learn more about your options and what they cost here.

Godspeed, dearest readers — if we’re ever in your area, we hope to drive past your company’s most epic signage and see absolutely zero noticeable problems!