Hire a self-employed lettering installer
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Window letteringVan letteringApply full colour prints
Have your lettering applied by a self-employed lettering installer
A self-employed lettering installer applies window, facade, interior and vehicle lettering and usually charges €40 to €55 per hour. You supply the production or arrange it. The lettering installer takes care of neat application and a tidy handover.
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No subscription. You can start with your own sign installers today, in any region.
Where lettering jobs go wrong
- Vinyl that lifts after a few weeks because the surface wasn’t degreased.
- Air bubbles and crooked letters on a shop window that’s on show all day.
- A lettering installer who can’t reach the second-floor window.
- No handover photos when the end client later questions the alignment.
Lettering through Signborn
- Selected by skillWindow lettering, vehicle lettering, full colour and facade letters are separate skills. You ask for exactly what the job needs.
- Own rate, visible up frontThe lettering installer sets their own rate. You see the total including the Signborn fee and VAT before you confirm.
- Public liability with custody coverEvery lettering installer has their own verified public liability insurance with care, custody and control cover, meant for damage to the window or vehicle they’re working on.
- Handover with photosPhotos stamped with time and location, plus the end client’s signature, in one report.
Types of work
- Window lettering
- Van lettering
- Apply full colour prints
- Facade letter installation
- Interior signing
- Apply sandblast film
- Surface preparation (cleaning/degreasing)
- Removal of old signage
Outsourcing lettering: the trade in brief
Types of lettering
- Window lettering: cut letters and logos on glass, applied from the inside or outside.
- Facade lettering: vinyl on facade panels, signboards or composite.
- Vehicle lettering: vans, trailers and lorries, from single letters to a half wrap.
- Full colour prints: printed vinyl with laminate, for shop windows, walls and vehicles.
- Interior lettering: wall text, wayfinding and glass manifestation indoors.
- Facade letters: separate 3D or cut letters on stand-off fixings. That’s more installation than application.
Which vinyl for what
For flat surfaces and a short to medium lifespan, calendered vinyl is the usual choice: sturdy and easy to cut. For curves, rivets and vehicles that need to last for years, choose cast vinyl. For temporary promotions on glass a removable adhesive is handy; for facade lettering that stays up for years, a permanent adhesive is better. Printed vinyl gets a laminate to protect it from UV and scratches.
The choice usually lies with the agency doing the production. Put the type of vinyl in your brief, so the lettering installer knows what they’re working with.
How lettering goes on clean and straight
First the surface is cleaned and degreased, for example with isopropyl alcohol. Small letters are usually applied dry. Large areas on glass are sometimes applied wet, so the vinyl can still be moved slightly. The lettering installer works with a squeegee, a blade that doesn’t cut into the glass, and alignment from fixed reference points. Every vinyl has a minimum application temperature, stated on its technical data sheet. Apply it outdoors in the cold and you get lifting edges.
A good lettering brief
- Dimensions and position, with a dimensioned drawing or a photo with the measurements marked.
- The surface: glass, painted metal, composite or a plastered wall.
- Inside or outside application, and the working height.
- Who supplies the vinyl, and whether it’s already cut, weeded and fitted with application tape.
- Whether old lettering needs removing first.
- The opening hours of the shop or building, so the client isn’t inconvenienced.
Lead time and costs
Lettering a shop window or a van is often a job of a few hours. A rollout across dozens of branches is planned over weeks, with several lettering installers per region. The lettering installer charges their own hourly rate or a price per job. Indicative rates per specialism are on the rates page. Through Signborn you, as the client, also pay the Signborn fee: 8% for a match, minimum €15 and maximum €150 per sign installer per job. With your own network there is no fee.
How does Signborn work?
From job to invoice, in five steps.
Post your job
Address, date, sizes and what needs doing. You choose who sees it: everyone who fits, or only your own network.
New jobExample Window lettering
- Prinsestraat 41, The Hague
- Thu 15 Oct · 07:30
- 1200 × 300 mm · cut vinyl
Who sees this job?
Installers respond
Installers who fit by trade, certificates, region and calendar see your job and say yes or no. Saying no has no consequences.
You choose
Compare the responses, with your own network at the top, and choose one or more installers. Then the chat opens. With more than one installer, it's a single group chat.
Do the work and hand over
GPS check-in on site, handover with photos and location. You approve within 48 hours, or raise an objection.
HandoverExample Job sheet: 3 of 3 done
All done as briefed
Before During Done - On site07:24–11:38
- Signed off by your client11:41
Approve within 48 hoursBy Sat 17 Oct at 11:42- Job sheet for your own client: no amounts, in your own branding.
Invoice
The installer invoices you directly, pre-filled from the job, and you pay within 14 or 30 days. Signborn sends a separate fee invoice. No money runs through Signborn.
The five best-matching installers get a notification, ranked on seven factors with fixed weights. Matching with new installers opens region by region. Until then, your job reaches your own network and approved installers nearby.
Window lettering
- Prinsestraat 41, The Hague
- Thu 15 Oct · 07:30
- 1200 × 300 mm · cut vinyl
Who sees this job?
Job sheet: 3 of 3 done
All done as briefed
- On site07:24–11:38
- Signed off by your client11:41
Approve within 48 hoursBy Sat 17 Oct at 11:42
- Job sheet for your own client: no amounts, in your own branding.
Frequently asked questions about lettering
What’s the difference between lettering and a wrap?
Lettering is separate text and logos on a surface. A wrap covers the whole surface, or large parts of it, in vinyl. For a full vehicle wrap, look for a vehicle wrapper.
Does the lettering installer supply the vinyl?
Usually the agency produces the vinyl and the lettering installer applies it. Some lettering installers also cut or print it themselves. Agree this in the job, so everyone knows who is responsible for what.
Can lettering be applied in winter?
Indoors, yes. Outdoors it depends on the temperature and the vinyl: below the minimum application temperature the adhesive doesn’t bond well. A good lettering installer tells you this beforehand, and would rather schedule it a day later than have the edges lift.
How is old lettering removed?
With heat and a plastic scraper. Then you remove the adhesive residue with a suitable cleaner. Old or sun-weathered vinyl takes more time. Is removal part of the work? Then put it in your job.
Are lettering installers insured?
Yes. Every self-employed professional on Signborn has their own public liability insurance with care, custody and control cover, checked before they can respond. Signborn itself doesn’t insure anything.
Who signs off the handover?
Your end client’s contact person signs digitally on the lettering installer’s phone. Together with the photos stamped with time and location, it all goes into one report in your dashboard.
Choose a specialism
Got lettering to apply?
Post your job for free. With your own lettering installers you can already work in every region.