AI Sign Designer Guide

The AI Sign Designer converts customer-uploaded images into vector SVG outlines for sign production. Customers upload a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or SVG, and the AI generates a clean SVG file they can immediately use to configure and purchase a sign.

This is different from a custom design form submission. With AI Sign Designer, customers get an instant result that they can buy. Without it (or when credits run out), customers submit a request that you process manually later.

What you receive per AI Sign Design conversion

Each successful conversion produces two files:

• The original uploaded image

• A vector SVG outline ready for sign configuration

The SVG appears immediately in the customiser. Customers can then adjust colours, sizes, and other options before adding to cart.

Supported Sign Types and Pricing Models

AI Sign Designer works with the following sign types and pricing models:

• Neon signs — Frame Fit or Material Length (Advanced Letter) pricing

• Channel Letter signs — Acrylic — Frame Fit or Material Length pricing

• Channel Letter signs — Metal — Frame Fit or Material Length pricing

Fixed Width (Simple Letter) pricing is not supported. If your customiser uses the Simple Letter model, you’ll need to switch to Frame Fit or Material Length before enabling AI Sign Designer.

In the admin, eligible product types show an “AI Sign Designer” badge, and eligible pricing models show an “AI Sign Designer Compatible” badge — so you can tell at a glance whether your setup qualifies.

Sign Dimensions for Material Length

When using Material Length pricing, you need to configure two things in the Sign Dimensions card (visible in the admin under Custom Designs):

Default sign size

Set the Default width and Default height — this is the starting size for the base (1×) size tier. The uploaded design is fitted within these dimensions while keeping its original proportions. A wide logo will fill the width and leave space above and below; a tall logo will fill the height instead.

Larger size tiers scale up from this default. For example, if your default is 50 cm wide, a 1.5× tier produces a 75 cm wide sign with proportional height.

The admin shows a visual preview of how different logo shapes fit within your configured dimensions — use it to check that your defaults work for typical uploads.

Minimum production height

The smallest allowable height for the finished sign. If a customer’s design is shorter than this at their selected size, they’ll be blocked from adding to cart and prompted to choose a larger size.

Set this based on your manufacturing method. The admin provides a reference table:

• Neon / LED neon — 5–6 cm (tube bend radius)

• Channel letters — 8–10 cm (return depth + LED clearance)

• Flat cut metal / acrylic — 3–5 cm (structural integrity)

• 3D / built-up letters — 6–8 cm (fabrication depth)

Frame Fit customisers don’t need this configuration — they use their own initial sign dimensions and minimum size constraints that are already part of the Frame Fit setup.

How Pricing Works for AI Designs

The pricing model your customiser uses determines how AI designs are priced:

Frame Fit — Prices based on the sign’s total area (width × height). The AI design fills the frame, and the area determines the price. This is the same area-based calculation used for text-based Frame Fit signs.

Material Length (Advanced Letter) — Measures the actual SVG paths in the AI-generated design and prices based on total material length, just like it does for typed text. The system traces every outline in the converted SVG and multiplies by your cost per centimetre. Complex designs with more detail cost more; simple designs cost less.

In both models, size tiers scale up from the default sign size. Each tier multiplies the base dimensions, and pricing adjusts accordingly — larger tiers use the pricing rules for that size boundary.

For full details on configuring Material Length pricing, see Pricing - Advanced Letter Model.

How UV Print Works for AI Sign Designer

For AI logo uploads, UV print is treated as preserved print data rather than a customer-facing colour palette.

• The AI-generated SVG keeps the original fill colour for each printed face shape.

• Sign Customiser does not remap those artwork fills to your configured UV palette.

• Tube and glow colours are still constrained to your supported LED tube colours, so the illuminated parts stay manufacturable.

• UV palette entries are still useful for merchant-managed manual UV presets and older neon face setups. Their purpose is to support deliberate customer-facing preset choices when you want them visible. They are not used to recolour AI artwork.

• If AI Sign Designer is your main UV workflow, we recommend hiding manual UV print options from the normal neon editor and leaving UV configuration in the background.

When Sign Customiser needs to show a preserved artwork colour in admin or order data, it will display it as Custom UV (#HEX) so it is clear that the value came from the uploaded design rather than a merchant palette option.

In short:

• UV palette swatches = optional manual presets

• Preserved AI artwork colours = actual printed face data

How Credits Work

Every conversion costs one credit. This applies to both admin dashboard testing and customer uploads through live customisers.

Credits never expire. Purchase them when you need them.

Current AI Credit pricing:

• 25 credits - $12.50 USD ($0.50 per credit)

• 75 credits - $33.75 USD ($0.45 per credit, 10% savings)

• 200 credits - $80.00 USD ($0.40 per credit, 20% savings)

Checking Your Balance

Your credit balance appears on the Subscription page in your admin panel. Click “Transaction History” to see every credit used or purchased.

Low Balance Warning

When your balance drops below 5 credits (but is still above 0), you receive an email with subject “[Action Required] Your credit balance is running low”. This warning sends once per cycle - if you top up above 5, then drop below again, you will receive another warning.

No warning is sent when balance hits exactly 0.

What Happens When Credits Run Out

When your balance hits zero, the AI Sign Designer stops working. The experience differs for admin dashboard versus customer-facing customisers.

In the admin dashboard:

The AI Converter card blocks uploads with the message “You have no credits remaining. Purchase more to continue.”

For customers:

If you have configured a fallback form, customers are automatically redirected to it. They see the form instead of the upload interface. This allows them to submit their design request manually - they upload their image and provide contact details, then you process their request later and contact them.

This is a key distinction: with AI Sign Designer, customers get an instant SVG they can purchase. With the fallback form, they submit a request that requires your manual intervention.

If no fallback form is configured, customers see a “Credits Required” screen with no way to proceed.

Configuring the Fallback Form

The fallback form is set in your customiser’s Custom Design settings. When AI Designer type is set to “LIVE”, you must select a fallback form.

Requirements:

• The fallback form must contain a file upload field

• The form must already exist before you can select it

To create a custom form, see Custom Design Forms

To add fields to your form, see Add and Edit Custom Form Field Options

Using AI Sign Designer in the Admin Dashboard

The AI Converter card lets you use the same AI Sign Designer for conversions in the admin. This is especially useful for companies that just want to take advantage of the AI image processing, reducing the time it normally takes to convert an image into a scalable sign design from hours to a couple of minutes.

Upload an image (PNG, JPEG, WebP, or SVG up to 5MB). Processing typically takes 30-60 seconds. Complex images may take 2-3 minutes.

Each test uses one credit. Failed conversions do not consume credits.

Purchasing Credits

From the Subscription page, click “Purchase Credits” on the AI Credits card. Select a package and complete payment.

For Shopify users: charges appear on your regular Shopify invoice.

For Universal account users: payments process through Stripe. You will receive an invoice email after each purchase. You can also find all your credit purchase invoices alongside your subscription invoices by going to Plans → “View invoices” in the admin. See How to View Invoices for full instructions.

Credits appear in your balance immediately after payment.

Processing Time

Most images complete in 30-60 seconds. Some may take up to 2-3 minutes depending on complexity.

Customers can wait for the result or provide an email address to receive a notification when their design is ready.

Platform Support

AI Sign Designer works on Shopify, WordPress, Wix and standalone embeds. Credits are shared across all platforms for Universal, Shopify store credits purchased can only be used for that store.