The hours decal on your door does a quiet but important job. It tells people walking by when to come back, and it saves you calls asking if you are open. Yet it is often the most rushed decal on a storefront.
A few simple choices make hours easy to read from the sidewalk and easy to update later.
In this guide
- Store Hours Decals at a Glance
- Where to Put Hours
- How Big the Letters Should Be
- Fonts and Colors That Read Best
- Inside or Outside the Glass
- Plan for Changes
- What Else Belongs on the Door
- Lettering for Two Languages
- Night Visibility
- Matching the Rest of the Storefront
- How We Handle Window Decals Jobs
- Common Questions About Store Hours Decals
- Keep It Simple
Store Hours Decals at a Glance
Where to Put Hours
- On the entry door, at eye level, roughly between chest and eye height for an adult.
- On the side of the handle, so people see it while reaching for the door.
- Repeat on a window if the door is set back or hidden from the sidewalk.
Keep the decal clear of push bars and door closers, and away from the area where people place their hands.
How Big the Letters Should Be
A useful rule of thumb in the sign trade is about one inch of letter height for every ten feet of reading distance for good legibility. Hours are read up close, so the day names and times usually work at around one to two inches tall. The business name above them can be larger.
Fonts and Colors That Read Best
- Choose a simple sans serif or a clean serif. Avoid thin scripts for the times.
- White vinyl reads well on most glass. Black reads well on light frosted glass.
- Line up the days and times in two columns so the eye scans quickly.
- Use the same font as the rest of your storefront for a tidy look.
Our guide to readable sign typography goes deeper.
Inside or Outside the Glass
Hours on the outside face of the glass are the crispest to read. Hours on the inside face are protected from weather, cleaning and scraping. For doors that get washed often, inside mounting with a reverse cut decal is a good choice.
Plan for Changes
Hours change with seasons and holidays. To avoid redoing the door, cut the times as separate pieces, so one line can be swapped. Some shops add a small holiday hours panel that goes up and comes down each year.
What Else Belongs on the Door
- Street number, if it is not on the facade.
- Phone number and website.
- Accepted payment or delivery app stickers, kept in one tidy row.
- Accessible entrance information if your main door is not accessible; see the ADA accessibility standards.
Lettering for Two Languages
Many New Jersey and New York City storefronts serve customers in more than one language. Put both versions in matching columns with the same font and size, so neither looks like an afterthought. Keep days and times in numerals that both languages share, and let only the day names change.
Night Visibility
Hours are read most often when the store is closed, often at night. White vinyl on dark tinted glass reads well under street light. If the entry is dark, a small lit sign above the door or an interior light near the glass makes the hours readable. Our guide to how color affects sign visibility covers contrast in more detail.
Matching the Rest of the Storefront
Hours should look like part of the same brand as the main sign. Use the same font family as your channel letters or window lettering, and the same color as the logo or plain white. For a fully matched front, see our window decals and gold leaf decals.
How We Handle Window Decals Jobs
Every window decals job at Gogi Signs follows the same path from our Linden, New Jersey shop. It starts with a site survey or photos of the space, then a scaled layout from our sign design team. We check the town rules through our sign permits service when the graphic counts as a sign, cut or print it in house through our vinyl cutting and print shop, and our own crews handle graphics installation across New Jersey and New York City. When old graphics or signs have to come down first, the sign removal crew does it in the same visit.
Most clients pair window decals with related work such as window wraps, window frosting and gold leaf decals. See the full range on our vinyl graphics page or browse more guides on the Gogi Signs blog.
Common Questions About Store Hours Decals
How long do hours decals last?
Quality cut vinyl on glass often lasts several years. Inside mounting lasts longer.
Can I put hours on a tinted door?
Yes. White or light colors read best on dark tint.
Do hours decals need a permit?
In many towns hours are exempt from window sign limits, but check your local code.
Can you install just the hours?
Yes. Small jobs like hours and door lettering are common.
Can hours be printed instead of cut?
Yes, but cut vinyl looks cleaner on glass and is easier to update line by line.
What color reads best on clear glass?
White reads well in most light. On a bright interior, add a thin dark outline.
Keep It Simple
Readable letters, a clear layout and the right spot on the door. New York shops follow the same practice; see Signs NY window decals. The same lettering works on vans; see the vehicle lettering from Pixel Wraps, our sister graphics shop. Order yours through our window decals page or our vinyl cutting service.
Sources and further reading
- U.S. Access Board: ADA standards
- ORAFOL: ORACAL 651 intermediate calendered film
- Avery Dennison: graphics solutions
- eCode360: municipal codes
- ORAFOL: ORACAL 351 metallic polyester film
- 3M: graphics and signage films
- Society of Gilders
- ORAFOL: ORACAL 751C high performance cast film
- Signs NY: window decals
- Pixel Wraps: vehicle lettering
