What Does Shopfront Signage Cost in Melbourne's West? The Six Things That Set the Price

6 October 2026 · 6 min read · Colorbourne Graphics, Melton

The most common question we get about signage is also the one we can never answer on the spot: what does a shopfront sign cost? Not because we are hiding a price list. There is no price list. Every shop front is a different width, a different height off the ground, a different material and a different landlord, and each of those moves the number more than the printing does. Signs are quoted on measurement, by us and by every sign shop that intends to still be in business next year.

What we can do is tell you exactly what sets the price, so you can brief any sign shop properly, understand the quote you get back and compare two quotes that look nothing alike.

1. Size

The biggest factor by far. A fascia on a Hoppers Crossing strip shop might be three metres wide; a corner tenancy in a new Tarneit centre might have two fascias of six metres each. Material, printing and installation all scale with the square metre, and anything over a certain length is made in sections, which adds joins and labour. Measure the width and height of the space the sign will fill before you call anyone; a tape measure and a phone photo are enough.

2. Type of sign

Flat panel sign: printed graphics on a rigid board fixed to the fascia. The most economical option and the right one for most daytime businesses.
Illuminated light box: a frame with internal lighting and a printed face. Costs more because of the box, the electrics and the electrician, but it is the only sign that works after dark.
3D letters: individual cut letters, lit or unlit, mounted to the wall. Premium look, premium price, and each letter is its own piece of work.
Window graphics and frosting: applied to glass rather than a fascia. Often the cheapest way to add a name, hours and services, and they can be done alongside any of the above.

3. Material and finish

A printed panel can be made on several substrates at different prices and lifespans. Laminated prints resist fading; metal composite panels last longer than plastic; a light box face can be flat acrylic or a flexible skin. The cheapest material is not wrong, but it will be faded by the time a dearer one is still sharp. Ask the sign shop how long each option is expected to look good facing west in a Melbourne summer.

4. Installation

How high is the fascia? Is there power for a light box? Is the wall brick, render, cladding or glass? Does the job need a ladder, a scaffold or a boom lift? Is there a verandah in the way? A ground-floor fascia in a quiet street installs in a morning; a high sign over a busy footpath needs traffic management and more people. This is why two quotes for the same artwork can be far apart: one priced the install properly and one did not.

5. The old sign

Most shop fronts already have a sign on them. Someone has to take it down, dispose of it and make good the fascia, and if it was a light box, decide whether to reuse the box with a new face, which is often the biggest saving on the whole job. We include removal and clean-up when you ask for it; make sure any other quote says whether it does.

6. Design and approvals

If you have print-ready artwork, design is a small part of the cost. If you have a logo and an idea, a designer sets it up, proofs it and revises it with you. Separately, shopping centres and some landlords have signage specifications, and some councils require a permit for larger or illuminated signs. The paperwork is cheap compared with doing the sign twice.

How to get a quote you can trust

Send a photo of the whole shop front, the width of the fascia, whether you trade after dark, and your logo or current artwork. Say if there is an old sign to remove. With that, a sign shop can quote the real job, not a guess, and you can compare two quotes line by line: sign, material, lighting, installation, removal, design. For a shop in Melton, Werribee or anywhere in Melbourne's west, that photo can come to sales@colorbourne.com.au.

Quick answers

Why will no sign shop give me a price over the phone?

Because the price is mostly the size and the material, and nobody knows either until the fascia is measured and the finish chosen. A photo with a width measurement gets you a real quote within a day or two.

Is a light box worth it over a flat panel?

If you trade after dark, yes: an unlit sign disappears at 6pm in winter. If you close at five, a flat panel and a well-lit window do the same job for less.

Does the quote include taking the old sign down?

Ours does when you ask for it. Always check, because removal, disposal and making good the fascia are a separate trade on many quotes.

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Need a quote? Call 1300 722 583, email sales@colorbourne.com.au or use the contact form.

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