Front and Back Lit Channel Letters, Dual-Lit Face Glow Plus Halo

Front and back lit channel letters, also called dual-lit, combo-lit or face and halo lit letters, combine the two main lighting styles in one sign. Each letter has a translucent acrylic face like a front-lit letter and a translucent acrylic back like a halo-lit letter. At night the face glows and a halo of light spreads on the wall around every letter.

That double effect makes this the most eye-catching of the lit styles after dark. The face gives you the long-distance readability of a front-lit sign, and the halo adds depth, so the letters stand out even on a busy street full of other lit signs. Restaurants, cafes, bars and shops that open into the evening use it most, along with brands that want to be read from the road and still look good up close. Size them as you would front-lit letters: about 1 in of letter height for every 10 ft of viewing distance reads easily, and the letter height calculator does the math.

By day, dual-lit letters look like front-lit letters: colored faces and stainless returns. At night you see three layers: the lit face, the return as a band of metal or color around it, and the soft halo on the wall behind.

How they are built:

• 304 stainless steel returns, painted black, white or your color, or left brushed.
• Translucent acrylic face in white or your brand color.
• Translucent acrylic back that lets the light out onto the wall.
• 12 V LED modules in white 6500 K, neutral 4000 K or warm white 3000 K, or adjustable white from warm to cool.
• Indoor plug-in adapter, or IP65 modules and a hard-wired outdoor power supply that a licensed electrician connects.
• Sizes: 4 in to 60 in tall in the price estimator; the drawing sets the exact size.

The letters mount flush to the wall, and the halo spreads from the back edge of each letter, so the wall itself becomes part of the sign. A smooth, light wall shows the halo best. A full-size paper template and the mounting hardware come with the sign; standoffs only if you ask. Our recent quotes include dual-lit signs about 60 in wide.

The power supply and LED modules are UL / cUL listed components. Installation, permits and the electrician are not included. Use the price estimator on this page for a range, then send your logo and wall size: we email a free drawing with a lit preview and the exact price, and nothing is built until you approve it.

Choose dual-lit when your sign competes with others at night or when you want one sign that reads from the road and still looks finished from the sidewalk. If the sign only needs to be read from far away, plain front-lit letters do that for less. If it will mostly be seen up close, halo-lit letters may be all you need.

Check the wall. The halo needs a smooth, light surface to show; on dark or rough walls the faces still read, but the halo shows less. Glossy tile and polished stone mirror the LEDs as bright spots, so avoid them behind the letters. Then pick the return color: dark returns separate the lit face from the halo, and returns painted to the wall color blend them together.

Send a photo of the wall, its size and your logo. The lit preview on the drawing shows both the face glow and the halo.