When you’re gearing up to order your cheerleading signs, picking the perfect sign colors is essential.
At CheerleadingSigns.Shop, we can print millions of colors, hues, and tints—and that means you get the ultimate creative freedom to find the right colors for your team.
But with so many options, where do you start?
Here’s our handy guide to help you pick the perfect colors.
Finding Your Sign Colors
When you submit a quote request, you can tell us what colors you want. There are two fields for colors: product color and imprint color.
Your product color is the background (or main) color for your sign. Your imprint color(s) is what color your text, design, or logo will be. For example, if you want purple signs that say “WIN” in yellow, then your product color would be purple and your imprint color would be yellow.
But as you know, there are many different hues and tints of the same color. Check out just a few of the different variations of green:
When we design your signs, we’ll try to match your requested colors as closely as possible. If you’re using your official school colors, share them with us or send us your school’s logo or website.
Before we print your signs, we’ll send you a proof so that you can let us know if you want to use a different hue or tint (more on proofs later!).
Sending us a photo of the colors you want to use can help, but keep in mind that it’s nearly impossible to get an exact color from a photo. Various factors, like camera type, lighting, and screen display can affect how colors appear. But it can be a helpful starting point.
The best way to get an exact color is to send us the Pantone or hex color code if you have it. Pantone is a standardized color-matching system that lets designers and manufacturers accurately reproduce specific colors in different products and materials (we’ll have more about Pantone colors later on!). Hex color codes are a way to represent digital colors using six numbers (0-9) and letters (A-F). The website www.color-hex.com lets you preview color codes on your phone or computer. For example, here’s our favorite green color.
Cheerleading Sign Color Contrast
Color contrast is the perceived difference between two colors placed near each other, and it’s key for making your signs pop.
Think light text on a dark background or dark text on a light background for high contrast and maximum impact.
Low-contrast color combinations can be difficult to read, especially from far away, and don’t make as much of an impact. Think yellow text on a white background.
But when the two colors you want to use have low contrast, outlines are a huge help. Outlines help text stand out better from the background, and give a great polished look to your sign designs.
Checking Colors in Your Proof
Your proof is an official copy of your sign designs that you’ll get before we print your signs. When we design signs, we always send proofs. That way, you can preview your sign designs and we can make changes before we print and ship them.
If you want to change your sign colors, let us know before you approve your proof! The colors in your proof are the colors we’ll use to print your signs.
Effect of Screen and Lighting Differences on Sign Colors
The same color can look different on different screens. For the most accurate preview, try checking your design on a smartphone. Smartphone screens are often higher quality (and more color-accurate) than regular computer screens. If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, check the design with “True Tone” turned off.
Lighting will also affect how you perceive colors, so keep that in mind too! Your printed signs can look different inside a well-lit gymnasium than they do outdoors on a cloudy day.
Should I use Pantone colors for my cheer signs?
Pantone is a standardized color-matching system that lets designers and manufacturers accurately reproduce specific colors in different products and materials (such as paper, plastic, or vinyl). Every Pantone color has a unique code.
Some schools and teams have Pantone colors picked out for their official colors. But don’t worry if your school doesn’t! Many schools use their own colors that aren’t associated with specific Pantone colors.
If your school or team does have designated Pantone colors that you want to use, then let us know! We offer free Pantone color-matching for cheerleading signs.
If your school or team doesn’t have designated Pantone colors, then there’s no need to find one for your signs. In fact, Pantone colors can look very different on-screen than when printed, so if you’re looking for your own colors, we definitely recommend using a tool like www.color-hex.com instead.
Ordering Your Cheerleading Signs
Once you have your colors in mind and you’re ready to order your signs, head over to Request a Quote. Our CheerleadingSigns.Shop team is excited to work with you on creating standout signs for your team!