Questions and answers
About sign styles, sizes, prices, permits, installation and power. Every answer links to the products it mentions.
What are channel letters on a sign?
Channel letters are individual 3D letters whose sides, called returns, are bent to the outline of each letter, usually with LEDs inside to light them. Each letter mounts on the wall on its own or on a raceway, so the building shows between them. Ours are built from 304 stainless steel.
Raceway for Channel Letters
Front-Lit Channel LettersWhat are the different types of channel letters?
Front-lit letters have a glowing acrylic face, with a trim cap or a trimless edge. Halo-lit letters have a solid metal face and glow onto the wall behind them, and front-and-back lit letters do both. There are also open-face letters with LED neon, marquee bulb letters and non-lit metal letters in brushed, mirror, gold or painted finishes.
Marquee Light-Up Letters with Bulbs
Open-Face Channel Letters with LED Neon
Front and Back Lit Channel Letters
Trimless Front-Lit Channel LettersWhat is a halo-lit channel letter, and is it different from backlit?
A halo-lit letter has a solid metal face and a translucent acrylic back. The LEDs inside light the back, so a soft glow spreads on the wall around each letter while the face stays metal. Halo-lit, back-lit and reverse channel letters are three names for the same style; the opposite is a front-lit letter, whose face glows.
Halo-Lit Channel LettersHow much does a channel letter sign cost?
The price depends mostly on how many letters there are and how tall they are, then on the style, the finish, indoor or outdoor power, and options such as a raceway, photocell or timer. Our price estimator shows an estimate from our own recent quotes as you enter your text and letter height. The free drawing then gives the exact price, and nothing is charged before you approve it.
Dusk-to-Dawn Photocell Switch for Outdoor Signs
Digital 7-Day Timer for Lit Signs
Free Sign Drawing and Lit Preview with Exact PriceHow much do channel letters cost per letter or per inch?
We price channel letters as a base fee for each sign plus a price per letter that rises with the letter height, so the cost per inch of height stays fairly steady as letters get taller. Style, finish, indoor or outdoor build and options change the rate. Type your text and height into our price estimator to see an estimate, then ask for a free drawing for the exact price.
How are channel letters made?
Each sign starts from your approved drawing. The flat parts are cut by machine, a strip of 304 stainless steel is bent to follow the outline of each letter, and the seams are welded. LED modules and wiring go inside, the face is fitted, and each letter is lit and checked before it is packed with a full-size paper template.
12V LED Modules for Channel LettersHow tall should my letters be?
Plan about 1 in of letter height for every 10 ft between the sign and the people you want to reach, so a sign read from 100 ft needs letters of about 10 in. Fast traffic, a wide road or a wall set far back call for taller letters, and your city or landlord may cap the size. Our letter height calculator does the math for your distance.
Should I choose front-lit or halo-lit letters?
Choose front-lit letters when the sign has to be read from the road at night: the whole face glows, which makes it the easiest lit style to read. Choose halo-lit letters for a calmer, upscale look, a reception wall or a sign read from closer up; they look best on a smooth, light wall. Front-and-back lit letters give you both.
Do I need a permit for a channel letter sign?
Almost always for an outdoor sign, and most commercial leases also need the landlord to approve it. Your approved drawing shows the sizes, materials and mounting that most permit applications ask for, and we can prepare permit drawings from it. You or your installer file the permit with the city; rules vary from city to city, so check with yours.
Sign Permit Drawings: ElevationCan I install channel letters myself, and who connects the power?
The mounting, yes, if you are comfortable drilling into your wall: tape up the full-size template, drill the holes it shows, set the studs and press the letters on. An indoor sign that plugs in is a complete do-it-yourself job. A hard-wired outdoor sign must be connected to the building power by a licensed electrician, which is not included in our order.
What file should I send for my sign?
A vector file is best: AI, EPS, SVG or a PDF saved from design software, with the fonts outlined or named. If you only have a picture, send the largest one you have and we redraw it. Add the wall size or a straight-on photo with a tape measure in it, and tell us whether the sign goes indoors or outdoors.
Are your channel letters aluminum?
No. Every letter we make is 304 stainless steel: the returns, and on halo-lit and non-lit letters the face too. Much of the industry uses aluminum, which is lighter and usually painted. We use 304 stainless because it does not rust through outdoors and can be left bare in a brushed or mirror finish, or painted any color.
Brushed Stainless Steel LettersCan channel letters be used indoors and outdoors?
Yes, and we build them for where they go. Outdoor letters use IP65-rated LED modules and hard-wired outdoor power supplies; indoor letters usually plug in through a 100–240 V adapter. Tell us which you need when you ask for the drawing.
12V LED Sign Power SupplyHow are the letters mounted?
Our letters mount flush to the wall on threaded studs, using the full-size (1:1) paper template that comes with every sign to mark the holes. If your landlord limits holes in the building, the letters can come pre-mounted and pre-wired on a raceway painted to match the wall. We add standoffs only if you ask for them.
Stainless Steel Sign Standoffs
Channel Letter Mounting Hardware KitWhat is included with my sign?
The free drawing with a lit preview, the letters, the LED modules inside them, the power supply, a full-size paper mounting template and the mounting hardware. The power supply and LED modules are UL-listed components. Installation, sign permits and the electrician who connects a hard-wired sign are not included.
How do I pay?
After you approve the drawing, we send a Stripe invoice or payment link and you pay by card. Larger orders can pay by ACH bank transfer. Nothing is charged before you approve the drawing and the price.