• Durham Region Ontario sign company
• Signs & banners for your business
• Commercial storefront signage
• Custom sign boxes and Channel Letters
• Promotional banners & display advertising
• Vehicle Graphics & Lettering
• Free Standing billboard & pylon signs
• Installation and Maintenance Service
• Signage services for central & southern Ontario

Quality Service with Excellent Customer Care & Satisfaction
Here at Calibre Signs we take great pride in the signs that we custom manufacture and install. We prefer to use the best products and services available to us in the industry to ensure that your sign will stand the test of time.

Here's what you can expect when you order your sign with Calibre Signs:

• A Trusted Manufacturer with over 14 years in the Sign Industry
• A Leader in Customer Satisfaction in the Business Community
• Dedication to Innovation in Design, and Promotion
• Responsive to the needs of sustainable manufacturing and Safe Environmental Practices
• Committed to World Class Customer Service
• Proud to be a Wholly Owned Canadian Manufacturer and Distributor

We feel it's important to give our clients what they expect - Excellence-Without Compromise! Calibre Signs specializes in Custom fabricated signs, Channel Letters and illuminated Sign Boxes. We also produce bold graphic banners, menus, storefront signage, Pylon structures and so much more. We are your One Stop Sign Source. Here at Calibre Signs we are committed to our Customers being successful. We are not a franchise satellite store or bargain basement sign business. We manufacture Quality Custom signage here in our premises and deliver and install at your site. Our full support and maintenance crews are on hand to ensure that your signs are taken care of.

At Calibre Signs, we want you to know that when you order a sign with us, we are committed to finding the best way to meet your needs without compromising the integrity of the sign that we make, because let's be honest, If your sign doesn't meet your standards, you won't be a Happy Customer, and our business would suffer as well. We are able to achieve success through partnerships with great suppliers that warranty their products, and we pass that on to you, our valued customer. Our experienced Calibre Signs staff is on site to assist and ensure that our signs meet your approval and the approval of the Canadian Standards Association and the Electrical Safety Authority.

15 years ago when entrepreneurial brothers Peter and George Lapoussis ventured into the sign business, they started out with a U.S. based Sign Franchise company. After 5 successful years with the franchise, they realized they wanted to expand beyond the limitations of being middlemen for other sign manufacturers and producing rudimentary signage such as banners and coroplast signs. The two brothers made a bold move and left the franchise business behind and bought a 10,000sf. facility and began manufacturing their own Custom Sign Boxes, Channel Letters as well as continuing with their previous product line. What this did was open the doors to major Franchise Companies that were looking for quality manufacturers of their signage. Calibre Signs' attention to meeting the stringent deadlines and requirements of these Franchise Corporations helped get the ball rolling. Calibre Signs is proud to produce signage for such companies as: Pizza Pizza, Mr. Sub, BMW, Bank of Montreal, TD Canada Trust, Johnson Controls, Cadbury Adams, Domino's Pizza, Applebee's, General Motors, Mary Brown's and Tim Horton's to name a few.

Aside from Franchise operations, Calibre Signs also does a growing amount of signage for Property Management companies, Real Estate Representatives, General Contractors, Design and Advertising Agencies, Architectural Design Firms, Engineers and Financial Institutions. Whether it's Storefront or Commercial signage, Parking signs or Safety Signs, or even simple wooden or coroplast signs - Calibre Signs is there to take the call as quickly as possible and work with you to get you the estimate or work you need-FAST. Our over the phone sign estimates are FREE. For the more complicated signage, a site check is required to determine proper measurements and construction details that will be required. Calibre Signs works in partnership with many trusted companies across Canada and the United States to ensure that your sign will be a great sign.

Calibre Signs is located in Whitby Ontario Canada, and our Customer Service extends across Canada and the United States as well. Calibre Signs is a trusted member of the International Sign Association, The Canadian Sign Association and local member of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce. Our facility is audited and meets the Canadian Standards Association as well as being Electric Safety Authority approved when necessary. We use quality products such as Avery, 3M and Allanson to ensure the integrity of our products meets the expectations of our customers. Calibre Signs stands behind building Quality Manufactured signage - Without the Compromise. Calibre Signs is proud to be a wholly owned independent Canadian Owned Manufacturer and not affected by franchise limitations. We are always striving to find new and innovative ideas to better produce your signage and help the environment as well.

Why Do you need a Sign?
Your Signage is your Communication to passing pedestrians and motorists. It is probably the first thing they will notice about your business. It is a powerful tool in creating a first and lasting impression. Using effective sign elements combined with a strong Brand-Image recognition will help build strong memory retention about your business or service. Remember some of these tidbits as provided by the International Sign Association...

• Signage is the least expensive, but most effective form of advertising.
• Signage can be responsible for 50% of your local customers.
• Signage is so important that without it you may not get a loan for your business.
• Signage is an investment that will pay a return many times over.
• A well-designed, well-placed sign can generate huge profits, especially when part of an overall marketing strategy.

What should my sign say or do?
Your on-premise sign should identify your business, mark its location, and convey the right image of your company and communicate what you are selling. Your sign should effectively:

• Attract New Customers
• Brand the Business
• Create Impulse Sales

Sign Awareness and Logo Recognition
Calibre Signs recognizes it is important in determining the needs of your Customers when marketing. Businesses that offer products or services that are more of an infrequent nature such as: Dentists, Doctors, Accountants, Real Estate offices, furniture and appliance stores etc. should focus more on branding their site to reinforce their image so that it will be recalled as `top-of-mind` when the need arises. Businesses that fill a more frequent need such as grocery stores, banks, restaurants, gas stations and car-washes need to make their signage as eye-catching and simple as possible to capture those impulsive and convenience shoppers.

Getting Your Sign Noticed
The likelihood of having your signage get noticed or perceived by a person is dependent upon several factors:

• The physical characteristics of the sign and it’s background ( a sign usually needs to contrast with it’s background)
• Informational Content
• Informational Needs of the viewer i.e. Directions,Hazards,Service
• Motivation of Observer i.e. Hospital, Airport, Food, Gas...
• Historical Symbol/Logo Familiarity of observer i.e. ATM logo, McDonald's arch
• Observational techniques of observer in locating expected sign

Factors of Sign Effectiveness
T.W. Forbes and R.S. Holmes in 1939's Highway Research Board” Legibility Distance of Highway Destination Signs in relation to Letter Height, Letter Width and Reflectorization” proposed four general criteria that sign effectiveness could be measured by:

Pure Legibility - The distance at which a sign can be read given an extensive viewing time
Glance Legibility - The distance at which a sign can be read given a minimal amount of viewing time ( few seconds)
Priority Value - The Qualities of a sign than cause it to be seen and read first
Target Value - The characteristics which distinguish a sign from it’s background and other surroundings.

The more conspicuous a sign is from its background, the higher the likelihood of it being noticed and being effective. Factors that affect the conspicuity are: the observers field of vision, foreground complexity (too many distractions),sign border, font, form and shape recognition, intermittency of illumination, motion( swivelling or scrolling), colour, and the uniqueness of the signs features( i.e. shaped like a hot dog.)

So in order for a sign to stand out and be noticed, the four criteria Calibre Signs feel are necessary are:

• VISIBILITY
• LEGIBILITY
• READABILTY
• CONSPICUITY

Visibility: A signs needs to be clearly visible to achieve full impact. A sign should not be obstructed by other objects such as landscaping and trees. Calibre Signs looks out for these obstructions and will advise of potential problems. Sometimes objects cannot be removed and alternate suggestions need to be explored. Colour and contrast are vitally important so that the message is readable. For instance, having yellow lettering on a white background will not be of high contrast nor very visible. If the sign needs to be viewed at night, it should be illuminated, and or have reflective vinyl, otherwise it will be invisible. Atmospheric conditions may also affect a signs visibility such as snow cover, fog, or heavy rain. Sometimes ground signs are blocked by objects such as traffic, pedestrians or physical structures. It is more likely that a sign that is Perpendicular to traffic will be more likely to be seen than a sign that is parallel to traffic( i.e. a storefront fascia sign) Sometimes small changes such as turning a flat wall sign into a protruding angled sign or a perpendicular sign such a pylon or hanging sidewalk sign- make help create sign awareness. The chart below show what researchers assess to be the minimum required legibility distances in varying situations:

SpeedMPH	With Lane change(in feet)	Without Lane change (in feet)
25-30	410	155
35-40	550	185
45-50	68	220
55-60	720	265
>65	720	280

This is based on a perpendicular mounted sign. If it is a parallel mount sign, research shows that the sign needs to be 70% larger or it cannot be read in time. The next step would be determining the actual height required for the sign to be visible. Below is a chart demonstrating this:

Speed Limit	Number of traffic lanes	Sign Height(to top of sign face)
25mph	2-4	12ft
35mph	2-4	20ft
45mph	2-4	35ft
55mph	2-4	50ft
Highway		75ft

At Calibre Signs we think that Illumination is essential for most commercial signage. Aside from the 24hour advertisement of your business, it also helps increase visibility. Generally there are three basic means of signage illumination. 1. By lamps mounted outside oriented to shine on sign face 2. Internal illumination through sign’s face 3. By illuminated elements such as exposed bulbs, LEDs or neon style tubing.

Legibility: Based on a person's "Cone of Vision" or Field of Vision, certain considerations come into play. Based on how far away the sign needs to be visible, the size of the letter font must follow accordingly - too small and it won’t be noticed. Calibre Signs recommends that signs be designed with letters a minimum of 1" for every 25ft of distance. If a font is used that is difficult to read is used such as a "script font" or "tightly spaced" font- the message may be lost in readability time. Increase in letter height would be necessary when using cursive script font or letters with tight spacing etc. Colour contrast is required in order that the text stands out from the background.

Conspicuity: A sign needs space and time to be noticed. A sign that is hidden amongst a sign polluted environment will more than likely be missed and ignored. Observers need to "See the sign" in order to receive the message. Billboard signs can be very conspicuous because they usually stand in a field on their own. There are no other signs cluttering the view, but, the sign should contrast with its environment so it will get noticed. A green sign with a forest in the background may get lost. Calibre Signs' Graphic Designers are experienced and will help recommend the best choice in making your sign stand out.

Readability: Using the criteria above, an observer needs to be able to assimilate all of the information presented and interpret and comprehend the message. Vertically lettered signs are usually more difficult to read than horizontally lettered signs. If the observer cannot read what the sign says the message is lost. The sign needs to make sense.

Calibre Signs takes your ideas and turns them into reality with knowledgeable and expert advice from proven sources and statistics. Signs are our business and we extend our expertise into making you a successful and lasting impression.

Privacy Policy
Calibre Signs is committed to ensuring that a visitor to our website has their privacy protected. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices on the Calibre Signs website at www.calibresigns.com.

Information Collection & Use
The Calibre Signs website does not automatically gather any specific personal information from you, such as your name, phone number or e-mail address. We would only obtain this information if you supply it by sending us an email, filling out a form or purchasing our products on the secure portions of the site. Specific collection areas of this site are outlined below.

All personal information held or collected is protected under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). This means that at any point of collection you will be asked for consent to collect your information, and you will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.

Any personal information that is received will be handled in a secure and confidential manner. Only employees pertinent to information, such as billing clerk or merchant services will be in contact with said information. Personal and Private information is stored in secured areas.

Forms & Registration
when requesting more information or sending us an email from our website, a user needs to first complete an online form(s). The user is required to give their contact information (such as name and email address). This information is used to contact the user about the contents of the request or process an order. This information will not be sold or rented to any third party.

Cookies
we do not use "cookies".

Log Files
Calibre Signs employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our web site, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.

Sharing
We will share aggregate demographic information with our partners and advertisers. This is not linked to any personal information that can identify any individual person.

In the event that a Canadian based third party is used to assist Calibre Signs and personal information is provided to that third party to achieve its task, Calibre Signs will take all efforts to ensure that the third party is PIPEDA compliant. Calibre Signs will have on file any third parties privacy policy and provide Calibre Signs privacy policy to said party. A likely third party may be a shipping company to ship orders and a credit card processing company to collect credit card payments. These companies do not share any personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes.

Correction/Updating Personal Information
If a user's personally identifiable information changes, or if a user no longer desires our service, we will endeavor to provide a way to correct, update or remove that user's personal data provided to us. Emailing our Customer Support representatives will be able to accomplish this.

Choice/Opt-out
Users who no longer wish to receive our newsletter or promotional materials may opt-out of receiving these communications by requesting removal at anytime.

Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act may be directed to our Chief Privacy Officer by e-mail to info@calibresigns.com

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, please contact us.  For more information about privacy issues, contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at 1-800-282-1376 or www.privcom.gc.ca