Frequently Asked Questions |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
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• What makes a street sign legal for use? Should street signs be reflective? |
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• What is the best material for our campus street signs? I am confused by all of the different grades of reflective street signs. |
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• Should our street signs be in upper and lower case? Which is better? All upper case or a mix of upper and lower case? |
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• When should I use all capital letters? |
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• I have read that, “starting in 2018, all street signs must also use upper and lower case and must use the Clearview type font”. Is this true? |
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• What is the correct thickness for a street sign? |
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• What font is best at night for our street signs? |
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• How do the various series of Clearview fonts align with the traditional Highway fonts? |
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• What is the difference between Clearview and Highway B fonts? |
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• How are street signs made? |
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• Can I use a novelty street sign on our road? |
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• Do you offer extruded street sign blades? |
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• We are tired of getting our street sign stolen. Do you have any recommendation on how to keep thieves from stealing our signs? |
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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Andrew
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What makes a street sign legal for use? Should street signs be reflective?
For roads accessible by the public, use reflective street signs. Non-reflective parking and street signs are no longer allowed.
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Clark
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What is the best material for our campus street signs? I am confused by all of the different grades of reflective street signs.
There are three grades of 3M reflective sign materials used on Street Signs. We think of them as typical ”good / better / best” selection. A vast majority of our city and state customers use 3M’s High Intensity film for their street signs. This “better” choice offers the right combination of reflectance at the common angles of approach, daytime brightness and durability. The alternatives for street signs are Engineer Grade (the “good” choice) and Diamond Grade (the “best” choice). Engineer grade was most common in the 70’s and 80’s, but has lost share to High Intensity grade street signs. Diamond grade signs are great for extra long distance reading and for situations when there is a great deal of background visual clutter. Diamond Grade street signs really “pop” at night and offer superior daytime whiteness, too.
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Jamie
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Should our street signs be in upper and lower case? Which is better? All upper case or a mix of upper and lower case?
We prefer upper and lower case for community street signs. Why?
The legibility test results are quite clear. Mixed case signs are easier to read than street signs with all capital letters. You read shapes, not individual letters. The analogy to reading a sign with all capital letters is a child reading “while having your lips move”. All capital letters give you much less information. When you read, you look at word clumps and shapes, not individual letters. With all capital letter street signs, you are forced to read individual letters. Look at the example below:
Research has shown that there is a 20% increase in recognition, from older drivers, with a street sign that is printed in mixed case letters (versus all capital letters). All capital letters are slower to read. Upper and lower case street signs, with descenders and ascenders, allow you to read word shapes.
When you read all capital letters, you tend to make more mistakes (or just react more slowly). See the sign below:
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Sean
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When should I use all capital letters?
We recommend all capital letters for novelty street signs. After all, these personal or gift street signs should evoke a traditional look. All capital letters, frankly, have an authentic presentation, even if the trend for most official streets signs used by our governmental customers is to increasingly use upper and lower case. See our earlier question on capital letters.
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Abbey
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I have read that, “starting in 2018, all street signs must also use upper and lower case and must use the Clearview type font”. Is this true?
Well, we don’t know the answer yet. Many believe that the MUTCD and state DOT authorities will demand a wholesale retrofit of all signs by 2018. If I were to bet, however, I think just New Street Signs will have to use upper and lower case. I also think that Clearview will become the favored font.
The proposed rule is now in review. The forces behind the Clearview type font and the use of upper and lower case letters would seem to me, to have the upper hand.
With these warnings and caveats, we are finding that most savvy street sign buyers are now specifying upper and lower case letters and Clearview type fonts. That would seem to be the safest choice.
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Aaron B.
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What is the correct thickness for a street sign?
Most city and states specify aluminum signs with a thickness of 80 mils. Our Nob Hill street signs use two 80 mils signs that are mounted back-to-back, for extra strength.
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George
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What font is best at night for our street signs?
One of the keys to the success of the Clearview type font is its ability to cut down on the overglow (or halation) with reflective signs. 3M development of brighter street sign materials has many benefits:
o Street signs can seen from farther distances
o As our population ages, increasing sign brightness is important. After every 10 years of age, your nighttime acuity is reduced by over 20%.
o Brighter street signs are needed to stand out from the background clutter of an urban landscape.
But the brighter street sign material brought a downside, too. Bright letters, especially, for older viewers, can blur together. Clearview is designed to reduce this blur, yet still allow the sign to benefit from increased nighttime visibility.
“The creation of the Clearview Typeface is one of the most significant developments in highway signing in the past 30 years." - Mr. Breneman, from Pennsylvania DOT.
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Warren
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How do the various series of Clearview fonts align with the traditional Highway fonts?
The chart below shows the comparable Clearview and traditional highway gothic fonts:
Most street signs use the fonts highlighted red.
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Selena F.
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What is the difference between Clearview and Highway B fonts?
There are many differences between Clearview and Highway B font displays. First of all, Clearview fonts are far more legible. When Clearview was originally developed, the designers focused on redrawing vowels 'a' 'e' 'i' and 'u' which normally 'fill in' under bright lights, making them hard to distinguish. The new designed remain sharp from distances as much as 50 percent farther. It reduces reaction time by as much as two seconds, which is highly advantageous to drivers. The halation that normally plagues other signs is greatly minimized on Clearview signs, allowing it to be the most useful option for drivers.
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Jake
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How are street signs made?
We make our street signs from a single sheet of 3M film and use 3M’s match component inks. We do not use an unqualified printer (such as an ink jet printer). 3M is rather conservative about their films and warranties. Many, if not most, competitors do not use authentic 3M films and matched inks.
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Madison
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Can I use a novelty street sign on our road?
Only use reflective Civic or Nob Hill signs on public roads! Consider the requirements for your EMS workers, fire fighters and police. Signs need to be seen at night.
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Cecilia R.
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Do you offer extruded street sign blades?
Yes, we do. But, in that fewer and fewer customers order these extruded street signs each year, we have not added them as mainstream options for our wizards. With so many other choices to make, we felt that was best to simplify the choices and not needlessly confuse the vast majority of users. If, however, you want to order a Civic street sign with an extruded aluminum blade, please contact our customer service department and, for a modest upcharge, we would be delighted to help out.
Also, see the question below.
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Stacy
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We are tired of getting our street sign stolen. Do you have any recommendation on how to keep thieves from stealing our signs?
Our Nob Hill street sign brackets are ideal. The street sign bracket is, almost always, the culprit. Thieves break the bracket, not the sign. It is for this reason that professional street sign buyers forgo the extra expense of an extruded blade and use, instead, Nob Hill brackets.
Nob Hill brackets and street signs have been use for a generation as a way to help prevent theft. Believe me, they are very hard to snap off!
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