Graphic Design That Was Always Meant to Be Printed
Bring us a logo, a sketch on a napkin, a photo, or nothing but an idea. Our design desk turns it into artwork that's sized, proofed, and ready for the exact card, banner, sign, or shirt it's going on, because the people designing it are the same shop printing it.
What the Design Desk Gets Asked to Make
- Logo cleanup and rebuilding from an old card, sample, or photo
- Business card and letterhead layout
- Flyer, postcard, and coupon design
- Banner and sign layout sized to the finished piece
- Vehicle lettering layouts for vans, trucks, and trailers
- Apparel print art for t-shirts, crewnecks, and hoodies
- Menu, booklet, and brochure layout
- Event pieces: birthday backdrops, graduation signs, memorial banners
- Turning a photograph into a finished flyer or banner
From Napkin Sketch to Press-Ready File
| Design job | A typical starting point | What it becomes |
|---|---|---|
| Logo work | A faded business card, a photo of your truck, or a low-res web image | Clean artwork we can scale from a business card to a building sign |
| Card & stationery layout | Your name, number, and what you do | Print-ready business cards, letterhead, and forms |
| Flyer & postcard design | A rough list of what you want to say, maybe a photo | A laid-out piece sized for gloss stock or a mailing |
| Banner & sign layout | The sign size and the message | Art built to the finished dimensions, readable at distance |
| Vehicle lettering layout | Your van or truck and your logo | A lettering plan fitted to your vehicle's panels |
| Apparel art | A logo or slogan | Press-ready art placed for front, back, or both |
| Event & tribute pieces | A photo and the occasion | Backdrops, yard signs, banners, and matching small pieces |
- A proof before anything goes into production on custom work
- If we make an error versus the proof you approved, we reprint free
- A resolution and sizing check on any art or photos you supply
- Your finished files kept on record for one-call reorders
- Material samples and real examples at the counter so you can see options before deciding
- Quotes honored for 30 days
How Design Time Gets Priced (and What Happens After)
Design time is quoted at the counter, fast and free. Every design job is a little different, so we look at what you're starting with and tell you plainly what the art will cost before we begin. The quote is good for 30 days.
Once the artwork is done, it prints at our posted prices: 500 business cards for $58, a 3x6 vinyl banner for $108 (18 sq ft at $6), an 18x24 coroplast yard sign for $27. You pay for design once; the files stay on record, so reorders are just the print price.
“From start to finish, everything was handled with a high level of professionalism and care. You can really tell when someone takes pride in their work.”
How a Design Job Moves Through This Shop
Bring what you have
A logo file, an old sample, a photo, or just the idea in your head. The design desk can build art from samples and photos, so there's no such thing as showing up too early.
Talk it through at the counter
We ask what the piece needs to do, where it will live, and what it's going on. You'll see real material samples and examples, and you'll leave with a design quote, not a maybe.
Watch it take shape
We build the artwork sized for the actual product, whether that's a card, a 4x8 panel, or the side of a van. Type, spacing, and resolution are set for how the piece will actually be seen.
Approve your proof
Nothing custom goes into production until you've signed off on a proof. If we ever err against the proof you approved, the reprint is on us.
Print it under the same roof
Approved art goes straight to production here, where 95% of our products are made in-house. Once your files exist and you're reordering print-ready work by 10:00 AM on a weekday, most standard jobs run the same afternoon.
Jobs like yours, already on the wall.
Two grads, two schools, one photo each
For graduation season we designed personalized yard signs, one for Lucas at West Park High and one for Emily at Chilton Middle, each built in the school's colors with its mascot and the student's photo worked into the layout. It's the kind of job where design is the whole product: same sign material, completely different piece for each family.
A first birthday, designed as a set
For Angelica's first birthday we designed and printed Sesame-Street-style character cutouts, a party backdrop, and matching favor-box labels. Everything came from one coordinated design, so the big backdrop and the little labels on the tables all looked like they belonged to the same party.
One look, from the van to the polos
AFG Handyman Service needed to look like one company everywhere a customer might see them. We designed and produced a full lettering package for their Ford Transit and printed polo shirts to match, so the crew standing next to the van carries the same brand the van does.
Why Design and Printing Belong Under One Roof
The designer and the printer share a hallway
When design happens at one company and printing at another, problems surface at the worst moment. Here the person building your art knows exactly which machine, material, and size it's headed for, so files are built right for the output the first time. One reviewer, Maria Jimenez, put it simply: the shop "offered expert advise to make sure the event banner printed with good resolution."
You see it and touch it before you commit
Design decisions are easier with the real thing in your hands. Vanessa Dela Cruz wrote that "Colleen goes above and beyond in showing you examples & material samples!" That's how a consultation works here: you compare actual substrates and finished pieces at the counter, not thumbnails on a screen.
Art built once, used everywhere
A logo rebuilt properly scales from a business card to a banner to a vehicle door without falling apart. We keep your finished files on record, so the next order, on any product, starts from art that's already right. Reordering businesses can set up a trade account with art on file, priority turnaround, and monthly invoicing.
A family shop that answers its phone
Ace Printing & Same Day Signs is independent and family-owned, run by Matt and Colleen at 1835 Fulton Ave. A person answers (916) 944-7195 during business hours, walk-ins are welcome, and there's extra parking in the rear.
Same-day starts before 10 AM.
Free proof, posted prices, and a straight answer on today vs. tomorrow.
Design Questions People Actually Ask at the Counter
Do I need finished artwork before I come in?
No. The design desk builds art from whatever you have: an old business card, a photo of a sign you like, a sketch, or a plain description. One customer, Una Leggett, brought a photograph and wrote that "they were able to turn my photo into a beautiful flyer." Starting from scratch is normal here.
What file types are best if I already have a logo?
Vector files such as AI, EPS, or vector PDF are ideal because they scale to any size without losing sharpness. If all you have is a JPG or PNG, bring the largest version you can find and we'll tell you honestly whether it will hold up or needs rebuilding. Either way we check resolution before anything prints.
How much does graphic design cost?
Design time is quoted at the counter based on what the job actually needs, and the quote is free and good for 30 days. Simple layout on an existing logo costs less than rebuilding artwork from a blurry photo, so we look first and price plainly. Once the art exists, you only pay print prices on reorders.
My logo only exists as a blurry image. Can you fix it?
Usually, yes. We can rebuild artwork from samples and photos so it scales cleanly from a card to a banner. Bring what you have and we'll quote the rebuild at the counter.
Will I see the design before it prints?
Always. Custom work gets a proof before production, and nothing runs until you approve it. If we make an error versus the proof you approved, we reprint free.
Do you keep my artwork on file?
Yes. Finished files stay on record so reorders take one call, with no need to dig up art or pay for design again. Businesses that reorder regularly can open a trade account with art on file, priority turnaround, and monthly invoicing.
Can a designed job still be same-day?
Design adds a step, so brand-new artwork usually can't be designed, proofed, and printed in one afternoon. But once your art is approved and on file, it counts as print-ready: order by 10:00 AM Monday through Friday and most standard jobs are done the same afternoon. Complex work like vehicle graphics gets a quoted timeline.
If you're designing a building sign, who handles the permit?
Sacramento-area sign permits are the property or business owner's responsibility unless we've arranged otherwise, and we'll point you to the right office for your address. On the design side, we build the art to the dimensions your permit allows, so the approved file matches what actually goes up.
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