Front-lit channel letters in 304 stainless steel

Front-lit channel letters, also called face-lit or LED channel letters, are the classic storefront sign. Each letter is a hollow shape with 304 stainless steel returns, a translucent acrylic face and LED modules inside. At night the whole face glows evenly, which makes this the easiest lit style to read from the road.

There are two edge styles. Trim cap letters hold the face with a 1 in plastic trim cap that laps about 1/4 in onto it. Trimless letters set the face on the front edge of the return, so only the lit face shows; they suit thin strokes and small letters. The guide to trim cap vs trimless compares the two.

Want more from the same letters? Front-and-back lit letters add a halo on the wall behind the glowing face, and RGB letters change color from a remote. For leased storefronts, letters on a raceway arrive pre-mounted on a slim box painted to match the fascia.

Plan color and rules early. White faces give the most light at night, while deep blues and greens look darker when lit; the lit preview on your free drawing shows each color. Most cities ask for a permit for an outdoor sign, and a lit sign usually needs an electrical permit too; our permit drawings are made from your approved design. Some shopping centers require a raceway and others ban exposed raceways, so read your sign criteria first. If the fire marshal asks for flame-retardant faces, we swap the acrylic for polycarbonate.

Every set mounts flush to the wall with a full-size paper template and runs on 12 V LEDs with a UL-listed power supply and LED modules. Outdoor builds use IP65 modules and a hard-wired power supply. Use the letter height calculator to size your letters and the price estimator for a quick range; the free drawing gives the exact price.