Signs & Large Format Print
What the rules say about house number signs
The details differ from country to country and often from town to town. Using Poland as an example, where the obligation comes from the surveying and cartography law:
- the sign is put up by the owner of a built-up property (or whoever holds it according to the land register);
- location: visible, on the front wall of the building or on the fence; if the house stands back from the road, practically always on the fence or by the gate;
- deadline: 30 days from receiving notice of the number;
- content: the house number, with extra elements (street, town or estate name) that the municipal council may require by resolution;
- a fine or reprimand for not displaying it.
In recent years the duty to illuminate the sign has been dropped there, and the details have moved to municipalities. In other countries, too, it is local rules that count, so before ordering, check your municipality's website or call the relevant department: some have their own sign template (colour, coat of arms, layout), others have none. This is general information, not legal advice.
Materials and prices: what to choose
| Option | Price | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dibond 3 mm with UV print | approx. €35–55/m² | rigid, does not absorb water, full colour, municipal template no problem | flat, official look |
| Acrylic 3 mm on stand-offs | approx. €43–60/m² + stand-offs approx. €2.35 each | glass effect, modern facades | dearer, needs an occasional wipe |
| Built-up numerals in Dibond or acrylic, 30 cm | from approx. €16/character | visible from afar, look like part of the architecture | no background: needs a contrasting wall |
| Printed 10 mm PVC numerals | approx. €42–60/m² | thick, cast a shadow, cheaper than Dibond letters | outdoors, better in sheltered spots |
| Foam PVC 3 mm | approx. €21–33/m² | the cheapest | can warp outdoors: not recommended for years |
The sign itself is small: a 40 × 25 cm format is 0.1 m², or approx. €6 net in Dibond. Our minimum order value is approx. €24 net, so a single sign will not reach it on its own. That is why we suggest ordering a set: a sign for the fence and another for the building, or built-up numerals for the facade. A bulk order for a whole street or estate works out even better.
How big should the number be to read from the street
Couriers, ambulances and fire crews look for the number from a moving vehicle, often after dark. We use a simple signage rule: for every 3–4 metres of reading distance you need about 1 cm of numeral height. In practice:
- a sign by the gate read from the pavement (3–5 m): a 5–8 cm numeral is enough;
- a number on the facade read from the road (10–15 m): 10–15 cm numerals;
- a house set back 25–30 m from the road: 30 cm built-up numerals or a sign by the entrance.
Contrast matters as much as size. A white numeral on a graphite background or black on white reads best. Gold numerals on beige render look nice in a visual but disappear from the street. For built-up numerals we match the colour to the facade from a sample or photo.
Fitting the sign step by step
- Choose a spot visible from the road, at eye level or slightly above, not behind a shrub that will hide the number in two years.
- On rendered external insulation, do not drill blindly into the polystyrene. Use insulation fixings or mount the sign on stand-offs with plugs reaching the masonry.
- On a panel fence, the simplest is to screw the sign to a post or through holes to the panels with bolts and washers. We can drill the panel before shipping (approx. €0.50 net per hole).
- On a smooth, load-bearing surface (stone, metal), high-strength mounting tape can be used, but only on a clean, degreased surface.
- For built-up numerals, a 1:1 template with the holes marked helps: we can print it with the order so you can space the numerals evenly without measuring each one.
For a single sign, shipping and fitting it yourself is almost always cheaper than a crew visit.
- 24 hexpress printing (UV inks need no drying)
- approx. 3 daysstandard lead time
- up to 14 dayslarge and custom projects with installation
Plus courier delivery. Tell us your date — we plan production around it.
Signs for a whole municipality, estate or developer
Ordering number signs makes most sense at scale: when a municipality reorganises its numbering, a developer hands over an estate, or a housing association replaces the signage on several buildings. Then:
- we design one template once and change only the numbers and street names;
- the price per m² drops in the higher bands (Dibond from approx. €35 net/m² in large quantities);
- we can pack the signs and ship them to several addresses: picking and multi-address dispatch is approx. €2.80 net per location.
More on property and building signage on the building numbers and address signs page. Municipalities that are also signing schools, community centres or trails should see information boards with maps and welcome signs and our page for municipalities and public offices.