Do you choose the poems or where they go?

No. Your program selects the poems, and your public works partner decides which panels they go into. We set each poem, proof it and cut the stamps.

Can a poet see their own proof before it's cut?

Yes. Send the proof's share link to the poet and to your panel; it opens without an account. Your program approves the final revision, and that revision is the one we cut.

Which languages can you set?

Dakota, Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Ojibwe, among 32 languages in all. The designer lists the languages each typeface sets and flags any letter a face can't cut before you order.

Can stamps be paid for from a grant?

Many programs are funded through public art and placemaking grants; eligibility depends on your grantor. The designer prices every stamp up front, a quote holds for 30 days, and we format invoices to your grantor's requirements.

How long do the stamps last?

Stamps we cut 20 years ago are still in use in the field. Crews reuse the same plates season after season, so a poem can return to the sidewalk for years.

For public art groups

Poems that look the way your panel chose them.

Your panel picks the poems and the poets approve their proofs. We set every language correctly, cut exactly what was approved, and work with your public works partner until it's poured.

Request a quote Try a poem in the designer

Sample proofApproved

Please walk slowly

this part rhymes

Red Hat Text Bold20″ × 8″ · $100

1,400+stamps in Saint Paul's sidewalks, per Public Art Saint Paul
17states with our stamps in the ground
32languages our typefaces set
1 business dayto a quote, valid 30 days

The proof

Your panel and your poets see the same proof.

Every poem gets an exact proof before anything is cut. If the line breaks are wrong or a word needs a different face, you see it on the proof, not in the sidewalk.

Every typeface shown as it's cut9 production typefaces, each drawn in the proof from the outlines we cut.
Line breaks the poet can checkWording, line breaks, spacing and letter height, all on the proof before anything is made.
A link for the poet and the panelShare a proof with a link. It opens without an account, so a poet can see their own poem.
What you approve is what we cutThe approved revision stays with the order, and that revision goes to the shop.

Every language

Dakota, Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Ojibwe, set correctly.

A program's poems come in the languages its residents speak. Our typefaces set 32 languages, and the designer flags any letter a face can't cut before you order.

DakȟótaDakota7 of 9 typefaces
HmoobHmong9 of 9 typefaces
SoomaaliSomali9 of 9 typefaces
EspañolSpanish9 of 9 typefaces
Ojibwe9 of 9 typefaces

Each name is set in a typeface that presses it, from the same outlines we cut.

The budget

Prices you can put in a grant application.

Stamps are priced by size: 60¢ a square inch, $100 minimum. Most program stamps land between $100 and $350. A quote comes within 1 business day and holds for 30 days.

Shipping is charged separately at checkout — Standard, Express, or Overnight, priced by your order's size and weight. You see the exact rate before you pay.

Read the funding guide See pricing

A poem within a ten-minute walk of every resident.

Public Art Saint Paul, on the program's reach

Case study · Saint Paul

Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk

Public Art Saint Paul and the City of Saint Paul's Public Works department launched the program in 2008. We cut its stamps.

Launched: 2008program launch
Poems: 102resident poems
Stamps: 1,400+stamps installed

Figures from Public Art Saint Paul.

Read the Saint Paul story

Your partner in public works

They handle the purchase and the pour.

Public works buys the stamps on a PO and presses them into panels already scheduled for repair. They see the same proof you approved, so nothing is lost between departments.

How public works crews use the stamps

Handed back and forth

Poem proofs
Payment and POs
The pour schedule
Stamp sizes

Starting a program?

Everything the champion needs for the first council meeting.

The city program kit is free: the authority, the money and the purchase, for both groups to work from together.

Get the program kit

Pour Once resolutionA council resolution you fill in online and download for Word: poems go only into panels the city is already replacing.
Funding guidePercent for Art, AARP Community Challenge, the NEA, state arts boards and sponsors: who funds what, how much, and when.
Annual order plannerPrice a year of poems in one order, check it against your approval limit, and download a budget estimate.

Questions

What public art groups ask us.

Do you choose the poems or where they go?: No. Your program selects the poems, and your public works partner decides which panels they go into. We set each poem, proof it and cut the stamps.
Can a poet see their own proof before it's cut?: Yes. Send the proof's share link to the poet and to your panel; it opens without an account. Your program approves the final revision, and that revision is the one we cut.
Which languages can you set?: Dakota, Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Ojibwe, among 32 languages in all. The designer lists the languages each typeface sets and flags any letter a face can't cut before you order.
Can stamps be paid for from a grant?: Many programs are funded through public art and placemaking grants; eligibility depends on your grantor. The designer prices every stamp up front, a quote holds for 30 days, and we format invoices to your grantor's requirements.
How long do the stamps last?: Stamps we cut 20 years ago are still in use in the field. Crews reuse the same plates season after season, so a poem can return to the sidewalk for years.

The ground remembers.

Request a quote Start designing

Stamped Sidewalks, a Dimension Sign shop. Made in Minnesota.