Foam Tape

Use a 4" wide putty knife to remove old signs and tape.

When using double-sided foam tape to hang a one-sided sign on glass, cut triangular pieces to fit in the corners of the sign so it looks neat from the back (glass) side.

X-Acto Knife

Learn to pick up letters and hold small pieces of material with an X-Acto knife.  This technique eliminates lots of fingerprints.

Usa a sharp X-Acto knife rather than a paper cutter to cut mat board or illustration board.

Use an X-Acto knife or tweezers to hold small items over a trash can while spraying with adhesive.  This way you just need to clean your knife when you're done, not your hands.

Painting

A flannel-backed plastic tablecloth makes a durable, reusable drop cloth for painting.  It's heavy enough to lie flat, and won't stick to your work like newspaper does.

4.2    Working with Adhesive-Backed Vinyl Letters

To remove old letters, heat with a hairdryer to soften the adhesive.  This makes it possible to remove most letters whole or in big pieces.  Use Goof-Off to remove any adhesive residue.

To position letters on the background material, use light pencil lines or strips of masking tape to line up the bottom edge of flat letters.  Note: letters with rounded bottoms will dip below the line slightly.

To center a strip of lettering on the background material:  Find the center of the background material by measuring it, and draw a faint vertical line on the background material.  Next, hold the side edges of the strip of lettering together (as though you are going to fold the strip of letters in half).  Carefully press a tiny crease at the center point of the top edge and the bottom edge of the strip of lettering.  Try to crease the background material rather than the vinyl letters.  Center the strip of lettering by matching both creases on the vertical pencil line.

Letters can be applied directly to glass or walls.  Make sure the surface is clean.

With some computer software it is possible to create mirror image lettering that can be applied to the inside of glass walls or doors.

4.3    Mat board, Masonite, and Other Sign Board Materials

When making sings on mat board, decide what size the letters need to be and affix them to the mat board.  Measure the required border around the letters and mark it with light pencil lines.  Cut out the sign with an X-Acto knife along a metal straight edge placed at the pencil line.

When making signs of masonite, cut pieces on a table saw if possible for a smooth, straight edge.  If not available, use a hand held power circular saw.

When drilling holes in masonite put a block of wood behind the masonite so the masonite won't rip out the back when the drill bit goes through.  Make the holes as small as possible so light doesn't pass through causing a distracting white spot on the sign.

Colored illustration board is OK for temporary signs, but the color will run if the sign gets wet.

4.4    Free Standing Signs

For desk tops and tables, use mat board.   Make 3-sided signs that fold into a tent or triangle shape.  Score creases on the back side with an X-Acto knife.  Use double-sided foam tape to fasten to surface.

SINTRA can also be used for desk tops and tables.  Insert SINTRA pieces in the same molding as for End Range Signs.  Fasten to surface with double-sided foam tape.
 

For temporary signs (remodeling or new building) make inexpensive wood pedestals from 2" x 2"s and 1" x 2"s.   Use 2" x2"s for pedestals with bases made from four criss-crossed pieces made from 1" x 2"s.  Screw all the pieces together instead of nailing them so they will hold up better.  The pedestals can be painted any color—from road construction orange-and-white stripes to basic black or white.

The signboards for the pedestals can be made of cardboard, mat board, foamcore, or some other inexpensive disposable material.  Staple the signboard to the pedestal or fasten with two-sided foam tape.  Photocopied signs can be mounted to the signboards for fast and easy, up-to-date signage.  Even though the signs are temporary, be sure to make them uniform (with the same font and letter size) so your signs won't have a cluttered, haphazard look.  This holds true for any temporary signage.
 

Maps for Floor Plans can be done with computer software such as Adobe Illustrator and updated on disk as needed.  Existing maps or architectural drawings can be scanned for the basic drawing and cleaned up as needed.  New editions of the map can be printed on a laser printer and enlarged on a photocopier to a size of  24" x 36", or so.  Modifications of the maps can be used in guides to the library or handouts sheets used for directional information.
 

[before and after]
end range call numbers (2)
periodical shelf labels
end range markers