Sell custom products with Printify
Creating custom signs is more straightforward than ever. It starts with planning your design, choosing the right tool, selecting materials and size, and preparing your file for printing.
This guide shows how to make custom signs step by step, including how Print on Demand (POD) helps simplify the process from design to production.
Popular types of custom signs you can make
Custom signs serve many purposes, from outdoor advertising to decor, branding, and messaging. The ideal sign depends on the location, your target audience, and the visibility you need.
Some of the most common types of signs include:
- Yard signs. Lightweight outdoor signage perfect for events, promotions, and short-term messaging. Yard signs are easy to install, affordable to produce, and work well when you need clear visibility from a distance.
- Wood signs. Decorative signs with a warm, handcrafted look, often used indoors or for rustic branding. A popular choice for home decor, cafes, weddings, and personalized signs where style and texture matter.
- Metal art signs. Durable signs suitable for indoor or outdoor use, popular for business signage and wall decor. These signs are often used as statement pieces that combine branding with a more artistic or premium look.
- Protest signs. Easy-to-carry signs designed for bold, clear messages and high visibility. They focus on readability and impact, making them ideal for marches, rallies, and public demonstrations.
- Acrylic signs. Modern, professional signs with a clean finish, commonly used for offices and events. Acrylic works well for directional signage, logos, and displays where a polished appearance is important.
- Neon signs. Eye-catching illuminated signs used to highlight logos, phrases, or decorative elements. They’re especially effective in storefronts, events, and interior spaces where lighting helps achieve maximum visibility.
- Canvas signs. A great choice for indoor decor and creative displays. They have a softer, more artistic feel than rigid materials and work well for wall art, quotes, photo designs, or branded visuals in homes and offices.
How to make your own custom signs
Whether you’re designing custom signs for home decor, outdoor use, or business branding, the steps stay mostly the same. Let’s break down each one so you can create with confidence and avoid common mistakes.
Start with a design tool
The first step is choosing how you want to design your sign. Many creators start with popular tools like Canva or Adobe Photoshop, which are powerful and offer ready-made templates to speed up the process. These sign makers are ideal if you want full creative control or already have graphic design experience.
Printify users can design directly in the Product Creator. This free online sign maker offers a simpler workflow while still providing the tools needed to customize professional designs, making it a good choice for beginners or anyone short on time.
Another option is hiring a professional designer to create a custom layout. If you have the budget and a clear vision, hiring a designer for complex layouts or custom typography can be worthwhile.
Printify’s Product Creator can generate instant mockups that show your designs in lifelike settings, helping you visualize the final product before printing.
Pick a material and size
Material and size play a big role in how your custom sign looks and performs, so it helps to match them to the sign’s purpose and location. Indoor signs usually focus more on appearance, while outdoor signs need to withstand weather and long-term exposure.
For example, wooden signs work well for home decor and storefront displays, offering a warm, rustic look that suits branding and decorative uses. Plastic signs, on the other hand, are lightweight and affordable, making them a better option for outdoor use like store signs or booth displays where durability and visibility matter.
Size is just as important as material. Larger signs are easier to see from a distance and work well in outdoor or high-traffic areas, while smaller signs fit better on desks, doors, shelves, or as indoor displays.
Printify’s custom signs are available in different size and material options for both indoor and outdoor use.
Prepare your design file for printing
A well-prepared file helps your custom sign print clearly and accurately. Use high-resolution images to avoid blurry results, and make the text large and easy to read at the final size. Choosing strong, high-contrast colors also helps your message stand out.
Pay attention to bleed areas, which allow for trimming during production. Keep important text and logos safely away from the edges to prevent cutoffs and maintain a clean layout.
Planning to create your own sign with Printify? Check the Design Guide for product-specific requirements like resolution and file formats to get the best print quality.
What makes a great sign design?
A great sign design is easy to read, visually balanced, and clear about its message. There’s no one-size-fits-all recipe, but these best practices will help you get started.
- Keep it readable. Use clear fonts and strong contrast. Avoid overcrowding the design, and make sure text is legible from the intended viewing distance.
- Focus on one clear message. The most effective signs communicate a single idea. Limit the amount of text and prioritize the words that matter most, especially for outdoor signage or high-traffic areas.
- Match the design to your brand or space. For business signs, use consistent colors, logos, and fonts to reinforce your brand. For home decor, choose styles and colors that fit the room or setting where the sign will be displayed.
- Add meaningful personalization. Names, dates, or custom text can make signs feel more meaningful. Keep personalized details clear and well spaced so they enhance the design without distracting from the main message.
- Design with the material in mind. Different materials highlight different styles. For example, bold text works well on plastic signs, while wood and acrylic often suit simpler, more refined designs.
Why Print on Demand works for custom signs
What is Print on Demand?
POD is a business model where products are created only after a customer makes a purchase. Instead of buying materials upfront or holding inventory, sellers upload their designs and list products for sale, and each item is printed and fulfilled on demand.
With Printify, you can focus on creating and selling custom signage while we take care of production, printing, and shipping for you. This reduces risk, lowers upfront costs, and makes it easier to scale.
How to pick the best Print Provider for your signs
Choosing the right Print Provider can directly impact the quality, delivery time, and overall customer experience. This is especially important if you’re planning to start a custom signage business. Here are key factors to consider before committing.
- Check print quality and materials. Look for providers that offer consistent print quality and support the materials you need.
- Evaluate fulfillment duration. Faster production and shorter shipping distances help improve delivery times and customer satisfaction, especially for time-sensitive orders.
- Review location coverage. Working with providers closer to your customers can reduce shipping costs and improve delivery speed.
- Compare pricing and margins. Make sure the base price allows enough room for profit while staying competitive in your market.
Printify connects sellers with a global Print Provider network of over 90 partners worldwide. This allows you to pick providers based on location, pricing, and performance, speeding up custom sign delivery while maintaining quality and healthy margins.
What is the process for creating custom signs with Printify?
Creating custom signs with Printify is simple, even for first-timers. Choose a sign from the Product Catalog, create your design using the built-in sign maker, and either order it for yourself or publish it to your online store.
Printify supports global shipping and has no minimum order requirements. Whether you’re making one sign or hundreds, each order is fulfilled and shipped on demand. If you need help along the way, Printify’s customer support is available to assist 24/7.
Sell custom signs online with Printify
Getting started with Printify is easy. There are no upfront costs or hidden fees, which makes it a low-risk option for beginners or anyone looking to test an idea before scaling.
This process applies whether you’re learning how to make custom wood signs, yard signs, or acrylic signs.
Sign up for Printify
Create a free Printify account to access the platform. Browse the Product Catalog and choose the type of custom sign you want to sell based on material, size, and intended use.
Design your sign
Use the Product Creator to upload a ready-made design or create one using built-in assets and your own text. The built-in tools help you combine elements, remove backgrounds, or generate fresh images with AI.
When you’re finished, save your design and generate mockups to see how the sign will look in real-life settings. You can also order samples to review quality before listing the design for sale.
Connect your online store
Link your store to Printify so products and orders sync automatically. This lets you publish custom signs and manage sales from one place.
Start selling
Once your products are live, set your retail price and start promoting your listings. Customer orders are sent to production automatically. Printify takes care of printing and shipping, so you can focus on growing your business.
Frequently asked questions
Printify’s custom signs start at $12.08 for lawn signs. The final cost depends on the sign type, size, and shipping destination.
The best material depends on where and how the sign will be used. Wood works well for decor and storefront displays because it adds warmth and a handcrafted look. Plastic is a practical option for short-term outdoor signs since it can withstand weather and moisture. Metal signs are better suited for long-term indoor or outdoor use thanks to their durability. Acrylic provides a clean, professional look for offices and events.
Of course. You can personalize the sign with your own company logo or artwork using Printify’s free sign maker. Just make sure you own the rights to the design and that it complies with intellectual property policies before publishing or selling your sign.
For most custom signs, production takes around 2-7 business days, followed by another 2-5 business days for shipping within the US. Delivery times can vary depending on the destination and the order quantity, with larger orders sometimes requiring additional processing time.
No. Printify’s free tools are designed with beginners in mind and use a simple drag-and-drop system. You can use ready-made assets to create unique designs without starting from scratch, along with built-in tools like the text editor, emoji support, and the AI image generator to help bring your ideas to life.
Yes. Printify offers different types of custom signs, so you can choose the option that best suits your event, whether it’s for indoor or outdoor use. Once your design is ready, Printify prints and delivers your sign for the event.
Ready to make your own custom signs?
Creating custom signs doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right design, materials, and tools, you can turn ideas into signs for home, events, or business use. Printify makes the process simple by taking over production and shipping, so you can focus on creating and selling.
Sign up for Printify and start designing your custom signs today. You’ve got this.
