Illuminated channel letter signs can help draw customers’ attention while increasing brand recognition. Furthermore, these energy-saving signs consume significantly less power than their neon counterparts.
Be mindful that your sign will be exposed to harsh weather conditions and sea air, which may hasten its degradation of materials and colors.
What is a channel letter?
Channel letters are three-dimensional metal or plastic signs illuminated to attract attention, typically hanging on buildings and other structures and featuring front, halo or backlighting with LED’s as the primary form of illumination; other types are available as well.
These signs are typically made out of aluminum and can be formed into letters, logos or other characters by using machinery that bends coiled aluminum into desired forms with acrylic faces and trim caps to hold everything together.
LED signs can be an extremely effective way of increasing brand visibility at night, particularly with regards to brand recognition. Backlit by energy efficient LED bulbs that consume less power than neon or fluorescent lighting sources such as neon tubes or fluorescents; with an estimated lifecycle of 10 years depending on environmental conditions such as temperature. Durable and weather resistant, these environmentally-friendly signs do not contain mercury like older signs did.
Types of channel letter signs
Channel letter signs can be illuminated to increase their visibility at night, providing businesses with an eye-catching and attractive option to attract customers from afar. They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and mounting options – you could even get custom designed signs made specifically to match their business colors!
Standard front-lit channels are constructed from router-cut aluminum sheeting of various thicknesses, while the back usually comprises acrylic or polycarbonate, with cutout translucent vinyl used to add color.
Reverse-lit or halo-illuminated channels are created to make signs appear as though they float on a wall, usually using spacers between wall and sign, to allow light from behind it to illuminate it and create an ethereal glow. They’re often installed in malls and corporate offices for maximum impact – even combined with monument or pylon signs for even greater visual impact!
Illumination options for channel letters
Channel letters are an effective way to draw customers in to your business. Available in various shapes, sizes and illumination options – front lit, reverse lit, back/halo lit or dual-lit – channel letters can be mounted directly to walls or raceways for use on raceways and backers.
Channel letter signs are typically constructed out of translucent materials such as acrylic. Their faces are cut using a CNC router and joined together using welding or bending processes to form their shapes; while their sides and returns are fabricated out of aluminum.
LEDs use less energy than neon lighting and allow channel letters to be front-lit, reverse-lit, back/halo lit or feature digitally printed graphics for an eye-catching appearance. A raceway is usually the easiest and simplest method of mounting illuminated channel letters – this custom piece holds your signage securely while still offering easy access to power sources.
Cost of channel letter signs
Channel letter signs are an effective way to draw customers’ attention to your business, providing illumination at any hour of day or night and showing your name, logo or message. Unfortunately they can be quite costly; to keep costs in check it is wise to consider several factors when selecting channel letter signs for use in your business.
An important factor in the cost of channel letters is their size; larger signs require more materials for production and may use more energy than their smaller counterparts, making the entire project more costly to operate than expected.
Returns, or sides of letters, are made from coiled aluminum sheeting that can be painted using standard primary colors or customized to complement the face of your letter. Their backs may either be made out of aluminum or clear polycarbonate that can be decorated using translucent vinyl to add an illuminated halo effect for illumination purposes.
