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TAPCO's Dedication to Highway-grade Sign Production
TAPCO is committed to designing and producing professional, highway grade signs, every time. From design to finished sign, we maintain a strict adherence to all sign production practices according to State and Federal specifications. Our sign-making expertise earned us the 3M Quality Award three years in a row, your assurance of satisfaction when purchasing signs from TAPCO.
TAPCO's Silk Screening Process
TAPCO's produces only the highest quality signs. At TAPCO, we use only 3M UV-resistant inks that resist fading year after year, in even the brightest sunlight. Each and every sign we produce is carefully silk screened, even one of a kind signs. TAPCO is the only company that makes traffic signs exclusively this way. The process of silk screening signs requires more time and care, but it ensures that you receive professional, highway grade signs that are durable and long lasting.
The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of the low price is forgotten
Some sign manufacturers use inferior inks or die-cuts in their sign production, significantly decreasing the overall quality of the finished product. When sign manufacturers use inferior materials, letters, numbers and graphics may fade, curl or even fall off the sign. Why settle for inferior signage that will require replacement?
We Guarantee Your Satisfaction
TAPCO quality means production of exceptional signs that ensure your satisfaction. With 50 years of experience in crafting the highest quality signs, TAPCO gets it right every time.
Q: Why buy my signs and supplies from TAPCO?
TAPCO will supply you with durable, long-lasting products to help you comply with the law and to minimize your liability. We offer the widest combination of MUTCD compliant signs and sign-making products available, including a comprehensive selection of State-specific ADA Handicap signage as specified by the American Disabilities Act. We use 3M™ sheeting on high-grade aluminum and only the highest quality inks to give you the longest lasting signs for your dollar!
Q: Does it matter what type of traffic signs I buy?
YES, it matters a great deal! Many signs are not in compliance with the law. Signs that do not meet Federal standards can expose you to costly, unnecessary liability.
Q: Must my traffic and parking signs comply?
ALL traffic control devices nationwide must conform to the FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) as provided under Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 655, subparagraph F. The MUTCD states that ALL signs in areas open to public vehicular travel MUST be retroreflective or illuminated to show the same shape and similar color both day and night. Signs must utilize encapsulated reflective sheeting, not glass beads thrown onto wet inks. The FHWA is developing minimum reflective standards for all traffic signs. All 50 States must either adopt the Federal MUTCD, with or without revisions, or adopt their own version. The current FHWA edition is available on-line via the FHWA website at mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/
Q: Are all signs of equal quality and durability?
NO! Some sign manufacturers and resellers will try to sell you a cheaper product that will not last as long or be as effective for any one of several reasons: inks can fade, inferior sheeting loses its reflectivity, and the substrate can rust if it contains steel. Rest assured that when you purchase a sign from TAPCO that it will last, providing you a better value over the life of the sign. Refer to the different levels of sheeting on the following pages to compare the choices of sheeting and their respective
levels of reflectivity. More information on sheeting can be found in the Digital Sign-making section of this catalog.
How we see:
How well we see an object during the day is determined by the amount and color of the light it gives off by its surroundings. This light can be emitted by the object, or reflected from the object. Light emission is generated either by incandescence or luminescence. The light bulb and the firefly are examples. The light beams created by emission give the object visibility. In either case, emitted light is its own source, and consumes energy, even when no one is around to benefit from it, like an internally lighted sign or luminaires.
What is reflectivity?
Reflectivity, on the other hand, does not create its own light. It borrows light from another source. The borrowed light waves strike an object and "bounce" from it. The reflectance of the object—how bright it shines—depends on the intensity of the light striking it and the materials from which it is made.
Diffuse reflection is the most common type of reflectivity and occurs when light strikes rough surfaces, such as pavement, foliage, clothing, and vehicles. These surfaces cause the light beams to scatter in all directions. Only a small amount of the light is reflected back toward the source. Diffuse surfaces offer low nighttime visibility to dirvers.
Mirror (specular) reflection occurs when light strikes surfaces that are smooth or glossy. The light reflects off the surface at an equal, but opposite angle. This specular phenomenon may be experienced at night when diffused surfaces, such as pavement, are covered with water or ice. Distant lights and oncoming headlights glance off the wet pavement, instead of scattering in all directions, and create glare for the oncoming driver.
Retroreflection occurs when surfaces return a portion of the directed light to its source. This is why retroreflective materials appear brightest to observers located near the light source-a driver and the vehicle headlights, for example. This is true for drivers at almost any viewing angle, which makes retroreflective surfaces excellent for night visibility.
How retroreflection works:
Basically, retroreflective sheeting uses tiny glass beads or cube corner elements to reflect light.
Spherical reflection:
Each glass bead works this way: An incident (incoming) light beam refracts (beads) as it passes through the front surface of the glass bead and reflects off a mirrored surface behind the bead. The beam then passes back through the front surface, is refracted as it leaves the bead, and returns toward the light source.
Cube corner reflection:
Like beads, cube corners are retoreflective lens elements. Each has three mutually perpendicular refractive surfaces. An incident light ray is refracted on each of the three surfaces and is returned to its source on a parallel to its initial direction. It functions much as a ball bounced into the corner of a room. The glass beads or cube corner elements are built into retroreflective sheeting and are protected by a smooth top film. There are several types of sheeting of differing construction
and performance.
Retroreflective Properties:
To fully appreciate how retroreflective materials can help make your roads safer at night, it is helpful to understand these terms: entrance angle, observation angle, cone of reflected light and retroreflectance.
Entrance angle is the angle formed between a light beam striking a surface at some point and a line perpendicular to the surface at the same point. This is the angle referred to when discussing the "angularity" of reflective sheeting. And it is especially important when you consider that signs are often positioned far off the shoulder, on the left hand side of the road, on curves, and can become misaligned due to accident or snowplow abuse.
Observation angle is the angle between the line formed by a light beam striking a surface and the line formed by the retroreflected beam at the observer's eye. Retroreflective materials direct incident light back to the source in a cone. Efficient retroreflective materials will include all observation angles to meet motorist needs. This cone of retroflective light is very small, with virtually all the neglected light within 3° of the source. This is not a problem for traffic signing since a driver is very near the headlights.
Retroreflectance is a term used to describe the amount of light reflected from a retroreflective material. This light is measured in candle power (reflected) per foot candle (incident light) per square foot (of reflected material). |
