THE DUCHI LETTERING JOURNAL

Ultimate Guide to Decal Sizing & Ordering Multiple Decals 101

March 09, 2025•Duchi Designs

When ordering decals, understanding how height, width, font choice, and layout affect the final look is essential—especially when ordering multiple decals with different word lengths. This guide breaks down every possible sizing scenario to ensure you get exactly what you need.

1. How Sizing Works for a Single Decal

A. Fixed Width (Height Adjusts Based on Text Length)

✔ If you set the width (e.g., 18 inches), the height will adjust depending on the number of letters.
✔ Longer words will have shorter letter heights to fit within the width.
✔ Shorter words will appear taller because there is more space available.
✔ Best for aligning decals in a row where the width needs to be consistent.

💡 Example:

"SUN" (3 letters) → Tall letters
"MOUNTAIN" (8 letters) → Smaller letters to fit width

B. Fixed Height (Width Adjusts Based on Text Length)

✔ If you set the height (e.g., 2 inches), the width will adjust depending on the number of letters.
✔ Longer words will have wider decals because they need more space.
✔ Shorter words will have narrower decals, which may leave extra blank space.
✔ Best for stacked designs or ensuring all decals have a consistent letter height.

💡 Example:

"SUN" (3 letters) → Narrow width
"MOUNTAIN" (8 letters) → Much wider decal

C. Fixed Height & Width (Both Stay the Same, Text Adjusts to Fit and font may be manipulated and distorted to fit requirement)

✔ If both height and width are fixed, font size, spacing, or layout must be adjusted to fit the words inside.
✔ Shorter words will appear larger or have extra spacing between letters.
✔ Longer words may look smaller or have tightly spaced letters.
✔ Best for ensuring consistent overall dimensions, like in shop window decals or product labels.

💡 Example:

"SUN" (3 letters in 10” × 2” box)
"MOUNTAIN" (8 letters in 10” × 2” box)

LETTERS SPACED OUT TO FIT WIDTH

LETTERS WIDENED TO FIT WIDTH

LETTERS ELONGATED TO MATCH HEIGHT. Both decals are 10" wide x 5" tall

2. Ordering Multiple Decals: What to Consider

A. Matching Sizes Across Multiple Decals

✔ Do you want all decals to have the same size?

If yes, specify the exact width and height for each.
If no, decide which decal should be larger or smaller.

✔ Should the lettering height match across all decals?

If yes, all decals should have the same letter height, even if widths differ.
If no, sizes may vary based on word length.

✔ Should the width match instead?

If yes, all decals will be the same total width, and letter height will adjust accordingly.

💡 Tip: If you want multiple decals that look uniform, decide whether you prefer matching height, width, or font size before placing your order.

B. Fixed Width vs. Fixed Height for Multiple Decals

✔ Fixed Width (All decals the same width, height varies)

Longer words will appear shorter in height.
Shorter words will appear taller to maintain proportionality.
Best for placing decals in a row where they need to line up horizontally.

✔ Fixed Height (All decals the same height, width varies)

Longer words will stretch out, making wider decals.
Shorter words will have more compact widths but the same letter height.
Best for stacked designs or when decals need a consistent vertical size.

💡 Tip: If pairing a long word (e.g., "MOUNTAIN") with a short word (e.g., "SUN"), and you want them to match in width, the shorter word may need extra spacing or a different font size to balance the design.

C. Stacked Text in Multiple Decals (One Word is Longer Than the Other)

✔ Scenario A: Matching Widths with Stacked Words

If one word is much longer, the shorter word will leave extra blank space.
Alignment options: Center, Left, or Right-Aligned.
Example: "SUN" (3 letters) will look much smaller compared to "MOUNTAIN" (8 letters) unless adjusted.

✔ Scenario B: Matching Heights with Stacked Words

If height is the same, shorter words will have narrower widths.
This can make some decals appear significantly smaller than others.

💡 Tip: When ordering multiple stacked decals, group words with similar lengths to ensure a more balanced look.

3. How Font Choice Affects Decal Sizing

✔ All-Caps vs. Mixed-Case Fonts

All-Caps: Ensures consistency, making all decals appear similarly sized.
Mixed-Case: Can make some decals look smaller even if the same height is used.

✔ Fonts with Drop-Down Letters (g, j, y, etc.)

If two decals have the same height, a font with drop-down letters will appear smaller than an all-caps font.

✔ Fonts with Wide vs. Narrow Letters

Wide, Bold Fonts (e.g., Impact) take up more width.
Narrow Fonts (e.g., Arial Narrow) look taller but take up less space.

✔ Script or Decorative Fonts

May need to be resized smaller to fit within a fixed width.
Can make shorter words appear larger and longer words harder to read.

💡 Tip: If ordering multiple decals with different fonts, check their natural proportions to maintain balance.

4. Cheat Sheet for Decal Sizing

Sizing Scenario	What Happens?	Best For
Fixed Width for All Decals	Heights vary	Aligning in a row
Fixed Height for All Decals	Widths vary	Stacking vertically
All-Caps Font	Looks larger	Ensuring uniformity
Mixed-Case Font	May appear smaller	Elegant designs
Bold Font	Takes up more space	High visibility
Narrow Font	Looks taller	Fitting tight spaces
Stacked Words (Fixed Width)	Extra spacing for shorter words	Centered designs
Stacked Words (Fixed Height)	Shorter words will have less width	Keeping text size consistent