You're not alone if you've ever tried to hang signs, artwork, or plaques on freshly painted walls, only to watch your tape fail miserably. The culprit? Low-VOC paints. While these eco-friendly paints are great for indoor air quality and sustainability, they present a real challenge when it comes to adhesion.

But don't worry; Epic Signs now uses "SecureStick", a great new solution by Repros Engineering for installing graphics on Low-VOC walls.

WHY DOES TAPE FAIL ON LOW-VOC PAINTS?

Low-VOC paints have revolutionized the painting industry, making indoor spaces safer and greener. However, this innovation comes with some frustrating side effects, especially when you're trying to use traditional adhesives. Here's why regular tape just doesn't cut it:

• Softer, More Porous Finish. Low-VOC paints contain fewer harsh chemicals, resulting in a softer surface, making it harder for adhesives to bond appropriately.
• Extended Drying & Curing Time. Even if the paint feels dry, it may still be too soft to hold the tape securely.
• Alternative Resins & Binders. The ingredients that make Low-VOC paints safer also make them less compatible with standard tapes.
• Paint Finish Matters. Matte, eggshell, and satin finishes are common in Low-VOC paints, but their textured surfaces can reduce adhesion even further.

THE GAME-CHANGER: SECURESTICK TAPE

SecureStick was engineered to apply to "hard to stick surfaces" and it also works with Low-VOC surfaces. It is designed with superior adhesion technology to ensure your graphics and signs stick and stay on your wall. Here's why SecureStick is a great solution:

• Universal Compatability. It works better on Low-VOC finishes, including matte, eggshell, and satin.
• Reliable & Long-Lasting. Adheres securely even on softer, less-cured surfaces.
• Perfect for Business & Commercial Use. It is ideal for signage, wayfinding, ADA compliance plaques, and other professional applications.
• Great for Temporary and Permanent Installations: SecureStick is perfect for applying wayfinding signs, plaques, and ADA signs to walls with Low-VOC paint surfaces, but the foam allows for better removability when new signs need to be installed.

WE UPGRADED TO SECURESTICK FOR BETTER INSTALLATION RESULTS

At Epic Signs, we don't let tape troubles slow us down! Whether we are installing signage in an office, retail space, or public building, SecureStick ensures a smooth installation experience every time.  Say goodbye to peeling and failing tape and hello to a professional, polished finish! Just remember these steps we follow to get the best results when using SecureStick and other products on Low-VOC walls:

• Allow Proper Paint Curing Time. Even if your paint feels dry, give it the full recommended curing period before applying tape.
• Use a Primer Coat. A good primer can enhance adhesion and make tape applications more reliable.
• Test Before Full Application. Always do a a small test area to ensure SecureStick meets your needs.
• Prep Your Surface. Clean, dry, and grease-free walls provide the best adhesion results.

This is why Epic Signs uses SecureStick to make your graphics stick!

If you are looking for professional graphics or signs using SecureStick, contact Epic Signs & Graphics at (440) 799-8235 or email info@EpicSignsCleveland.com. We have developed a variety of solutions to address hard-to-stick surfaces.

WHERE TO GET SECURESTICK

For more information on SecureStick, contact Repros, Inc. at 800-666-3364 x105 or email Heather.Oneil@ReprosInc.com

Navigating a school building is like finding your way through a maze. Whether you’re on a college campus or the grounds of an elementary school, it is so simple for anyone to get lost. It begins by locating the proper building, followed by figuring out parking and entrances, and then finally finding your way through endless hallways, alleys and staircases inside the structure to get to your destination. It can certainly be frustrating and it takes practice! But having clear signage inside and out of your school’s campus will help everyone get on the right path. Plus you can do it all while promoting school spirit!

Signage Needs in Schools

There are many instances when it’s important for a school to convey directions or a message to students, staff and guests.

• Safety: This comes first on the list for a reason—everyone’s safety is of the upmost importance. In general, a lot of the direction in this category comes from state and local requirements and guidelines. But beyond signage for safety exits and evacuation plans, schools need signs for pedestrian traffic, school crossings and speed calming signs. Standard metal signs on stakes will help with many of these needs.
  

• Exterior Directional: Beyond safety directions, there are many reasons a school will need other directional signage outside of the building. Signs are needed to direct traffic for carline pick-ups, bus pick-up/drop-off areas, and parking spot signs for visitors. For larger campuses, signs are often needed to direct drivers and delivery trucks toward popular buildings and areas of campus. Again, metal signs will work for these needs, as well as wooden post signs.

• Interior Directional: The maze continues! Not only will students need to find their way to your building, but inside as well. Directional signs help students find their way to certain wings of a building, a cluster of classrooms, the auditorium or gymnasium. But individual room signs are also necessary so students can find their specific classroom, a restroom or office.

• Building Welcome: Is it clear to newcomers that they have indeed found the right building? It’s important for a building to have the school name attached to the outside of the building, as well as street signs welcoming people to the school. This is a sign that often gets overlooked. Schools are usually happy to just stick with what’s been there for decades. But having dimensional letters attached to the building with its name is important, as well as a street sign (which can be a standard sign, or electronic for announcing important upcoming events and due date reminders).

• COIVD-19: The pandemic brings additional needs for signage—by showing the proper direction to walk to minimize crowding in halls and safety markers so students keep a safe distance in lunch lines and from the office desks. These can be done through vinyl wall and floor art, making them easily removable.

• Team Spirit: Using signs to decorate and promote school unity and team spirit is definitely one of the more fun sides to school signage. Window clings are great for projecting a message as people enter your building (the clings are see-through from the inside), and creating colorful, promotional window posters for display cases also will get your message across. Vinyl wall panels can help brighten up a hallway and cheer on your students.

Get an A+ for Proper School Signage

There are so many ways Epic Signs can help your school provide people with the directions they need and promote school spirit. Whether it’s through interior vinyl wall panels or exterior digital signage, we can help get your message across. 

For Sale signs, windows boarded up, landscape not kept up with… This is a familiar scene across America right now as we continue to face a global pandemic and a major recession. In fact, according to the Washington Post, over 100,000 small businesses have closed since March. With small businesses closing left and right, if your business is still going strong, it’s important to project stability to your customers and prospects. It’s also critical to let people know, “Yes, you are open!” so they don’t pass you by. One way to do this is by having effective business signage.

Here’s the Math: It’s Affordable

Many businesses are being careful with their spending right now. But those businesses that continue to invest in themselves are the ones who will step ahead of their conservative competitors. They are the ones people are seeing and hearing!

Example: Let’s make a conservative estimate that 10,000 vehicles pass your business every day (that’s the average for a moderate to low traffic area). And a newspaper ad in the Plain Dealer has the possibility of reaching 125,000 readers in a day. Divide 125,000 by 10,000, and you will find that the sign reaches the same value as the paper ad within 12.5 days. Signs last much longer than that, of course, so you can expect the cost per impression to be quite low over time. Plus, the business sign does something the ad does not do: It delivers multiple impressions to your potential client base. This helps build your brand recognition.

Good Signs are a Sign of Good Business

So how can you update your exterior marketing without breaking the bank? We have some ideas! Are you more likely to check out a business with outdated or home-printed signs or one with modern graphics clearly more recently applied? Fresh signage builds trust! Here are some low-cost signage updates you can consider:

• Window Signage: By applying full-color perforated window graphics to your store front windows, it not only makes a statement, but it provides additional marketing space and can be see-thru on the inside.

• Yard Signs: Remind passers-by you’re here and in business with simple signs on the street. Use them to highlight features like drive-thru availability.

• Banners: If you’re adding a new service or changing a service in a lasting way, share and promote it with banners in front of your building or on the nearby roadways.

Signs are Simple, Effective & Affordable

We are living in an odd time. There are so many places going out of business, so it’s your duty to make sure your customers and prospects know you’re still there for them. Drive by your business and assess where you can do a better job of showing off your business. Then let us help you figure out the sign that best accomplish your goals.

When small business owners are first starting out, especially if they are doing business directly to consumers, they are faced with the important question of how they should spend their money most efficiently to get their brand known in the market place. To help answer this question, we took a look at a study from the United States Chamber of Commerce in which 2,475 consumers were asked how they learned about businesses.

• 50 percent learned from an on-premises sign
• 33 percent heard about it by word of mouth
• 9 percent read about the business in the paper
• 6 percent used the Yellow Pages
• 1 percent television
• 1 percent radio

It follows, then, that the best way to promote your business and avoid failure is to invest in the best business sign you can afford. This, of course, is in addition to providing excellent products and services to your customers once they find you, that way they will tell their friends and family to visit you.

Signage Is Also Cost Effective

BuExterior wall signs for Cleveland OH is an effective way to build your brand. To help drive this point, consider the example of comparing advertising in the local paper, the most common way to advertise, to the cost of good signage. Typically a commitment is required to run ads in the newspaper for an extended period of time. It's possible a newspaper ad can run as much as $7.25 per column inch, about 2" x 3". At that rate the coast would be $43.50 for one day.

The cost of signage for businesses in Cleveland OH vary greatly depending on the project. For the sake of argument, though, let us go with a lighted building sign, with LED lighting. This project might cost around $3,000. The $43.50 per day in a newspaper ad would add up to $3000 in 40 days. The sign remains in place day in and day out for many visable impressions.

Now, let us make the conservative estimate that 10,000 vehicles pass your business every day. This would be average for a moderate to low traffic area. By dividing 125,000 by 10,000, you find that the sign reaches the same value as the paper ad within 12.5 days. Signs last much longer than that, of course, so you can expect the cost per impression to be quite low over time. Plus, the business sign does something the ad does not do: it delivers multiple impressions to your potential client base. This helps build your brand recognition.

Bad Signs Will Cost Your Company

It is well worth keeping your sign current and in good shape if you want to attract customers. In general, we try to keep our blog posts positive, but we must mention that worn, outdated, or poorly made wall signs can actually hurt sales. Customers want businesses that engender trust. Shabby signage shows potential consumers that you do not pay attention to detail, and they may not be able to tell that you are even still in business.

For your one stop business sign solutions outside, inside, or for your vehicles, contact Epic Signs & Graphics for a free consultation and we will coordinate all your signs to work in concerrt with each other so you will benefit from a good investment.

You essentially have two choices when deciding on how to stripe your ride: vinyl adhesive stripes or painted on stripes. There is a third option of duct tape, but we think you will agree that this option is to be avoided at all costs unless you are making a parody of Fast and Furious.

There are both pros and cons associated with vinyl and painted on stripes. The two types are basically indistinguishable from each other, yet vinyl stripes are much less expensive. The owner of this Dodge Dart Rallye recognized this and called on Epic Signs & Graphics for Dodge Dart racing stripes in Cleveland.

About the Dodge Dart Rallye

The Dodge Dart Rallye is a fun little car. It has a limited edition 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine, which produces 184 lb-ft of torque at 2500 rpm. It is a nice ride for long distance trips with 39 miles per gallon fuel economy, yet it also has a good amount of get up and go. The Dart Rallye can get from 0 to 60 mph in about eight seconds. And, it just looks awesome with the orange factory paint job.

When the owner of such a sweet vehicle came to us for racing stripes, we jumped at the chance to work on her car. After discussing with the owner exactly what she wanted, we went right to work. We used our highest quality 3M car vinyl and paid close attention to detail, working with the precise contours of the car. In the end, she was ecstatic about the job we did: yet another satisfied customer!

Painted on Stripes Vs. Vinyl

At this point, you may be wondering, “What are the best racing stripes for my car in Cleveland?” To help you decide, we have put together the pros and cons of the two main types.

Depending on the materials that are used and who does the job, painted on racing stripes can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000. As part of the process, only the area of the car that is to be striped will be exposed, while the rest of the car is taped off. They will then sand the area and spray the paint on. In the end, you have a stripe that will typically last longer than a vinyl stripe. Unfortunately, once a racing stripe is painted on, it is difficult to remove or alter.

Vinyl stripes are just a fraction of the cost of a paint job. You can have your car back the same day, whereas you may have to give up your car for a week or more to get a stripe painted on. Also, take a close look at the Dodge Dart Rallye above. Notice it is impossible to tell if it is vinyl or painted on.  Plus, you can protect the resale value of your vehicle, since the racing stripe is easily removed.

All in all, vinyl is the more cost effective way to go. And, having the professionals at Epic Signs & Graphics do the job will ensure it is done right. Contact us for a free consultation!

The unofficial polls are showing that the races are tight. Many area voters are beginning to get serious about learning about the candidates and ballot measures so they can make informed decisions. Election Day is right around the corner, and it is crunch time for local campaigns. To help you with your final surge before voters go to the polls, check out these ways to make your political signs work for you.

1. Encourage Political Participation

Campaign signs offer supporters a way to voice their opinions, feel connected to a measure or candidate, and to express themselves politically. To become part of the total campaign experience, political scientists say that yard signs are important for citizens.

Neighbors and friends will see who your campaign volunteers support when they openly display political signs. Cleveland campaign volunteers can use these signs as a way to show the hours and hard work they put into their candidate or measure.

2. Get People to Vote

By reminding supporters to vote with election signs, Cleveland candidates can improve their electoral prospects. If used strategically, these signs can help remind people who already like a politician to go cast their votes on Election Day.

Political scientists have found that simply posting campaign signs near busy intersections in a community can increase voter turnout by up to four percent or more. This may be the difference between winning and losing in a lot of races.

3. Harness the Power of Visibility

Presidential elections are when campaign signs are the least effective. However, that is when most people use them. Everyone usually has very defined opinions of the candidates involved, since presidential races are most prominent in the public eye. Therefore, a campaign sign is going to do little to change minds.

In elections where the candidate is relatively unknown, though, signs have a crucial effect. The additional name recognition created by political signs is incredibly valuable in races like mayor, school board, judgeships, city council, or sheriff, since these candidates are often unknown.

4. Social Cues Are Taken from Yard Signs

A person’s neighbors, family, coworkers, and friends can have a big impact on who they vote for, according to many political studies. By serving as voting cues, these powerful social forces are played upon with political signage. Put another way, even without a political discussion taking place, signs can spread political information between two people. For example, you may not think at all about a neighbors sign. You may just see it in passing, but when you are in the voting booth and faced with ballot decisions, you will vote for the name you recognize from your neighbor’s sign.

5. Increase Name Recognition

This has been touched on in various ways above, but it bears repeating: name recognition is the game changer when it comes to politics. That is why you see politicians doing all sorts of things that have nothing to do with making laws, such as riding in parades, updating their social networking accounts, and appearing on TV or radio shows.

If you are ready to finish your campaign strong, contact Epic Signs & Graphics for election signs.

As a property manager, it is important that you keep your tenants happy. This includes making it as easy as possible for clients and customers to find businesses in your complex. One way to do this is with the appropriate signage. Coven-Goldman Associates recognized the importance of property management post and panel signs for Cleveland, OH and called Epic Signs & Graphics to help promote their tenants.

A Little About Coven-Goldman

As a commercial real estate firm, Coven-Goldman Associates specializes in property management and real estate development. Located on Mercantile Road in Cleveland, they manage and own more than 1.5 million square feet of warehouse buildings and single story offices. They have been involved in commercial and industrial real estate for over half a century.

When a company that has been serving Cleveland area businesses for so long came to us for signage, we were ready to meet right away to design something spectacular. Coven-Goldman already had a directory sign for their Commerce Parkway West property, but it was horribly outdated. They needed a more modernized look.

How We Helped

For the posts, we used four round extruded aluminum poles that were each four inches in diameter and had a brushed metal look finish. The poles were installed three feet deep and held in place with cement. As part of our project management capabilities, before digging, we worked with utilities to make certain we would not take out any communication, water, or electricity lines.

For the panels, we installed six inch wide PVC panels with vinyl lettering applied for the companies and the address. In the end, the sign is 150 inches in total length and stands at eight feet high, so people can see tenant information from near and far.

What We Can Do for You

Property management post and panel signs in Cleveland are a perfect choice for any company because of their inexpensive pricing, versatility, and ability to get your business’s message across. There are a variety of different uses for these signs beyond just letting consumers know where you are located. We have several types of popular post and panel signs:

• Frameless – If you want to use unique shapes and keep your prices down, go with frameless post and panels signs. The U-channels that go in the ground are attached directly to the vertical edges.
• Twin Hinge Illuminated – These work great wherever readily changeable copy to promote events or display information is needed. Directory signs also use these types of post and panel signs.
• Classic – These carry a single message panel and sport a beveled picture style frame. The frame is held in place by concealed locking squares.
• Illuminated – For these signs, one polycarbonate face or two illuminated aluminum faces can be used. Illuminated post and panel signs feature cabinet style frames and are made from heavy gauge, extruded aluminum.
• Slide Panel Illuminated – A main feature of these signs is the easily removable panel inserts, which makes them ideal for information that is likely going to change in the future.
• Double Panel – Featuring a traditional cabinet style frame, these have two message panels chemically bonded to a polystyrene core for extra strength against the weather.

If you are considering post and panel signs for your property, contact Epic Signs & Graphics today for a free consultation!

One of the most effective ways to customize your vehicle is with a vehicle wrap. This is because they preserve the beauty and integrity of the factory paint while temporarily changing the color of your car. The resale value of your vehicle is protected by this. Vinyl wraps are typically more affordable than a custom paint job. It is also simpler to repair and maintain wraps, since in the case of an accident, you can repair just small portions.

While many businesses choose to have wraps that have graphics and lettering, we here at Epic Signs & Graphics have noticed that an increasingly popular alternative is color change wraps. Cleveland motorists are realizing that this is a great way to update the appearance of their cars. Read on to learn more about this option.

How Do Color Change Wraps Compare to Paint Jobs?

Custom paint jobs are typically much more expensive than color change vehicle wraps in Cleveland. You must also consider that you have to remove the factory paint job when you repaint a car. The value of your vehicle can be affected by this. However, you can actually preserve and protect the factory paint for the next buyer when the color is changed with a vinyl wrap.

Vinyl is used for each of our car wraps. World renowned companies Avery and 3M are among the manufacturers that make our vinyl. The vinyl is specifically designed to be used on vehicles, and the manufacturers stand by their products with a warranty. We avoid using cheaper materials because they can actually damage the paint.

What Colors Are Available?

The short answer is every color imaginable. The long answer is a bit more involved. There are two ways to achieve various colors with wraps. Both have their benefits. The first way is to choose stock vinyl that is manufactured to be a specific color. These colors are typically more vibrant and less expensive. However, for your color choices, you are limited to what the manufacturer produces. Some popular colors are pearl white, matte white, matte black, metallic red, carbon fiber, and gunmetal gray.

The other option is to have any custom color you want printed on white vinyl using our state of the art wide format digital printer. This costs a little more, since it includes an extra step, but you will have a perfect match for whatever color you want.

Are Only Solid Colors Available?

Though solid colors are common for color change vehicle wraps for Cleveland, it is not required. We can create custom printed graphics or mix colors for your project. When businesses come to us, they often request color change wraps with information to promote their brand or specific products.

If you would like a color change wrap in the Cleveland area, give Epic Signs & Graphics a call for a free consultation. We will discuss how our wraps will help you turn the heads of up to 70,000 people per day for the next three to five years!

A crucial part of your marketing and branding efforts is presenting your customers with a reception area that ensures your company stands out from the competition. You simply cannot afford to have a bland looking reception area. To make certain their lobby projects the right kind of image, many businesses hire interior decorators. Of course, Epic Signs & Graphics can also help with either metal, acrylic or vinyl lobby signs for Cleveland business owners and property managers.

Project Longevity and Durability with Metal Lobby Signs

Metal wall signs for Cleveland are an ideal option if you want customers to know that your company is here to stay. When your lobby sign is heavy on details, etched metal is a great choice. The etching process is best for signs that include a bit more than just the name of your business or highly intricate logo depictions.

Etched metal delivers a great look if you include a drawing or photograph. Typically, these signs come in brass, stainless steel, bronze, copper, or aluminum. With baked enamel, it is even possible to add color. Plus, the signs can vary in thickness from a sixteenth of an inch to a quarter inch.

Cast metal letters may be better for your purposes if it will be lighter on text. This type of metal lobby sign gives you many attractive border design options and usually uses brass, aluminum, or bronze. The elegant look of your message can be accentuated with a background texture, such as a leatherette backdrop. The backdrop is recessed while the information you want people to see is displayed.

The Benefits of Choosing Vinyl Graphics

You may want to go with a vinyl graphic lobby sign if you want to entirely get rid of the look of a wall attachment held in place by brackets or hooks. This is quickly catching on with many different office signs. Cleveland businesses are increasingly commissioning us for wall murals to display in their lobby area.

Rather than having their lobby sign stand out, more companies want us to cleverly work it into the interior décor. This is not a problem when we do wall graphics or murals. For example, if we were to create a cityscape mural for an architecture firm, we could display the business information in the foreground on a structure holding a sign marker. With this option, the possibilities are endless.

If you decide you want to have the reception sign done as a decal or if you do not want a mural, we will match the border colors to create a visually appealing transition to the signage hues from the wall color. The final sign will help you stand out from the crowd while being very attractive.

If you like both metal and vinyl, they can work together for dramatic effects. One common type of reception area sign is cut vinyl mounted on metal. On a long-lasting material, you get any color you want and precise cut vinyl graphics.

Whatever your lobby signage needs may be, Epic Signs & Graphics can help you out. Contact us today for a free consultation!

Take a look at the Yellow Pages, either the big old paper book or online. Look up Salons. You will see that in Cleveland alone there are hundreds of different types of salons offering an array of services. Passersby may see your salon as they perform their daily tasks, but without nail salon window graphics in Cleveland, they will not know exactly what services you offer.

US Nail & Hair Salon recognized the need to get the word out that they were more than just a hair and nail salon, so they contacted Epic Signs & Graphics to help them with window signs.

A Little About Our Client

US Nail & Hair Salon is located on Fulton Road in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood. They specialize in nail care, including manicures and pedicures. But, they also provide much more, such as massages, facials, bikini waxes, highlights, and more. They have been keeping Cleveland area patrons looking and feeling great for many years.

Whenever a local business comes to us for new signage, we love to help. We believe quality signage can help any enterprise, and we like to improve the local business community. US Nail is located in a strip mall that gets a lot of foot traffic. They came to us looking for a way to let these pedestrians know about their complete menu of services.

US Nail was working on a tight budget, so we recommended vinyl posters for their windows. Vinyl is currently one of the most popular materials in the signage industry due to its versatility. For US Nail, we created three custom nail salon decal posters for Cleveland. One advertised their gift certificates, another gave the pricing for their popular nail services, and the third sign listed their services.

US Nail was ecstatic with the finished product and have experienced an uptick in business since the posters were installed.

Window Graphics for Your Business

If you are looking to enhance the glass on your doors, storefront, or office windows, then window graphics are the ideal choice for advertising, informing your customers, and decorating. It is pretty boring just having bare, unused window space. Many companies turn to online retailers for generic decals or stickers. However, they have less of an impact, and you are forced to install these on your own.

Epic Signs & Graphics uses vinyl from the foremost manufacturers, 3M, Avery, and Oracal. We have an endless array of colors and can precisely match your business’s colors to keep branding consistent. We can place graphics, messages, and text directly on the windows of your storefront. Best of all, we install these graphics (or change them out) in minutes. Vinyl window decals can be used to:

• Announce your retail store’s business hours
• Promote specific services or products
• Make windows pop with stunning graphics of all sizes and shapes
• Publicize huge discount days and sales
• Create seasonal displays

If you would like to convert your storefront windows into attractive sales conversion powerhouses, contact Epic Signs & Graphics today!