Every question, answered.

We work right across Greater Manchester, with regular jobs in Stockport, Bury, Wilmslow, Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Trafford, Tameside and Wigan, plus the surrounding boroughs. If you're outside these towns, get in touch — most jobs within the M60 ring and a fair way beyond are within reach.

Yes, every project starts with a free survey — on-site for anything involving a building or fleet, or remote where photos and measurements are enough. There's no obligation to proceed after the survey, and quotes are itemised so you can see what you're paying for.

Four steps: a free survey to measure up and check access, CAD design proofs back within 24 hours, manufacture in-house to the approved spec, then install by our own fitters. Most straightforward jobs run survey-to-install in two to three weeks; larger or multi-site projects are scheduled around your operational needs.

It depends entirely on the sign type, size, materials and illumination — there's no single figure that applies across the board. Call us or use Get a Quote and we'll give you a proper price based on your actual job after a quick survey, not a generic price list.

CAD proofs come back within 24 hours of survey as standard. Manufacture and install timescales depend on the job — a single fascia might be a week or two, a multi-van fleet or full site signage package longer. We'll give you a realistic timeline once we've seen the brief.

Yes. Safety signage is specified to ISO 7010 and BS 5499, temporary road and site signage follows Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual, and our installers work CDM-aware on construction and multi-contractor sites. Compliance detail is covered in full on each service page.

We produce the CAD and planning-application drawings you need to submit, and can advise on what's likely to need consent versus what falls under permitted development. The application itself is submitted by you or your agent to the local planning authority — we don't submit on your behalf.

In-house. Design, CAD, manufacture and installation all sit with the same team, which is why proofs match the finished sign and why we can hold to the timelines we quote — there's no third-party workshop in the chain adding delay or margin.

Both. We do single-van cut vinyl and partial wraps as often as we do twelve-vehicle fleet livery jobs. Fleet work is scheduled one or two vehicles at a time by default so you're never left short of vans on the road.

Yes — fire exit, hazard, PPE mandatory, prohibition and COSHH signage can be surveyed, supplied and installed as a single site pack, specified to ISO 7010. Useful for new-build handovers, HSE inspection prep, or refitting an existing site that's fallen out of date.

A fascia sign is typically a single flat or tray-built panel with graphics applied or illuminated behind. 3D built-up letters are individual fabricated letterforms — usually aluminium or acrylic-faced — fixed directly to the building or a raceway, giving more depth and shadow than a flat panel.

Yes — we regularly work from brand guideline documents and franchise signage manuals, matching Pantone references, letter proportions and illumination specs exactly. Send us the brand pack with your enquiry and we'll build the CAD proof against it directly.

Yes — retail, office and franchise clients with multiple Greater Manchester locations get a single point of contact managing survey, design consistency and install scheduling across every site, rather than treating each unit as a separate job.

Monoliths and totems usually need a groundworks and foundation stage ahead of the sign itself, so lead times run longer than fascia work — typically three to five weeks from survey to completed install, depending on foundation curing time and any utility checks needed before digging.

Yes, when applied and removed correctly. We use cast vinyl rated for the intended dwell time, and removal doesn't damage toughened or laminated shop glass. Cheaper self-adhesive graphics left in place for years can leave adhesive residue — that's a material spec issue, not a removal one.

For clients with multiple illuminated signs — retail chains, office parks, franchise groups — we can set up a scheduled inspection and LED module replacement arrangement rather than waiting for a fault call. Ask when you get a quote if this is relevant to your site.

Face-lit letters glow from the front face outward — the classic illuminated shop sign look. Halo-lit (back-lit) letters are opaque on the face and throw a glow onto the wall behind them, giving a subtler, premium finish that's popular on office and corporate fascias.

It depends on letter size, material (aluminium versus acrylic-faced) and whether they're illuminated — there's no single per-letter figure that fits every job. Call us with your rough sizing and we'll talk through realistic pricing, then confirm exactly after survey.

Yes — internal and external wayfinding, from car park direction totems through to floor-by-floor internal office signage, is designed as a coordinated system rather than one-off signs, so numbering, colour coding and iconography stay consistent across the whole site.

Often, yes — illuminated signage is more likely to need advertisement consent than non-illuminated, and conservation areas or listed buildings add further restrictions. We produce the CAD drawings needed for the application; confirming and submitting consent sits with you or your planning agent.

LED modules used in fascia and built-up letter illumination are typically rated for 50,000+ hours of use, which in normal shop or office trading hours works out to well over a decade before modules need replacing — the aluminium and acrylic housing itself lasts considerably longer with basic upkeep.

A site survey is standard practice for anything beyond a simple like-for-like replacement — it confirms fixing points, power availability for illuminated signs, and any structural or access issues drawings alone won't show. Existing building plans speed things up but aren't required to get started.

Typically brushed aluminium, acrylic or dibond composite panels for reception and directional signage, with vinyl-applied graphics or engraved/printed inserts for room and floor numbering. Material choice depends on the building's finish and how often signage needs updating for changing occupants.

Yes, removal and responsible disposal of existing signage is included as standard on replacement jobs unless you'd rather keep it. Anything containing glass or old neon tube is handled separately in line with waste regulations.

Flex-face is a tensioned fabric graphic stretched over an illuminated tray, giving an even, seamless glow across the whole panel rather than the visible module 'hot spots' you sometimes get with rigid trays. It's popular on shop fronts because the graphic can be swapped without replacing the housing.

Yes, regularly — retail park and shopping centre units often require landlord sign-off on illumination levels, fixing methods or brand colour before install. We can liaise directly with the property manager to get approval sorted alongside your own project timeline.

Often, yes — reskinning an existing fascia tray with new graphics, adding trough lighting to a non-illuminated fascia, or replacing window graphics alone are all lower-cost options than a full fascia replacement, and we'll recommend the lightest-touch option that meets the brief during survey.

Yes — independent shops and cafés make up a large share of our shop front work, alongside multi-site retail clients. Job size doesn't change the process: free survey, CAD proof within 24 hours, in-house manufacture and install.

For heavy footfall, exposed locations we'd typically recommend a rigid aluminium tray fascia over flex-face fabric, cast vinyl (not printed digital) for window graphics, and an aluminium-framed A-board over correx — all cost more upfront but hold up better to weather and knocks.

It depends on fascia size, lighting method (trough-lit versus flex-face) and whether existing electrics can be reused — illuminated fascias cost more to install than non-illuminated ones. Call us and we'll talk through pricing for your specific unit, then confirm after survey.

Trough lighting sits above or below a non-illuminated fascia panel and washes light down or up across it from an external fitting. An internally illuminated fascia has the light source built into the sign itself, behind the face. Trough lighting is often cheaper and easier to retrofit onto existing fascias.

Yes — fascia and window graphic installs on trading units are routinely scheduled early morning, evening or overnight specifically to avoid disrupting footfall, especially on retail parks and high streets where daytime access is restricted or a landlord requires out-of-hours work.

No — printed or perforated vinyl applied to a roller shutter is a surface application and doesn't interfere with the lath mechanism. Perforated vinyl (one-way vision material) is commonly used so the graphic reads correctly from outside while minimally restricting the shutter's normal operation.

It depends on size, material (correx versus a more durable aluminium-framed board) and whether the menu board needs a changeable insert system. Call us for pricing — both are usually quick-turnaround items alongside a larger fascia job.

It depends on the site — units in conservation areas, on listed buildings or where the sign is illuminated are more likely to need advertisement consent; straightforward like-for-like replacements on standard retail units often don't. We'll flag it during survey and provide drawings if an application is needed.

Yes — our design team can take a rough brand idea or an existing logo and develop the full shop front layout, window graphic composition and colourway, then hand straight into CAD and manufacture. See the Design page for the full branding and artwork process.

Cast vinyl window graphics rated for exterior use typically hold their colour and adhesion for five to seven years, depending on sun exposure and cleaning method. Printed vinyl using solvent or eco-solvent inks with a laminate typically performs at the higher end of that range.

ISO 7010 is the international standard defining the graphical symbols used on safety signs — the exact pictogram, shape and colour for fire, hazard, mandatory and prohibition signage. Compliant signage uses the standardised symbol set rather than a business's own interpretation, so meaning is consistent across sites and countries.

Standard safety signage from stock pictograms can often be turned around faster than custom commercial signage — get in touch with what's needed and we'll confirm a realistic timescale, which for straightforward fire exit or hazard signs is frequently within a few working days.

Both — rigid panel signs for permanent fixing to walls, doors and posts, and self-adhesive vinyl versions for surfaces like machinery, vehicles or windows where a rigid panel isn't practical. We'll recommend the right format for each location during survey.

Under the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations, the employer or person in control of the premises is responsible for ensuring adequate and compliant signage is in place. We supply and install to the standard; the legal duty to maintain compliance sits with the site operator.

Yes — multi-language safety signage is common on sites with a diverse workforce or international visitors. Pictogram-led ISO 7010 signage already communicates most meaning visually; we can add text in additional languages alongside or instead of English where it's useful.

BS 5499 is the British Standard specifically covering fire safety signage — escape route and fire equipment signs. ISO 7010 is the broader international standard covering the full range of safety sign pictograms. UK fire signage is typically specified to both, since BS 5499 references and aligns with ISO 7010 symbols.

It depends on sign size, material (rigid versus self-adhesive), whether it's photoluminescent, and whether you need a single sign or a full site safety pack — fire exit, hazard, PPE and prohibition signage supplied and installed together. Call us with your requirement and we'll quote it properly.

Photoluminescent signage absorbs ambient light and glows in the dark for a period after lights fail, helping people follow escape routes during a power cut. It's commonly specified for fire escape route signage in buildings without dedicated emergency lighting along every route, or as a backup where emergency lighting exists.

Yes — we can survey an existing site, note where signage is missing, out of date or doesn't match current ISO 7010 pictograms, and provide a schedule of what needs replacing or adding ahead of an HSE inspection or insurance review.

Mandatory signs (blue circle, white pictogram) instruct an action that must be taken — 'hard hats must be worn'. Prohibition signs (red circle with diagonal bar) forbid an action — 'no smoking'. Mixing the two up is a common site-signage mistake we catch during compliance audits.

Rigid aluminium composite or polypropylene with a UV-stable print and laminate is the usual choice for outdoor hazard signage — it resists fading, doesn't warp like correx over time, and can be fixed with tamper-resistant fixings where site security is a concern.

Yes — construction site boards, hazard warnings, PPE mandatory signage and site entrance information boards are a regular part of our safety signage work, usually specified alongside our road and traffic signage range for sites with vehicle movements.

COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) signage identifies storage areas and hazards for substances covered by COSHH regulations — chemical stores, hazardous waste points and similar. We supply and install COSHH signage as part of a site safety pack or as standalone signs.

Cut vinyl is individually cut lettering and logos applied directly to the van's paintwork — the cheapest option for basic branding. A partial wrap covers defined panels (bonnet, doors, rear) with printed graphics. A full wrap covers the entire vehicle in printed and laminated vinyl for maximum coverage and durability.

Both are possible depending on the job — smaller cut vinyl and single-vehicle jobs are often easiest brought to our workshop, while fleet wrap projects can be scheduled at your depot or a nearby site to minimise vehicle downtime and driver disruption.

General branding isn't a legal requirement, but certain vehicle categories do have mandatory markings — Chapter 8 conspicuity panels for specific works vehicles, and operator licence details for some HGV operations. We'll flag any compliance-driven markings relevant to your fleet during the quote.

Yes — a full colour-change wrap covers the entire body panel in a solid or finish-effect vinyl (matte, satin, gloss) rather than a printed design, effectively changing the vehicle's colour without a respray, and remains fully removable at lease-end or resale.

For fleets running multiple vehicles, we can set up a rolling schedule so vans are refreshed or re-branded on a rotation rather than waiting until a whole fleet looks dated at once — useful when new vehicles are added gradually or livery updates periodically.

It depends on coverage (cut vinyl, partial wrap or full wrap), van size and design complexity, and whether you're doing a single van or a fleet. Call us with your vehicle details and we'll talk through realistic pricing, then confirm exact figures against your spec.

A full wrap typically needs two to three working days in the workshop; a partial wrap or cut vinyl job is usually a single day. For fleets, we schedule one or two vehicles at a time by default so the rest of your fleet keeps running.

Chapter 8 chevron markings are the red and yellow (or red and white) rear conspicuity panels required on certain vehicles working on or near the highway — commonly HGVs, works vehicles and highway maintenance fleets. Spec (colour combination, coverage percentage) depends on vehicle type and the site's traffic management plan.

No, when applied and removed correctly by a trained installer using cast vinyl. The wrap can actually protect the paint underneath from minor stone chips and UV fading during the time it's applied. Damage risk comes from poor-quality vinyl or rushed removal, not the process itself.

Yes — vinyl wraps and cut graphics are fully removable without damaging factory paintwork, which is exactly why leased fleets use them instead of paint. Always check your lease terms for any specific sign-off needed on exterior modifications before booking the job.

A quality cast vinyl wrap with laminate protection typically lasts five to seven years under normal daily-use conditions before colour or gloss noticeably fades, though vehicles doing very high mileage or parked outdoors in direct sun year-round may see that shorten somewhat.

Yes — magnetic door panels are a common choice for hire vans, temporary contract vehicles or businesses that swap branding between multiple vans. They go on and come off in seconds without any adhesive residue, though they're less durable long-term than vinyl for permanent fleet branding.

Both work — we can design a full fleet livery concept from a brand brief, or apply your existing brand guidelines to vehicle templates. Fleet livery design usually sits alongside our wider Design service so it's consistent with your signage and print branding too.

Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual sets out the requirements for signing, lighting and guarding roadworks and temporary traffic management in the UK. Sites carrying out works on or near the highway need Chapter 8 compliant signage, cones and barriers as part of their traffic management plan.

The contractor or organisation carrying out works on or near the highway is responsible for having a compliant traffic management plan in place, often via a qualified traffic management contractor. We supply signage to the specification required; overall compliance sign-off sits with the works' TM plan.

Yes — private roads, industrial estates, retail parks and construction sites regularly need speed limit, hazard and pedestrian warning signage even though they're not public highways. Spec (reflective grade, size) is usually lighter than public Chapter 8 signage but still needs to be clearly visible.

Yes — PVC and mesh event banners, alongside directional and parking signage for event traffic management, are a natural fit alongside our road and traffic signage range, particularly for one-off or recurring events needing temporary way-finding for vehicles and visitors.

We cover private site, retail park, construction and event traffic signage across Greater Manchester. For live highway works specifically, confirm scope with us directly — larger public highway schemes often route through a specific approved TM contractor list that varies by local authority.

It depends on whether you're purchasing or hiring, sign quantity, and how long the project runs — hire is often more cost-effective for shorter jobs. Full site set-ups combining signage, barriers and chevron boards are quoted against the specific traffic management plan for your site. Call us for pricing.

Yes — send over the traffic management plan drawn up by your TM contractor or planning authority and we'll supply and, where needed, install the exact sign types and quantities specified, rather than a generic site signage bundle.

For a single short-duration project, hiring is usually cheaper. For contractors running signage across multiple sites or longer-term works, buying works out more cost-effective over time and means signs are available on demand rather than booked around hire stock availability.

Yes — site entrance boards covering project details, contractor information, emergency contacts and required PPE are a common addition alongside safety and hazard signage for construction sites, and can be produced to match the specific information your site or client requires.

Yes — car park signage (entry/exit, height restriction, disabled bay, one-way and speed limit signage) is supplied and installed as a set so the whole car park layout reads consistently, rather than mismatched signs added over time.

Standard temporary road signs are typically aluminium-faced with a reflective or engineer-grade sheeting for visibility in low light, mounted on a lightweight tripod frame for quick positioning and removal — built to survive repeated site moves rather than a single-use fascia sign.

Yes — printed mesh banners for Heras fencing are commonly used on construction sites for hoarding branding, safety messaging or screening. They're a good option where full solid hoarding isn't practical but the site still needs a visible presence or safety messaging.

For urgent or emergency works, get in touch directly by phone rather than the standard quote form — temporary signage from stock designs can often be turned around considerably faster than custom commercial signage, and we'll confirm realistic timing against what's needed.

No — if you don't have a logo yet, we can develop one as part of the branding process before moving into signage design. If you already have a brand, we'll work from your existing guidelines to keep everything consistent across signage, print and digital.

Design and CAD proofing happens after survey and before manufacture — it's step two of our four-step process (Survey, Design/CAD, Manufacture, Install), so design work is grounded in real site measurements from the outset rather than being reworked once manufacture reveals a mismatch.

It depends on scope — a standalone logo costs less than a fuller brand identity package (logo, colour palette, typography and guidelines), and pricing within each scales with number of concepts and revision rounds. Call us and we'll scope the job properly before quoting.

CAD drawings show accurate scaled dimensions, materials, fixing methods and illumination details for a proposed sign, formatted for both manufacture and, where relevant, submission to a local planning authority as part of an advertisement consent application. Pricing depends on complexity — call us for a quote.

This varies by project scope and is agreed upfront in the quote — typically an initial concept round followed by a defined number of revision rounds. We'd rather get the brief right at the start than churn through unlimited revisions that drift from what actually works for signage.

Yes — if you've got a logo or design from another designer, we can prepare it as print-ready, manufacture-ready artwork (correct colour profiles, vector formats, bleed and material-specific setup) without needing to redesign it from scratch.

Yes — business cards, vehicle-matching print collateral, site hoarding graphics and general branded print sit alongside our signage design work, since it's the same brand assets and design team producing both.

You'll get vector source files (typically AI or EPS) plus print-ready PDFs and web-format assets (PNG/SVG) for your logo and brand assets, so you own usable files for signage, print and digital rather than being locked into working with us for every future use.

Often, yes — reskinning an existing fascia or window graphic with new artwork is usually cheaper and faster than a structural sign replacement, and our design team will flag when a reskin will genuinely work versus when the existing structure is too dated or damaged to reuse.

We produce the CAD and planning-application drawings needed for a submission, but the application itself is submitted by you or your appointed agent to the local planning authority — we're not a planning consultancy, though we're happy to advise on what's likely to need consent.

One team, in-house — the same people who survey your site design the CAD proof, build the sign and fit it. Nothing is passed to an outside workshop or a subcontracted install crew, which is why timelines and finish quality stay consistent from job to job.

Manchesta has been trading for over a decade, working across Greater Manchester on commercial, shop front, safety, vehicle and road signage projects for retail, office, construction and logistics clients.

Both — independent shops and single-van businesses make up a large share of our work alongside multi-site retail, office and logistics clients. The process is the same regardless of job size: free survey, CAD proof, in-house build, our own install team.

Yes, we hold public liability cover for site work on commercial, retail and construction premises, and our installers work CDM-aware on construction and multi-contractor sites.

Get in touch and we can arrange a workshop visit for larger projects where seeing materials and finishes in person helps — most jobs are specified perfectly well from a site survey and CAD proof alone.

Phone is fastest for anything urgent — 07737 902425. For a written brief with photos or drawings attached, email hello@manchesta.co.uk or use the Get a Quote form; either reaches the same team.

Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Saturday by appointment, closed Sunday. Outside these hours, leave a message or send an email and we'll come back to you the next working day.

No — most quotes start with a free on-site survey at your location, or a remote assessment from photos and measurements for simpler jobs. There's no need to travel to us unless you'd specifically like to.

Call rather than email for anything urgent — temporary and safety signage in particular can often be turned around faster than standard commercial signage jobs when we know it's time-critical.

Yes, every quote starts with a free survey and there's no obligation to proceed afterwards. Quotes are itemised so you can see exactly what you're being charged for before deciding.

Photos of the site or vehicle, rough dimensions if you have them, and a sense of what you're trying to achieve — replace like-for-like, full rebrand, new site set-up. We'll fill in the gaps at survey either way.

We aim to respond to quote requests within one working day to arrange a survey or ask any clarifying questions. For anything urgent, call rather than wait on the form.

For simpler jobs — a single fascia replacement, a straightforward van wrap, a standard safety signage pack — yes, from photos and measurements. Larger or more complex jobs usually need an on-site survey to quote accurately.

Yes — most projects mix two or three of our services (a shop front plus vehicle graphics, for example) and we scope the whole job as a single quote rather than making you request each part separately.

Standard pricing across our Wave 1 towns and the wider Greater Manchester area doesn't carry a separate call-out charge for the free survey. Jobs further afield are quoted with any travel time factored in transparently.

The towns listed are where we work most regularly, not an exhaustive limit — get in touch with your location and we'll confirm whether it's within reach, which for most of Greater Manchester and the surrounding boroughs it is.

Yes — a chain with units in, say, Bolton, Rochdale and Wigan doesn't need three separate suppliers. We schedule the surveys back-to-back where geography allows, keep branding identical across every unit, and invoice as one project rather than three.

Yes — dedicated pages for each area with local project examples and area-specific detail are planned for the next phase of the site. This page lists every town we currently cover in the meantime.

Both, regularly — high street shop fronts, retail park units, office buildings, industrial estates and construction sites all fall within our day-to-day work across these towns.

The projects currently shown are example projects representative of typical Manchesta jobs, clearly labelled as such, while we build out a library of verified client case studies with permission to publish photos and details.

Get in touch describing the brief and we'll point you to the closest relevant example, or arrange to show comparable finished work where photography allows.

Only with your permission — we'll ask separately if you're happy for photos and project details to be published, and nothing goes on the site without that sign-off.

Case studies describe scope and outcome rather than exact pricing, since every site and vehicle differs. Use the relevant service page's pricing guide for a realistic starting figure, then get a proper quote.