Whether your business is brand new to an area and hasn’t gotten much traction yet, or you’ve been a staple in town forever and you just need a bit of a revamp, it may be time for some stunning outdoor signage that no one walking or driving by can resist. But given the cost of running a business of any size — along with the mental drain of managing numerous constantly shifting priorities — you might find yourself dreading the search for pricing on such a change.
If that’s where you find yourself, you’re in luck. Here at Integra Graphics Synergy, we’ve helped many companies find their ideal exterior signage, and we know just how critical an up-front discussion is about what adds to and subtracts from that final price tag…
…Without any surprises finding their way onto your final invoice!
So to achieve that goal and make this whole process a bit easier for you, we’ve put together an overview of the average cost of what some might refer to as “standard” exterior signage. From there, we’ll look at factors that drive that average price up, factors that lower it back down and what effects those changes will have on the size, appearance and longevity of your exterior signage.
By the time you’re done reading through this breakdown, you should have a pretty good idea of whether or not outdoor signage is right for your company at this time. If the answer is yes, you’ll also know which bells and whistles are must-haves and which you can live without.
If you’re like most business owners or marketing executives, you’ve got enough headaches associated with the workplace to keep Tylenol in business. Let’s make sure signage isn’t one of them!
What Do Standard Outdoor Signs Typically Cost?
While it’s not possible to nail down the exact cost of every single sign in every single location across the United States, we can certainly offer some averages, and to do so, we’re going to start with what you probably think of as a billboard. It’s generally two posts in the ground, with one large sign panel in between. When you walk or drive by, you’re bound to see what the business name, offer or special is. These signs typically have the following specs:
- Size: Sheet of up to 4’ by 8’
- Shape: Standard rectangle without contouring
- Material: Aluminum composite material (ACM) board with composite filler
- Contouring: None (flat)
- Printed on: One side
- Typical average price before installation: $1,500
Now, let’s take a look at how you can jazz up your outdoor signage, and how much each method will increase your costs. But first, if you'd like to get an estimate on your project's timeline, click below to access our timeline calculator.
5 Features That Increase the Cost of Exterior Signage
The number of actions you can take to change the design of your sign are far too vast to list here, but the following five tried-and-true strategies should get your brainstorming process rolling.
1. Boost Your Sign’s Size
The standard billboard tends to grab quite a bit of attention on its own, but sometimes you need to ‘go big or go home,’ as the saying goes. The easiest and most common way to expand your exterior signage would be to tile the typical 4’ by 8’ boards together to get your desired size.
Keep in mind that the seams between boards may be visible within about 10 feet, depending on your design choices.
Average cost increase: 30% of standard price per additional panel
2. Print on Both Sides
Depending on the positioning of your building and the signage itself, you might be able to catch people where they’re coming and going. In other words, if passersby and drivers could potentially see both sides of your sign, you can print on both sides rather than just one. Doing so will increase your printing costs by about a third if you’re printing directly onto your substrate without any special letter contouring.
Average cost increase: About 30% per panel
3. Choose a Specialized Shape
One fun way to make your sign stand out from the crowd is to make the sign itself into a fun shape. A billboard with a cupcake on it is one thing, but a billboard that is a cupcake by shape is a whole other level.
Since the vast majority of companies choose square or rectangular signage and rely exclusively on their printed graphics to grab attention, a contour cut sign in the shape of something that represents your business might be just what you need to get some buzz going about your location. With CNC cutting, your imagination is the limit.
Average cost increase: About 20% of standard price
4. Add Contour-Cut Dimensions (PVC)
Want to give your sign a layered, 3D appearance? With contour-cut letters, you can make one or both sides of your sign look like they’re standing out past the surface of the sign. Whether it’s your logo, the letters in your sign’s messaging or a fun part of your display you’re especially proud of, contour cutting can give your sign that little extra something.
Cost on this feature is incredibly variable. The main factor is how much extra material needs to be adhered to your sign, since this is done through layering.
Average cost increase: About 30% of standard price
5. Light It Up
Top-notch lighting options are almost limitless for exterior signage, and they have a similarly wide-ranging effect on corresponding cost. Maybe you want to light your sign from the inside, which will be a part of the sign design itself and allow the sign to act as its own lightbox. Other options include lighting from behind, from the side or from the front.
The next consideration with lighting is whether you'd prefer hardwired or solar-powered sign lights. Do you have a nearby source of power. If not, you may need to dig trenching and lay wires. Another option is to choose solar power, but installation does come with its own set of drawbacks with solar-powered options, such as large, sometimes cumbersome LCD panels that gather energy. The lighting will also be weak or nonexistent if the panels pull too little power to keep them running.
Or perhaps you’d rather pull power from inside of your building, which will either mean keeping the sign close to home or digging a trench for its wires. Remember that you might see an uptick in your electricity bill from this type of lighting, but it shouldn’t be significant.
Average cost increase: About 35% of standard price on standard size
Additional Cost Factors to Keep in Mind as You Budget for Your Outside Sign Project
We’ve listed the “hard” sign and budget changes — physical characteristics of your exterior signs that you can expect to drive price in some direction. Next up are some of the more service-based add-ons that many find helpful, especially when it comes to avoiding common exterior signage problems that often arise.
Initial Site Visit
Most sign companies will charge a fee to come out to your site and help you figure out placement for your new sign. Such a visit is critical to a truly reflective mockup before approval, but it takes time and money for these professionals to make the trip. This fee is often based on mileage and can be fairly predictable, but it varies from company to company.
Township Zoning and Permits
If you already know your sign placement, size, material and design are approved and fall within municipal regulations and requirements, you can skip right past this section, as it won’t pertain to you. If you have no clue, however, then you may want to consider budgeting for associated fees.
Some sign companies and brokers will gladly work with you to help smooth out the zoning and permitting part of the process, but it takes time and effort, and therefore comes with its own associated fees.
Your township will want to check and approve or reject the building of any permanent — and sometimes even semi-permanent — signage, so keep this part of the equation top of mind as you navigate next steps. Ignoring municipal regulations can result in fines and the removal of the signs you’ve invested in, so it’s not a step to be skipped.
If your signage company will handle the regulations and gather the appropriate approvals for your project, their pricing for the service will likely vary based on the complexity and amount of time involved. Be sure to include this request in the early planning stages, as it should be included in the quote you sign and approve.
Site Delivery
Depending on what company you work with and how they build out their quotes and invoices, you may need to keep delivery costs in mind. You should be given at least an estimate of what delivery fees might come out to, but shipping is the most volatile, variable pricing component for just about any project with deliverable parts.
Installation
One of the biggest sign cost factors for lots of companies is installation. If you plan to take the DIY route, this cost factor won’t apply to you, and you can find numerous how-to signage installation videos online.
Some sign professionals will help with installation for a significant cost increase for their labor. Others might help direct you to some construction professionals in your local area, and you’ll need to make pricing decisions and adjustments based on your own research.
Go Forth and Budget Confidently for Your Outdoor Signage
Maybe you started this signage journey with little to no information about what an outdoor sign might run you and what would go into those numbers. It’s a lot to think about, especially on top of actually designing your signs and avoiding common problems with them.
Hopefully by now, you have a strong idea of what you might be looking at for pricing, and how each one of your decisions will affect the buying process and overall invoice digits.
Ready to decide whether now is the time to learn more about designing a custom printed outdoor sign? Or perhaps you’ve decided to go for it, and you’d like to know a little bit about the best signage companies available to you. Either way, we can’t wait to see your signage out in the wild someday soon!
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