Arrow Placement

🗺️ Double-Sided Sign Arrow Direction Guide

Ordering signs with directional arrows can be tricky. Depending on how your sign is manufactured, your flat design files need to be set up differently to ensure your arrows point the correct way on the street.

🪧 Type A: Over-The-Frame Folding Banners (A-Frames & Yard Slips)

The Setup: These signs are printed as one long continuous sheet of vinyl that slips or folds completely over the top of a metal frame.
The Spatial Truth: Because the material flips upside down over the top bar, the arrows must point in opposite directions on your flat design file.
The Result: When the banner is folded over the frame, the flip corrects the direction. The arrow will point perfectly in the same direction (e.g., Left) on both the front and the back of the sign.

🟩 Correct Flat File Setup: Panel 1: Point Left | Panel 2: Point Right

📋 Type B: Rigid Flat Boards (Coroplast, Aluminum, & Foam Core)

The Setup: These are solid, flat boards where the front and the back are printed directly onto the material (or sheet-laminated back-to-back). There is no folding or flipping involved.
The Spatial Truth: Because the sign is simply rotated horizontally on its stake or post, the arrows must point in opposite directions on your two design files.
The Result: When a driver approaches from the left, the arrow points toward your property. When a driver approaches from the right on the opposite side of the street, the opposite-facing arrow points toward the exact same property.

🟩 Correct Flat File Setup: Side 1: Point Left | Side 2: Point Right

🛑 The Industry Rule of Thumb

💡 Always remember: To make an arrow point to the exact same physical location on both sides of a standing street sign, the flat print files must always face opposite directions (One Left, One Right). If both flat files point Left, your sign will point toward your business on the front, but away from your business on the back!