Brand Dossier

Signarama

FDD-based analysis. Item-level data. No franchisor input.

Signarama costs $245,432 to $344,768 to open (2026 FDD Item 7), with a Variable fee model fee structure. Deal-Specific reads on Fee Structure and Term & Exit Terms, In Line on Unit Economics, Litigation History, and Operator Validation. Independent analysis, no commissions, no franchisor revenue.
Rank #158 on Entrepreneur 2026Business ServicesFDD issued 3/27/2026
Ranking ContextRanking from Entrepreneur Media's 2026 Franchise 500. Zorzee is independent and not affiliated with Entrepreneur Media.
Source File2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Measurement period: Item 19 Covered Period: calendar year 2025 (Center Sales Study); Item 20 outlet counts as of 12/31/2023, 12/31/2024, 12/31/2025.
About the Brand

About Signarama

Sign*A*Rama Inc. franchises full-service Signarama Sign Centers where owners produce, fabricate, install, and sell magnetic signs, boat and vehicle lettering, banners, posters, vinyl lettering, menu boards, reflective signs, name plates, interior and exterior signage, window lettering, retail displays, storefronts, trade show graphics, wood and engraved signs, ADA signage, and electric and neon signs. Signarama Sign Centers serve a customer base of businesses, industrial parks, retail centers, and large corporations. They compete with independent sign shops, franchisees of other sign businesses, and, to a lesser degree, commercial sign shops.

Source: Entrepreneur 2026 ranking/profile data and Franchise Disclosure Document, rewritten by Zorzee

Investment Summary

The Numbers At a Glance

Total Investment Range
$245,432 to $344,768
FDD Item 7
Franchise Fee
$49,500
Development fee: 0 - no separate area/development fee disclosed in Item 5. (Item 5 also requires the equipment package: standard $150,499-$165,549 plus tax, or expanded $354,999-$390,499; $12,500 deposit at signing.).
FDD Item 5
Royalty + Fees
Variable fee model
Recurring burden = royalty (greater of $500/mo or 6% of gross sales to $1M / 4% above $1M) + Marketing Fund Fee (greater of $915/mo, $880 ACH, or 1% of gross sales) + Point of Sale Software License $274/mo + Technology, Software & Support Fee $467/mo + Conference/Expo $50/mo (only in years SAR hosts an Annual Conference or World Expo). The fixed non-royalty monthly stack is about $1,656/month ($915 + $274 + $467) before the percentage royalty, i.e. roughly $19,900/year in fixed fees before any royalty.
FDD Item 6
Earnings Claim
Yes
Average Unit Metric $916,066. Median Unit Metric $592,916.
FDD Item 19

Every value here comes straight from the FDD; anything not yet source-verified stays blank rather than estimated. The Pro figures and full interpretation unlock with a Pro membership.

The FDD Data Table

Everything the 2026 Filing Discloses

Every data point Zorzee tracks for this brand, in FDD Item order. Missing source data stays blank; Pro-only interpretation remains locked.

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ItemData PointValueSource
Item 3Litigation Actions (total) 5 actions disclosed FDD Item 3
Item 5Initial Franchise Fee The Initial Franchise Fee is $49,500 (Item 5, p.17). FDD Item 5
Item 5Development Fee 0 - no separate area/development fee disclosed in Item 5. (Item 5 also requires the equipment package: standard $150,499-$165,549 plus tax, or expanded $354,999-$390,499; $12,500 deposit at signing.) FDD Item 5
Item 6Royalty Fee Royalty is the greater of $500 per month or 6% of gross sales up to $1,000,000 and 4% of gross sales over $1,000,000, due monthly by the 2nd day of the next month; the two royalty. FDD Item 6
Item 6National Media Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Corporate Ad & Development Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Total Ongoing Fee Burden Pro Calculated (Item 6)
Item 7Total Investment (low) $245,432 FDD Item 7
Item 7Total Investment (high) $344,768 FDD Item 7
Item 8Required Purchases (food/supplies) Pro FDD Item 8
Item 11Franchisor Assistance Pro FDD Item 11
Item 12Exclusive Territory Pro FDD Item 12
Item 12Territory Size Pro FDD Item 12
Item 15Operating Participation Pro FDD Item 15
Item 17Initial Term Length Pro FDD Item 17(a)
Item 17Renewal Terms Pro FDD Item 17(b)-(c)
Item 17Required Remodel at Renewal Pro FDD Item 17(c)
Item 17Termination Triggers Pro FDD Item 17(f)-(h)
Item 17Transfer Fee Pro FDD Item 17(m), Item 6
Item 17ROFR Provisions Pro FDD Item 17(n)
Item 17Post-Termination Non-Compete Pro FDD Item 17(r)
Item 19Revenue Metric Disclosed Yes: Average Unit Metric $916,066 / Median Unit Metric $592,916 FDD Item 19
Item 20Total Franchised Units (2025) 684 FDD Item 20
Item 20Company-Owned Units (2025) 0 FDD Item 20
Item 20Total System Net Unit Growth (YoY) +3 FDD Item 20
Item 20Terminations Pro FDD Item 20
Item 20Agreements Signed, Not Yet Open Pro FDD Item 20
Item 21Audited Financials Pro FDD Item 21
Pro Data Points Locked
The free table maps every data point to its FDD source. Pro fills in the values and interpretation that require the full read.
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The Signal Tracker

Five Signals From the 2026 Filing

Each signal turns one part of the filing into a read a buyer can act on. Strength means the disclosed data is favorable. In Line means it is typical for the category. Deal-Specific means the term is populated but you still have to model it against your own deal. Concern means the disclosed data is a real risk. The read is free. The reasoning behind it is the Pro read.

Fee Structure
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 6
The Pro Read

Fee load is source-backed from Item 5 and Item 6: a fixed initial franchise fee, a tiered percentage royalty that steps down above a gross-sales threshold, a marketing fund contribution, and a stack of fixed monthly technology and point-of-sale fees.

Unit Economics
In Line
FDD Item 19
The Pro Read

Item 19 discloses average, median, high, low, and share above average from a printed combined all-centers row, but the figures are self-reported unaudited gross sales for a mature two-year-plus subset of centers, not profit.

Litigation History
In Line
FDD Item 3
The Pro Read

FDD Item 3 discloses 5 actions. Case names, allegations, procedural posture, and source quotes are locked in Pro.

Operator Validation
In Line
FDD Item 20
The Pro Read

Item 20 shows a system that grew net-positive for three straight years with no company-owned units, but the growth is small, decelerating, and almost entirely international while US units are essentially flat.

Term & Exit Terms
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 17
The Pro Read

Item 17 pairs an unusually long initial term with an equally long renewal, a franchisor right to match any offer, a steep transfer-fee floor, and a two-year post-term non-compete.

Five Reads In. The Reasoning Is Locked.
You can see where each signal lands. Pro gives you the why: the math, the source detail, and what to validate before you act.
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Item 19: Earnings Disclosure

What the Earnings Claim Says, and What It Does Not

Item 19 earnings data is disclosed for Signarama. The full disclosure is free below; Zorzee's read of what it means stays in Pro.

What the Claim Discloses
Average Unit Metric
$916,066
Median Unit Metric
$592,916
Sample Size & Coverage
See notecoverage detail
Covered Period = calendar year 2025. Figures are average GROSS SALES (total reported sales revenue incl. shipping and center-to-center sales, excl. sales tax), NOT profit. The franchisor states the monthly sales were self-reported by centers, have NOT been audited by CPAs, and were not independently verified; 'not all Centers properly reported sales in 2025.' Population is a mature subset - US centers open 2+ years averaging 12.44 years in operation - so it excludes newer, ramping, and non-reporting centers. A combined all-units 'Total Centers' row IS printed, so headline average/median are source-clean (no back-calculation needed). Note the very wide dispersion: low $31,774 vs high $10,669,229, and average ($916,066) far above median ($592,916), driven by a right tail of large centers (89 of 313 exceeded $1M). The with/without full-time-salesperson split is stark: centers WITH a full-time outside salesperson averaged $1,701,196 (n=97) vs $563,485 without (n=216).
Item 19 Covered Period: calendar year 2025 (Center Sales Study); Item 20 outlet counts as of 12/31/2023, 12/31/2024, 12/31/2025
High / Low Range
$31,774 to $10,669,229
Met or Beat the Average
31.6%
What the Disclosure Excludes
Expenses, net income, owner compensation
Gross revenue is not profit
What the Number Doesn't Tell You
Free, because misreading Item 19 is one of the costliest mistakes a first-time buyer can make.
  • Item 19 reports the disclosed sales or revenue metric. That is not profit, and not a forecast of what you would personally take home.
  • An average and a median are not the same number. Know which you are shown and how far apart they sit.
  • What reaches you is whatever survives operating costs and debt service. Item 19 never shows that figure.
Earnings Read Locked
Pro turns the disclosed fields into a read: whether the average is trustworthy, what the disclosure leaves out, and the year-one revenue number Zorzee would underwrite.
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Unit Count and Trajectory

A System Still Expanding

Total Units
684
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Franchised
684
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Company-Owned
0
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Total System Net Change (YoY)
+3
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Total System Units, Latest Available FDD Years
675
2023
681
2024
684
2025

Signarama trajectory is shown only where source-backed. Missing Item 20 fields stay blank inside the locked layout instead of removing the section.

Source: FDD Item 20 where present. Total system units, franchised plus company-owned. Not financial advice.

Beyond the Net Number
A net unit count is not the same as healthy stores. Pro breaks out openings, closures, terminations, and what the trajectory signals.
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Litigation History

What FDD Item 3 Discloses

5 actions disclosed in FDD Item 3. Case-level detail remains locked in Pro.

Case 01
Item 3 action disclosed
Case-level detail locked in Pro
The Read · Pro
Case 02
Item 3 action disclosed
Case-level detail locked in Pro
The Read · Pro
Case 03
Item 3 action disclosed
Case-level detail locked in Pro
The Read · Pro
What a Litigation Count Doesn't Tell You
Free, because a raw lawsuit count is one of the most misread lines in any FDD.
  • A count means nothing without scale and time. Always compare it to system size and years covered.
  • The pattern matters more than the total. Repeated allegations matter more than isolated disputes.
  • Concluded and open matters are not the same weight. Open matters require different diligence than old resolved matters.
Litigation Read Locked
Pro gives the case-by-case read: allegations, status, scale context, and whether any pattern matters long before signing.
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Editorial Analysis

The Zorzee Read

The Zorzee Take
The editor's synthesis: what the filing actually means once the numbers, diligence, and operator reality are weighed against each other. The Take names what matters, what does not, and what must be validated before any decision.
The Read · Pro
The Inversion
Charlie Munger's rule: to understand a thing, study how it fails. Zorzee stress-tests every brand against forecasting, site selection, management depth, and exit math. The framework is free. Which modes bite hardest for this brand, and the fix for each, is the read.
The Failure-Mode Read · Pro
The Editorial Read Is Locked
Pro unlocks the full Zorzee read on Signarama: the editorial synthesis, the math behind the numbers, and the failure modes the filing reveals. Zorzee briefs the decision; you make it.
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Zorzee editorial. Independent analysis. No franchisor review or approval. Not financial advice.

The Decision

You've Seen the Filing. The Read Is Still the Missing Piece.

The filing tells you what Signarama costs to open. Pro adds the read on whether the numbers work for you, in your market, and whether this brand is a business or a job you bought.

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This Dossier
  • The full read behind all five Signal Tracker verdicts
  • Pro FDD data points from fee burden through Item 17 and audited financials
  • The Item 19 earnings read where disclosed
  • The litigation and system-health read
  • The Zorzee Take and failure-mode analysis
Your Pro Membership
  • The Zorzee Report Pro every Tuesday, one franchise decoded each week
  • The full Signal Tracker across the portal
  • The Zorzee Files: FDD guides, DCF templates, and pro forma models (coming soon)
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FAQ

Signarama Franchise Questions, Answered

How much does a Signarama franchise cost?

A Signarama franchise costs $245,432 to $344,768 to open, disclosed in FDD Item 7 of the 2026 filing, covering the franchise fee, buildout, equipment, and working capital to breakeven. No commissions, no franchisor revenue, independent analysis only.

What are the royalty and fees for Signarama?

Signarama uses a Variable fee model fee structure, disclosed in FDD Item 6.

What does Signarama disclose in FDD Item 19?

Item 19 for Signarama includes a unit sales or revenue metric. The figure is gross sales, not profit. Zorzee reads the full metric and what it excludes in the Pro dossier.

Does Signarama have any lawsuits or litigation?

Signarama's FDD Item 3 discloses 5 legal actions. A raw count means little without scale and time, so weigh it against the system's 684 units and the years covered. The case-level detail is the Pro read.

Is Signarama a good franchise investment?

Zorzee does not rate franchises good or bad; it reports what the filing discloses so you can judge fit. Signarama shows Deal-Specific reads on Fee Structure and Term & Exit Terms, In Line on Unit Economics, Litigation History, and Operator Validation. Whether it fits depends on your capital, your market, and your operating style. Independent analysis, no franchisor revenue.