Yard signs are corrugated plastic (often called coroplast) printed on one or both sides and pushed into the ground on a wire H-stake. They are in the Signs lane alongside the rigid PVC, polystyrene and aluminum panels for when you need something more permanent.
Sizes
- 18 x 24 inches: the standard for real estate, contractors, campaigns and events. Fits a stock H-stake.
- 12 x 18 inches: directional arrows, "open house", short messages at a driveway.
- 24 x 36 inches: the large yard sign, for a corner lot or a message with a photo.
- Graduation and event signs: the same board with a photo and name, single sided for a front yard.
Single or double sided
If the sign sits parallel to the road and is seen from one direction, single sided is enough. If it stands at a corner, along a path, or perpendicular to the street so traffic passes it from both directions, go double sided; the second side costs less than a second sign.
Stakes and orientation
An H-stake is a bent wire frame whose two prongs slide up into the corrugated flutes. That means the flutes must run vertically on the finished sign, which is why 18 x 24 signs are printed "portrait" with the flutes up and down. Order stakes with the signs; they are in the yard sign hardware group. In hard or frozen ground, start the holes with a screwdriver.
Artwork that reads from a moving car
- Seven words or fewer. A name, what you do, a phone number.
- Letters at least 3 inches tall for the main line; 1 inch of letter height per 10 feet of reading distance.
- High contrast: dark on light or light on dark. Avoid mid-tone colors on mid-tone backgrounds and thin script fonts.
- Keep text 1 inch inside the edge. Build at 18.25 x 24.25 inches for the bleed.
- Photos print fine on coroplast at 100 dpi, but they compete with the words; use one or the other as the hero.
When to move up to a rigid sign
Coroplast is for weeks to a season. For a sign that stays up for years, the same lane has 3 mm aluminum composite panels, PVC and polystyrene, plus A-frames and snap frames for changeable inserts. The artwork rules are the same; only the material changes.
Ready to print? Browse the catalog, sign in for a live quote by size and quantity, and upload your file when you add the item to the cart. Not sure the file is right? The file check runs before checkout, and our designers can fix it or build it from your notes.