Sign Patterns and Load Sheets

THE WAY WE CONSTRUCT and package our signage is crucial to ensuring the final leg of the fulfillment process goes smoothly. Sign installers, either from your own shop or subcontracted, play a crucial role in fulfilling the customer’s vision for their business. As manufacturers there are many ways we can help these installation crews run smoothly and avoid any hiccups once the sign is largely out of our direct control. Clear and concise patterns and load sheets for lighted signs are vital small details that can make or break you at the finish line.

Producing Patterns

The tools used to produce patterns have evolved over the years for the sign industry along with other trades that rely on paper patterns. The most archaic method is tracing by hand, using a projector to cast a scale image of your letter onto a wall that can then be used as a tracing surface. This works but of course is limited by human error and the accuracy of the image being projected.

The most common tool used in signshops these days for producing patterns is a roll-to-roll plotter. The plotter shown here is a Graphtec Cutting Pro FC5100-150, which is from a company heavily involved in the sign industry. In my shop’s experience they have been helpful with support, parts and quality control, and are a great option to choose. Setting up and learning to use their equipment is aided by Graphtec’s YouTube channel, which contains tutorials for individual units as well as detailed videos on how to use the features of their machines.

The plotter performs best when you can load it with a CAD file. If you have a letter face that you need to replace, do not have a file for it, but also do not want to use the projector, what do you do? For our shop, we found the Logic Trace System table to be a great option for hand-tracing faces and converting them into accurate files to make patterns. The credit for finding this piece of equipment goes to my CAD department manager, who found it while searching the internet for a better way to hand-trace items and convert them to DXF files.

The beauty of the Logic Trace table is that you can purchase a single section, and if you feel you need a larger surface, you can buy another section and link them together. Conversely, if you have minimal space and only can use one section of table, the same shape you are tracing can be extended by tracing different sections of it on the same table, then connecting them in the file afterwards. Videos of this table in action and information on where to buy them can be found at Logic Trace’s website.

Load Sheets

An accurate load sheet is another critical piece of information for an installer when dealing with a lighted sign. Load sheets give the workers in the field the number of LEDs in a sign or in each letter, what the load needs to be, the voltage, and how the sign company has decided to split the load if more than one power supply is involved. Having a clear load sheet can ensure an easy installation, and make sure certain electrical components are not overloaded when power is put to the sign. A number of programs available for creating load sheets can be customized with your files and chosen LED brands. Some LED companies offer complimentary layout software to ensure even lighting and accurate loading of your sign, including Principal Sloan, Current Lighting Solutions and many others.

Packaging and Shipping

When we ship a sign it goes through a myriad of abuse, and damage upon arrival is not too rare a phenomenon. This means when it comes to shipping patterns and load sheets made of paper in the same crates as signs, it’s wise to provide the patterns and sheets with some protection against the elements and abuse. Cardboard tubes are an option, but they can succumb to water saturation and can be bulky.

One option that is affordable and effective is a sealable plastic sleeve available from many manufacturing and shipping supply stores. These sleeves come in non-translucent plastic that can be easily heat-sealed, providing optimum protection against sun as well as moisture. This will ensure, along with clear labeling, that your installer receives the pattern and load sheet in usable condition.