paper inserts | Sign-Frame

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Staff

How to Make Paper Inserts for Your Table Sign or Desk Sign

It’s easy to create high-quality paper inserts for your table sign or desk sign. Designing and printing paper inserts yourself will also save you time and money. All you need is a desktop printer and MS-Word and you’re all set to print paper insert signs.

Since Microsoft Word is common to most businesses we will provide step-by-step instructions, complete with illustrations, as to how you can do paper insert signs yourself in the comfort of your office. We understand that a desk sign or table sign insert can be designed in any number of ways but for purposes of this post we’ll keep the desk sign design simple. If you are interested in other design alternatives for your desk sign check out our How To section of the site for different options in creating your paper inserts.

For this exercise we will use the T22 table sign to illustrate the process of creating paper insert signs. The instructions listed below may vary depending on the version of MS-Word you have installed.

Creating Paper Inserts for a Table Sign or Desk Sign using MS-Word

Step 1: Open MS-Word and create a new document by clicking New (Ctrl + N), select the “Office” button in the upper left-hand corner of the screen and click the “New” icon or click the “New” shortcut icon to create a new document. Any of these three options will work.

Step 2: Click the Insert Tab. Then click the Text Box icon in the Toolbar. At the bottom of the window click Draw Text Box.Move your cursor to the document (you will see a “+” sign appear) and drag it diagonally across the drawing surface while holding down the left-click button on the mouse.

Release the left-click button and your text box will appear.

Step 3: To size the text box enter the height and width of the insert you wish to create. The T22 table sign has an insert that measures 2 1/4″ x 5 7/8″ so we will enter the dimensions accordingly as shown below.

Step 4: Once the size is set you can now choose your background color. Click “Shape Fill” in the toolbar and choose a background color. Rolling your cursor over the color palette will change the color on the background insert until you find the one that best complements your interior design color scheme.

Step 5: Now you can add your text. Add one or more text boxes to your template by clicking the Insert tab and selecting “Draw Text Box” like you did in Step 2. Position the text boxes on the background and choose the font, font color and font size that you desire. In order to eliminate the text box outline click the Format tab -> Shape Outline -> No Outline and now you have just the text. To blend in your text box with the background you’ve chosen, highlight the text box -> right click the text box -> select Format Text Box from the drop down menu -> under Colors and Lines set Transparency to 100%. You can also use the Color drop down and select the color, texture or pattern to match the background you’ve already selected.Here is the header insert that we’ve created.

Simply print the page and cut out the frame insert. Below is the sign frame complete with insert. I also modified the layout by simply adding a gradient background and logo to illustrate the power and flexibility in creating paper inserts. Please send us your designs at sales@sign-frame.com so we can share them with our readers.

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Staff

How to Create Paper Inserts for an Office Directory Sign

Creating professional-looking paper inserts for you office directory sign is quick and easy. Choosing a sign system that allows you to independently create your own paper inserts will also save you time and money. All you need in place to create your office directory sign yourself is an inkjet or laser printer and a word processor such as Microsoft Word.

Maintaining an office directory sign can get expensive and may take weeks to get the frame inserts from your local sign company. Creating frame inserts yourself also ensures signage consistency which may be problematic if either the sign company experiences turnover or cannot find your templates from the previous order.

Since Microsoft Word is common to most businesses we will provide step-by-step instructions, complete with illustrations, as to how you can do paper inserts yourself without leaving the office. There are numerous variations you can use to create your paper inserts but we’ll keep it simple with the instructions set in this article. If you would like to see other variations in design visit our How To section of the site for more information. I’m using a sample sign similar to the DF39U for illustrative purposes, however the process is the same whether designing office signs or office directories. The instructions listed below may vary depending on the version of MS-Word you have installed.

Creating Paper Inserts for an Office Directory Sign using MS-Word

Release the left-click button and your text box will appear.

Step 3: To size the text box enter the height and width of the insert you wish to create. Our sample sign happens to have (1) 2” x 5 7/8” header and (5) 1” x 5 7/8” panels. Below is the header.

Step 5: Now you can add your text. Add one or more text boxes to your template by clicking the Insert tab and selecting “Draw Text Box” like you did in Step 2. Position the text boxes on the background and choose the font, font color and font size that you desire. In order to eliminate the text box outline click the Format tab -> Shape Outline -> No Outline and now you have just the text. To blend in your text box with the background you’ve chosen, highlight the text box -> right click the text box -> select Format Text Box from the drop down menu -> under Colors and Lines set Transparency to 100%. You can also use the Color dropdown and select the color, texture or pattern to match the background you’ve already selected.Here is the header insert that we’ve created.

We’re going to repeat the process for each of the (5) individual panels using the process outlined above. Here’s what the layout looks like with the additional frame inserts. Keep them on the same page to save paper during printing.

Simply print the page and cut out the frame inserts. Below is the final product complete with inserts. Please send us your designs at sales@sign-frame.com so we can share them with our readers.

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Staff

Make Signs Using Paper Inserts and Transparencies

It’s a snap to make signs using paper inserts and transparencies and we’ll show you how you can do it while saving time and money in the process. This particular article describes how to combine paper signs, transparencies and acrylic covers into elegant office signs similar in size to the WFP1U. It also provides alternatives in creating paper insert signs depending on your needs and where you stand currently with your sign program. If you’re looking for detailed instructions on how to make these component parts check out the article Create Photo and Logo Paper Signs in our How To section.

The photo below illustrates two types of paper insert signs. The one on the left is composed of a paper insert, a printed transparency and an acrylic cover (217) with Braille and tactile letters. The one on the right consists of a paper insert and an acrylic cover (271) with Braille and tactile letters.

Here’s what the paper signs and transparencies look like when assembled and placed in sign frames.

As you can see, the paper inserts drive the look of the sign. As you can also see, it isn’t mandatory that you make signs that include transparencies since when you put the components together it isn’t discernible which is which. So why would one do it? Here are some tips on that front and some other considerations regarding paper inserts should you decide to make signs on your own.

Outsource Your Paper Inserts to a Local Printer

The answer to the above question regarding the use of transparencies may lie with the quality of paper inserts you desire, the amount of time you have to dedicate to printing paper signs and the number of employees you have. If you want high-quality paper insert signs and have a relatively large number of employees it is more cost effective to outsource the printing of your paper insert signs (with a few extra of course). That means that when an employee’s title or name changes or when new hires come on board all you do is print the transparency and insert it into the sign frame. In fact, depending on the pricing from your local print shop and the number of signs you need to print it may be to your advantage to outsource the initial printing of the transparencies too. In any case, maintaining your signs going forward will only entail printing the transparencies.

Forget the Paper Signs and Just Print on Transparencies

A number of clients, especially in the financial services and legal professions, preferred the natural beauty of the brushed silver and gold frame faces to accent their office interiors. They decided to forego the paper insert signs and chose to make signs using only the transparencies – and they looked great. Here’s an example so you can visualize the concept even though this particular layout was designed for use with a paper insert.

I simply removed the paper insert from the above example and just used the transparency with the clear cover. You can now see the elegant anodized, brushed silver face through the two overlays. The same holds true for the gold frames yet both finishes look exceptional adding a classic feel to any office or campus interior design.

Whether using paper, transparencies or some combination thereof, hopefully you can see that you can make signs just like the professionals in minutes. It’s fast, fun, cost effective and you can do it all yourself. Please send us your designs at sales@sign-frame.net so our readers can benefit from your creativity.

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Staff

Do It Yourself Frame Inserts with Textured Backgrounds

You need not be a print or sign professional to create frame inserts that command attention. In our “how to” series of articles on creating paper inserts for sign frames today’s article is dedicated to that of textured backgrounds. You can make signs with textured backgrounds by using specialty paper stock or you can use the textures, patterns and gradients provided in Word. Again, we’ll focus on the latter in this post but you can refer to our how to section for information on using specialty paper to achieve the same effect.

First, make sure you choose a sign system that accepts frame inserts. This type of system will allow you to make signs without the assistance of a local printer or sign shop. Designing paper inserts yourself will allow you to save time and money and most likely will get some level of satisfaction and enjoyment along the way. All you need is an inkjet or laser printer and a word processor such as Microsoft Word and you’ll have designer-quality paper inserts in minutes.

Since Microsoft Word is common to most businesses we will provide the step-by-step process, complete with illustrations, as to how you can create office signs quickly and easily. As an aside, the illustrations provided below can apply to the other way finding sign types such as office directory signs, flag signs, table signs and more. Whether it’s the D9U or the WFP7U the process is the same. Since designing frame inserts is quite easy as you will soon see, I created a few other paper inserts with text box and photo variations to complement the textured background example.

Once you understand the core concepts you will begin to make signs like the pros designing paper inserts for your sign frames. You can make signs using Photoshop, Illustrator and numerous other software packages for frame inserts in addition to Microsoft Word. For purposes of illustrating the flow we’ve selected MS-Word since it is readily available and easy to use. The instructions listed below may vary depending on the version of MS-Word you have installed.

Designing DIY Frame Inserts with Textured Backgrounds

Step 2: Click the Insert Tab. Then click the Text Box icon in the Toolbar. At the bottom of the window click Draw Text Box.
Move your cursor to the document (you will see a “+” sign appear) and drag it diagonally across the drawing surface while holding down the left-click button on the mouse.

Release the left-click button and your text box will appear.

Step 3: To size the text box enter the height and width of the insert you wish to create. Our sample sign happens to be a 3 x 4 5/8 office sign so we entered a 3 inch height and 4.625 inch width.

Step 4: Once the size is set you can now choose your background texture. Click “Shape Fill” in the toolbar and then “Texture” to select a background texture for your sign. Rolling your cursor over the texture palette will change the texture color on your sign until you find the one that best fits your needs. I happened to select the “white marble” background texture for this example. (Variation: You can also add pictures, gradients and patterns in addition to textures at this point by selecting Pictures, Gradients or Patterns, respectively, in the drop down box. See some of the examples at the end of Step 5).

Step 5: Now you can add your text. Add one or more text boxes to your paper signs by clicking the Insert tab and selecting “Draw Text Box” like you did in Step 2. Position the text boxes on the background and choose the font, font color and font size that you desire. In order to eliminate the text box outline click the Format tab -> Shape Outline -> No Outline and now you have just the text. To blend in your text box with the background you’ve chosen, highlight the text box -> right click the text box -> select Format Text Box from the drop down menu -> under Colors and Lines set Transparency to 100%. You can also use the Color drop down and select the color, texture or pattern to match the background you’ve already selected. Here is the insert that we created as viewed in Microsoft Word.

And here’s the finished product complete with the sign frame.

As mentioned in Step 4, you can add pictures, gradients and photos to your signs. Here are a few quick examples that I created. You can do the same in minutes using the basic functionality provided within Word.I designed this sign by adding text boxes and using various gradients and colors. The grey space above the Director of Human Resources title can be used for the employee’s picture, company logo or office/room number. The space in the upper right hand-corner is may also be used for an office/room number whether printed directly on the insert or included as an ADA Braille/tactile acrylic cover. For creative individuals the sky is the limit.

Here’s an option using a full-bleed photograph and reversing out the name and title in white to contrast the background.

Here are the inserts in the actual sign frames. The orange and grey sign frame has a Braille/tactile cover with the office number 217 while the photo frame has the office number 271 printed directly on the insert with a clear cover overlay.

We hope you find these ideas helpful in creating inserts for your sign frames. Please give us a call if you have any way finding or sign frame questions during the process as we’d be glad to help.

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Staff

Creating Paper Signs Using Microsoft Word

Creating professional-looking paper signs is both fun and easy. Choosing a sign system that allows you to independently create your own paper inserts will also save you time and money. All you need to do it yourself is an inkjet or laser printer and a word processor such as Microsoft Word and you’ll have office signs in no time!

Sign maintenance can be expensive especially if you have a large number of employees where titles change and people come and go. Not only is it cost effective but it’s immediate. You don’t have to wait days or weeks for the local sign company or printer to create your paper insert signs. Creating paper signs yourself also ensures signage consistency which may be problematic if either the sign company experiences turnover or cannot find your templates or proofs from the previous paper insert signs they created.

Since Microsoft Word is common to most businesses we will provide the step-by-step process, complete with illustrations, as to how you can do paper inserts yourself without leaving the office. We’ll also show you variations you can use in creating your paper inserts understanding that there are numerous variations in addition to what is shown here. Once you understand the core concepts you can become as creative as you desire in creating paper insert signs tailored specifically to your organization or business. Photoshop, Illustrator and numerous other software design packages and word processors can be used in creating paper signs in addition to Microsoft Word. For purposes of illustrating the flow and we’ve selected MS-Word since it is readily available and easy to use and a sample sign frame similar to the WFP10U. The instructions listed below may vary depending on the version of MS-Word you have installed.

Creating Paper Inserts with MS-Word

Release the left-click button and your text box will appear.

Step 3: To size the text box enter the height and width of the insert you wish to create. Our sample sign happens to be a 3 x 4 5/8 office sign so we entered a 3 inch height and 4.625 inch width.

Step 5: Now you can add your text. Add one or more text boxes to your paper signs by clicking the Insert tab and selecting “Draw Text Box” like you did in Step 2. Position the text boxes on the background and choose the font, font color and font size that you desire. In order to eliminate the text box outline click the Format tab -> Shape Outline -> No Outline and now you have just the text. To blend in your text box with the background you’ve chosen, highlight the text box -> right click the text box -> select Format Text Box from the drop down menu -> under Colors and Lines set Transparency to 100%. You can also use the Color dropdown and select the color, texture or pattern to match the background you’ve already selected.Here is the insert that we’ve created. Simply print it on your office printer, cut it out and insert it into your office sign. Printing paper signs will save you time and money and improve the overall look of your office environment.