Some signs should be made just for you. Others should look exactly like every other sign of their kind. The trick is knowing which is which. A storefront sign built from a catalog makes a business look temporary. A custom designed exit or no smoking notice costs more and can confuse people who expect the standard look.
Gogi Signs designs and builds custom signs in our Linden shop for businesses across New Jersey and New York City, and we supply the standard signs that go with them. This guide compares custom signs vs ready made signs on price, lifespan and the rules that apply, then shows you how to decide sign by sign.
In this guide
Three Ways to Buy a Sign
Most locations need a mix of all three
Stock Signs
A stock sign is made in volume before anyone orders it. The message, size and colors are fixed. No parking, restroom, open and closed, and wet floor signs are typical. You order from a catalog and it ships in days.
Semi Custom Signs
A semi custom sign uses a standard size and material with your own text or logo printed on it. A 12 by 18 inch aluminum panel with your parking rules is a good example. It costs close to stock and looks like it belongs to you.
Custom Signs
A custom sign is designed for one building, one brand and one set of rules. It is sized to your sign band, built in materials that suit the spot and drawn so the town can approve it. If it lights up, it is wired and listed as a complete electric sign.
What Each Option Really Costs
| Sign | Size | Listed price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum No Parking sign | 12 by 18 inches | $19.99 | Walmart |
| ADA braille restroom sign | 9 by 6 inches | $22.40 | ComplianceSigns |
| Upload your own design sign | 12 by 18 inches | From $20.99 | SmartSign |
Those are product prices. They do not include anyone measuring your wall, checking the town rules, drawing a permit, running power or installing the sign. A custom storefront sign is priced as a finished job. At Gogi Signs, one price covers the survey, design, fabrication and installation, with a 50 percent deposit and the balance at installation. Our guide on what a business sign costs gives published ranges for the main sign types.
The real comparison is cost over the life of the sign. A cheap sign that fades in a year, or has to come down because it breaks the town rules, ends up costing more than the one built right the first time.
A standard size printed panel is quick and cheap for short term use
How Long Each Material Lasts Outdoors
What sellers and manufacturers publish
Stock outdoor signs are often printed on light materials meant for short use. Custom exterior signs are specified for years of weather. The published figures show the gap:
- Corrugated plastic. Sellers' own claims range from 6 to 12 months at 4OVER4, to around one year at Vistaprint, to 2 years or more at Signs.com.
- Aluminum composite panel. Signs.com lists an estimated lifespan of 5 years or more for its aluminum signs. The maker of DIBOND says customers report a service life of up to 20 years, depending on where the panel is installed, in its product guide.
- Cast vinyl film. The 3M Controltac 180mC bulletin lists an expected performance life of 10 years for unprinted film on a flat vertical outdoor surface, and the Avery Dennison MPI 1105 data sheet lists 10 years for vertical exposure in its test climate.
These are expected life figures under good conditions, not warranties. Printed graphics, sun exposure and how the sign is cleaned all shorten them. Our guide to the best outdoor sign materials covers New Jersey and New York weather in more detail.
Where Stock Signs Make Sense
Use a stock sign when the message is standard, people need to recognize it instantly and your brand adds nothing.
Safety and Regulatory Notices
Workplace safety signs follow a set format for a reason. OSHA’s rule on accident prevention signs explains how danger, caution and safety instruction signs are classified. A familiar layout is read faster than a creative one. Our guide to choosing custom safety signs covers the cases where a standard sign does not fit the hazard.
Standard notices keep a format people already recognize
Short Term and Back of House Signs
A parking reminder for a one week event, or a staff only sign on a storage room door, rarely justifies design time. A stock sign or a printed panel on a standard blank does the job.
Where Custom Is the Better Choice
Your Storefront Sign
The main sign has to fit your facade, meet your town’s size limit and be read from your street. A catalog sign cannot be sized to your sign band or drawn for a permit. In New Jersey, every town sets its own sign rules. Lawrence Township, for example, asks for scaled sketches of each sign and the size of the building front with every application. Our guide to storefront signs compares the main sign types.
Anything That Lights Up
Lit signs must be listed as a complete electric sign. The national electrical code requires electric signs to be listed, and in the United States they are evaluated to UL 48, as IAEI Magazine explains for inspectors. New Jersey’s electrical subcode is based on that code, according to the state’s list of adopted codes. New York City goes further: its Electrical Code says electric signs made for installation in the city are inspected by the Department of Buildings. A stock lit sign may be listed as a product, but it was never designed for your wall or your power supply.
Custom signs carry your exact logo, colors and shape
Accessible Room Signs
Many stock ADA signs meet the rules as products. The problem is that compliance also depends on the right sign at the right door at the right height. Room signs work best as one matching set made from your door schedule. Our guide to ADA sign requirements explains the details.
Brand Spaces
Lobby walls, reception areas and feature walls exist to show your brand. Dimensional letters, finishes and lighting are the whole point, so they are always custom.
Sign by Sign: Which One to Choose
Ten common signs and the usual answer
- List every sign the location needs. Outside, entrances, parking, inside, rooms, safety notices and anything temporary.
- Mark the standard messages. Exit, restroom symbols, no smoking and hazard warnings can usually be stock or semi custom.
- Mark anything that names your business. The storefront, lobby, windows and vehicles should be custom.
- Check the rules. Anything outdoors, lit or accessible has to meet the town code, the electrical code or the ADA Standards, which pushes it toward custom.
- Order it together. One order keeps colors and finishes consistent and usually means fewer install visits.
Our guide to planning a complete business sign package shows how that list becomes one coordinated order.
Mixing Stock and Custom in One Order
Most businesses end up with a mix. A typical shop might have custom channel letters out front, custom window graphics, a semi custom parking panel, a matching set of ADA room signs and a few stock safety notices. Buying them from one supplier keeps the look consistent and puts one person in charge of the details.
Semi custom panels put your own message on a standard format
Temporary signs follow the same logic. Our sister shop in New York compares paper, vinyl and coroplast for short term promotions, and Pixel Wraps, our sister graphics shop, explains the same choice for vehicles in short term vs long term wrap materials.
Checking a Stock Sign Before You Buy
If a stock sign is the right call, a few checks keep you from buying twice:
- Material and thickness. Aluminum lasts far longer outdoors than corrugated plastic. Check what the listing actually says.
- Outdoor rating. Look for UV resistant inks or a laminate if the sign faces the sun.
- Mounting. Pre drilled holes, adhesive or a post kit. Make sure it suits your wall or fence.
- ADA claims. For room signs, check raised characters, braille and a non glare finish, and plan where each one goes.
- Listing for lit signs. A lit open sign or light box should carry a UL or similar listing mark.
Common Questions About Custom vs Ready Made Signs
Are ready made signs cheaper than custom signs?
Per sign, almost always. Online sellers list small stock signs for around $20. Over the life of the sign the gap narrows, because stock outdoor signs often use lighter materials and are replaced sooner.
Can a stock sign be my main storefront sign?
It can, but it rarely works well. A stock sign cannot be sized to your sign band or drawn for a permit, and most New Jersey towns review the main wall sign against size and placement rules.
Are stock ADA signs compliant?
Many are, as products. Compliance also depends on the right sign at the right door at the right height, so room signs are best ordered as a matching set from your door schedule.
How long do aluminum signs last outside?
Signs.com lists 5 years or more for its aluminum composite signs, and the maker of DIBOND says customers report up to 20 years depending on where the panel is installed. Printed graphics and sun exposure shorten that.
Do lit signs need to be UL listed?
Yes. The national electrical code requires electric signs to be listed, and in the United States they are evaluated to UL 48. New York City also inspects electric signs made for installation in the city.
What is a semi custom sign?
A standard size and material with your own text or logo, such as a 12 by 18 inch aluminum panel with your parking rules. It costs close to stock but looks like it was made for your building.
Get the Right Mix of Signs
Send us a list of the signs you need, or a few photos of your building, and we will tell you which ones are worth making custom and which are fine from stock. Request a free quote or browse our sign gallery for ideas.
Sources and further reading
- Walmart: 12 by 18 inch aluminum No Parking sign
- ComplianceSigns: ADA braille restroom sign
- SmartSign: custom sign prices
- 4OVER4: how long coroplast signs last outside
- Vistaprint: yard signs
- Signs.com: yard signs
- Signs.com: aluminum signs
- 3A Composites: DIBOND product guide
- 3M: Controltac 180mC product bulletin
- Avery Dennison: MPI 1105 data sheet
- OSHA: accident prevention signs and tags
- Lawrence Township NJ: sign application
- IAEI Magazine: inspecting and approving electric signs
- New Jersey DCA: current construction codes
- NYC Department of Buildings: New York City Electrical Code
