Process
Four steps, in the same order on every job. Here is what happens in each one, what we need from you, and what we do when the building, the permit office or the weather does not cooperate.
The four steps
A window decal and a twenty-van fleet go through the same sequence. Only the length of each step changes.
It starts with a photo. Send one straight on to the storefront, one from each side and one from across the street. That tells us the width of the sign band, what the wall is made of and how far away people will actually read it.
We check the address for zoning and historic-district rules, then measure on site, usually within 48 hours for Bronx jobs. If a permit is required, you hear it in this step, before you pay for artwork.
You see the sign on your own building, not on a blank sheet. We scale the artwork onto a photograph of the facade and show it in daylight and at night, so the first time you see the design is the way your customers will see it.
Two rounds of revisions are included. When the design is approved we send the artwork with fonts converted and dimensions noted, plus a proof for the permit package if one is being filed.
Fabrication happens at 2450 3rd Avenue. The CNC router cuts backs and returns, the letter bender forms the channels, the welder builds frames and brackets, and the wide-format printer runs wraps, banners and window film.
Illuminated signs are wired and burned in for 24 hours before they leave the building. We photograph the finished piece and send it to you before the install is scheduled, so a scratch or a dead module is caught on the bench instead of on a ladder.
Our own crew installs. We file the permit, schedule the inspection, coordinate the electrician when a new circuit is needed, and protect the sidewalk and storefront while we work.
The job ends with a walkthrough: the sign on and lit, a photo for your records and the paperwork in your hand — permit card, warranty terms and care notes. No exposed wiring, no screws left in the doorway.
Before we start
Four things make the first quote accurate. None of them require you to climb a ladder.
Four shots: straight on, from the left, from the right and from across the street. Phone photos are fine. For a vehicle, add both sides, the front, the back and the roof line.
Photos are enough to quote from. We still measure before anything is fabricated.
The width and height of the sign area, in feet and inches, if you already have them. Do not climb on anything to get them — a photo with a doorway or a person in it gives us scale.
We confirm every dimension on site, so an approximate number is not a problem.
The lease pages that cover signage, or the name and email of the person who signs off. If the building is in a historic district, the approval also runs through Landmarks and takes longer.
We can prepare the drawing and spec sheet your landlord asks for.
Whether power already exists at the sign location, and where the nearest panel or switch is. If there is no circuit, a licensed electrician has to run one before the sign goes up.
We coordinate the electrician and quote that work as a separate line.
Reality check
Old buildings, city paperwork and weather are part of the job. None of it is a surprise if it gets named early.
Permit delay
DOB filings and landmark review run on the city’s calendar, not ours. A filing can sit for weeks, and an install scheduled against a permit that has not been issued is a wasted lift and a wasted day.
What we do We file early, give you the application number, and check the status before we book the install. If the permit is late, the finished sign stays in our shop, indoors and tested, and we move the install to the first open date after issuance.
Wall condition
Brick spalls, stucco delaminates, and EIFS has no structure behind the finish. A sign that reads perfectly in a mockup can have nothing solid to bolt to, and drilling blind into a facade can crack it.
What we do We probe the wall at measurement and send photos of anything questionable before fabrication. If it needs a raceway, standoffs or a backer panel, you get a price for that work and a drawing of how the sign will be attached. No sign goes on the wall until you approve the method.
Electrical
Plenty of storefronts have a sign band and no junction box, a dead circuit, or a panel with no spare breaker. An illuminated sign cannot be plugged into an extension cord, and an unpermitted tap fails inspection.
What we do We identify the gap in the first visit and bring a licensed electrician into the quote. The install date moves to match the electrical work, and the added cost appears as its own line before you approve it.
Timelines
Business days, starting when artwork is approved. The ranges come from our own production schedule, not a brochure.
| Service | Typical timeline |
|---|---|
| Channel Letters | 3 – 5 weeks from approved artwork, including permit filing |
| Storefront Signs | 2 – 3 weeks for a printed cabinet; 3 – 4 weeks for a fabricated face |
| Awnings | 2 – 4 weeks from approved design, depending on frame fabrication |
| Vehicle Wraps | 3 – 5 business days from approved artwork, including 1 – 2 days install |
| Fleet Wraps | Design 1 week, then 2 – 4 vehicles per week on install |
| Window Graphics | 3 – 7 business days from approved artwork |
| Large Format Printing | 2 – 4 business days; same-day for simple banners when the schedule allows |
| LED Signs & Light Box Repair | Same week for most repairs; retrofits 1 – 2 weeks |
| Sign Repair & Maintenance | 1 – 3 business days for most repairs; 1 – 2 weeks for fabricated parts |
| Brand Identity & Design | 2 – 4 weeks including revisions |
| Commercial Printing | 3 – 6 business days for most short runs |
Ranges assume a standard mounting surface, one location and no landmark review. Add one to two weeks when a permit, a new electrical circuit or a landlord approval package is involved. The clock starts when artwork is approved and the deposit clears, not when you first call.
Questions
Deposits, changes, weather and timing. If your question is not here, call the shop.
Within one business day for most jobs. The quote separates fabrication, installation, permits and electrical, so you can see which part is driving the number instead of arguing with a lump sum.
A deposit at approval releases material and puts your job on the production schedule, with the balance due at or before installation. The amount depends on the job: letter sets and awnings are material-heavy, a window decal is not. Permits, electrical work and structural work are itemized separately, and we do not cut material until the deposit and the signed approval are in hand.
Yes, until material is cut. After that, a change is a new part: a reprinted face, a re-cut letter or a reprinted panel, quoted as a change order. We tell you which stage your job is in before we start, so nobody is surprised by a second invoice.
We reschedule. Electrical connections, lift work and adhesive installs do not happen in rain or high wind. We watch the forecast 48 hours out, give you a new date and keep the finished sign indoors until the weather clears.
Next step
Tell us about the storefront, the vehicle or the project. You get ideas and a clear price within one business day.
Mon–Fri 9–6 · Sat 10–5 · Shop visits by appointment
