Hello Schaef
…a couple things…
1) I’m sorry, I failed to address this…
We measure the actual letter from top to bottom. 12″ tall, 14″ tall, 6″ tall…etc. What ever you want.
That said…you’ll see different widths out there…of the letters themselves. Just make sure you’re ordering the width you’d like.
Then…compare plastic thickness…( all of my personal stencils, which I still use kinda daily are 125 Mil thick = 1/8th inch thick ). No 60 Mil for stripers.
Next…be careful of the “Edge Distance”. Some MFGs offer a 2″ Edge Distance. I offer 3″.
It’s not only about “Over Spray Protection”. It’s about strength, too.
Then…compare price.
Bottom line…letter height, letter width, plastic thickness, edge distance, price.
( Edge distance is also sometimes disclosed as “Overall Height”. Mine would be 18″ “Overall height”…on a 12” Tall NO PARKING lettering. )
Next…
Stay relaxed. I don’t even own a “Mother of all Uniform Traffic Control Devices”…Manual.
Ok…the M stands for Manual.
Here’s why…you’re off road.
1) I try to put back what the customer had. If it’s an 18″…and I have one…cool. If I don’t…just ask ’em…”Do you mind if I put back a 24″? It’s a little bigger. Same price. I’ll space them out nicely…not too many, that the place looks mucked up…not too few, that they fail to do the job. I’ll make it look nice.” 999 out of 1000 are nice people who trust you. THAT’s why you get the job. And…notice…I didn’t ask if they wanted a 24″ letter in the WIDE font…or a 24″ letter in the NARROW font.
Schaef, you’re doing fine.
Next…on my bid…I will make the statement that I’ll be converting the existing H/C stencils into “Blue Block” design. And, Schaef, I don’t disclose that mine is 36″ or 39″. And…I don’t put a White Border around it…unless it had one. No Biggee.
2) I’ve striped miles of roads. Almost always I have a drawing. That’s someone else job. I just go by the drawing. If it calls out for an 11″ “Suicide” lane…guess what…?…Uncle Dan Paints it 11′ wide. Sometimes the drawing calls for a 10′ curb lane…sometimes an 11′ curb lane…sometimes 12′.
3) As far as the D.O.T. = Department of Transportation; my DOT = Ohio…= ODOT. Florida = “F” DOT. Texas would be TDOT…etc.
YES…when we all travel on public streets and highways…we should adopt a single standard. I do own an 8″ ONLY, Arrows…etc…that I use in the street.
Next…that said…whenever I have a job…such as a strip mall or a large hospital…that has a “Ring Road”…or a nice big ol’ “Drive Lane”…I try to adopt these standards…not out of fear of reprisal…but I just think of it as “what if it were mine”? “What would be best?” I don’t sweat it. I will make the Stop Bars 24″ wide. I will also use probably just the top half of my 12′ and 13′ arrows. Unless of course it’s a Re-Stripe. Then I’ll decide…it that existing Directional Arrow ok?…or can I make it better?
Next…here’s the beauty too…the road is probably, already some multiple of 12′ wide. In other words…it’s already 24′ wide…or 36′ wide. If it’s 35′ wide…make the suicide a little wider then the “Curb Lanes”. That would be comfortable…etc…etc…etc… (…that’s a line from a movie…)
Bottom line…relax…you’re doin’ fine.
Dan
