Are you struggling to find the right print vendor for your commercial signage? You're not alone. With so many options and service providers to choose from, you and many others inevitably succumb to "sign fatigue" while trying to scope out the best deal.

Time to destress. Pour yourself a hot cup of tea, grab a seat and check out the top four characteristics every sign shopper weighs before selecting a print vendor.

1. Affordable pricing

Small business owners love low prices but not if it means compromising the value of the product. What they say is true: "You get what you pay for."

If you're in the market for signage, don't leap to the steepest bargain or overspend on frills you don't need. Map out your project and nail down your budget, and then research vendors who fit your price range.

2. Quick turnaround

When the idea for a promotion or a new marketing campaign strikes, you have to act fast. However, some signmakers might not share your enthusiasm and take forever to produce your signage.

Signmakers may not chisel posters or banners from marble, but it's important they balance craftsmanship with your time-sensitive schedule. As you line up possible print vendors, be sure their timetables align with yours without sacrificing quality.

3. Knowledgeable staff and design teams

Do you know you shouldn't use glossy photo prints in brightly lit presentation halls where there's bound to be glare, or that poking holes in heavyweight posters to mount them could cause structural problems for the material?

What is this, a pop quiz? Why would you know any of that? You're not a sign expert.

But your vendor's printing staff should be. Place your sign project in the hands of qualified sign specialists who understand their products inside and out. Better yet, pick vendors that employ their own design teams. That way, you're able to consult vendors about the sign itself, as well as what you plan to print on it.

4. Store locations nearby

Nobody wants to put a bunch of unnecessary miles on the company car just to pick up posters or banners once they're finished. Always choose vendors with either multiple pickup locations or those close to your home or business. You'll save yourself a trip if you're able to snag your sign project en route to one or the other.

When you visit a store location, you can also discuss your project with print and design experts face to face, see examples of finished products and even feel sign materials with your own hands. You can't do all that if you buy your signs off the Internet.

Now that you know what to look for in a print vendor, revisit your original plan and the list of vendors you've accumulated so far. From here, it should be much easier to make the right decision.