How do I use my iPhone or iPad as a welcome sign?

From the start of the evening to past midnight, an iPad on a stack of books by the front door, WELCOME in gold, plugged into the wall so it never dims. Nobody at a party has to ask which door is the right one.

Steps

1. Create > Templates > Welcome. The banner reads a waving hand and WELCOME! and scrolls to the left.
2. Tap Motion > Loop > None. A door sign reads better when it does not move.
3. Tap Text. Change Message if you want, set Weight to Black and raise Size (the table below gives the limit).
4. Tap Color. Gold from Color Mode works well; white from Quick Colors in Solid is the plainest.
5. Plug the device in, stand it in landscape and tap Full Screen.

How big can the word be?

With Loop on None the text is centered; if it is wider than the screen both ends are cut off. These widths were measured with the same system font on a Mac, so allow a few points either way. The iPhone is a 6.1-inch model, 852 pt wide in landscape; the iPad is a 10th-generation one, 1,180 pt.

The template as it comes already fits still, with 46.6 pt to spare on an iPhone. Bare WELCOME in Black can go much bigger: at Size 300 the word comes out 1,538.8 pt wide, about 343 pt spilling off each side, and the first and last letters get cut away.

Longer lines do not work still. WELCOME TO OUR PARTY would need a Size under 69 on the iPhone, which is small print from the door. Letting it scroll is no better: at Size 120 and a Speed of 80 pt/s one pass takes 29.19 s, far too slow for someone walking in. Keeping it to one short word works better.

Will the screen stay on?

Yes, while the sign is showing. Full Screen turns brightness to maximum and switches auto-lock off; when you close the sign or leave the app, both go back to your normal settings. Pressing the side button still locks the device.

Plug it in. Full brightness all evening is a heavy load, so keep the device on the charger the whole time. If guests might start tapping at it, Guided Access (an iOS accessibility setting, not part of the app) keeps the screen in one app.

Limits worth knowing

• No portrait. The classic welcome sign on an easel is tall; this is always landscape, one line.
• No second line, so there is no room for names or a date under WELCOME. A second banner for the names, switched from the Library, covers that.
• The free Solid background stays black: there is no way to pick a background colour.

Free version: 3 saved banners and ads in the menus. No ad appears over the sign, but one can appear after every third time you close it, and when you come back to the app from another one. Any Pro plan removes the ads, which is worth it for a reception desk that shows the sign all day.

Questions and answers

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