Sign Design

[tommo]

Hi, I'm designing a sign for a Veterinary Clinic and I'm wondering if you need to provide a 5mm or so bleed around the edge?
I know you do with paper things like pamphlets, CD's etc but for signs do they print more accurately?  Coz I have a border around the edge that might get cut off a bit if they aren't accurate enough.
Or should I just move the border in a bit so it has white around the edges?
Here's the design the Vet chose.

[Vector]

I don't know, but it's probably a question that you should pose to the sign-makers - they'll be able to tell you for sure.

[tommo]

Yeh the Vet is getting the sign printed though not me lol
I just did a 5mm bleed to be safe, won't make much difference on a two meter sign anyway.

[H@m]

I would be a bit more careful with the sharp edges 

[tommo]

What do you mean by that Ham?  You mean the corners of the design?

[Pieter]

what's it getting printed on? Or is it getting pasted on?

[tommo]

Um, well just printed on a metal sign.  I don't know what type.

[Pieter]

Then it's probably printed on a large sticker surface and pasted on, in which case you would need to provide bleeds.
Were you limited to these 3 colors? In which case it seems more likely that the whole thing gets done in 3 sticker sheets and 'plotted' (meaning they cut out the shapes, but just deep enough so they can be peeled off - which I can assure you is a pain in the ass ). If it's this way then you probably don't need a bleed. You should ask them if you're not sure.
I worked as an intern at a sign lettering company, and to me it looks more like the second option, they usually only use the first method on full color images.
Could be a metal sign, or a white plexi sign.