For teachers' desks and classroom doors

The desk plaque

A desk name plaque on a teacher's desk does one job: it tells visitors, substitute teachers and families at conference night whose desk it is, from across the room. The face leans back twelve degrees so it reads from standing height, and the name is set flush into the face in a second color, so there is nothing to peel off over a school year.

Count the characters, spaces and periods included. A three letter title with its period, a space and a seven letter surname is 12 characters, which is a medium plaque. A two letter title and a two letter surname is 6, which fits a small. Titles print as typed, so type them exactly how you want them read: Ms., Mrs., Mr., Mx., Dr., or no title at all.

Letters are 22 mm tall on every size, which reads comfortably from the back of a typical room. If the desk sits a long way from the door, the wall plaque or the door sign below is a better fit for that wall.

The door sign

The office door sign has two lines: a name in 18 mm letters and a second line in 10 mm, often a room number, a subject or a grade level. Line one takes 16 characters and line two 24. For example:

• Line one: your title and surname. Line two: Room 214, Chemistry.
• Line one: Library. Line two: Media Center, Room 101.
• Line one: Science Office. Line two: Lab Prep and Storage.

School doors are usually painted metal or wood with a glass panel. The flat back with adhesive strips is the easy choice: no drilling, and the strips release cleanly when the room changes. If the sign goes on a wall that has to be patched later, use keyhole slots and two screws. The sign also comes with a desk stand option for a front office counter.

The supply drawer

A teacher's desk drawer holds what goes missing: whiteboard markers, sticky notes, paper clips, a stapler, chargers, a stack of hall passes. Two layouts work in a typical desk drawer:

Measure the drawer at the floor, not the rim, and keep the smaller of two readings. The drawer measuring guide walks through it. A drawer divider kit is cut two millimeters under your numbers and presses together by hand, so it comes out at the end of the year and goes back in the next room.

Colors

Signs and plaques come in black, white, slate grey or sand, with letters in white, black, signal red or moss. For a hallway of matching signs, slate grey with white letters is easy to read and does not show scuffs. Many staff choose the school's nearest color; we only offer stock colors, and we do not print school logos or mascots.

Timing for the start of term

Plaques and signs ship within 5 business days of the order, and transit is two to five days after that. For a staff order before the first day, order about two weeks ahead. Personalized pieces print exactly as typed and are final sale, so check spelling and titles before you order.

Desk plaques start at $34 and door signs at $38. Shipping is free over $75, which a few plaques for a hallway usually reach.