Classic Backlit Metal Letters

Standard finishes include:

• Mirror polished, brushed, and painted
• Powder-coated in gloss, matte, or semi-gloss
• Metallic looks such as gold, rose gold, brass, copper, and bronze
• Effects like wood-grain and antique

We can match Pantone, RAL, Sherwin-Williams, or Benjamin Moore colors. For coastal or salt-air environments, we recommend powder-coat, brushed, or mirror finishes rather than electroplating.

Typically 25mm to 100mm (1 to 4 inches), depending on letter size, stroke width, the space the LEDs need, and the look you want. Depth is usually adjusted in steps of about 5mm (3/16 inch).

We use LED modules, strips, or individual LEDs chosen to fit the specific details of each sign, balancing brightness, evenness, heat, and long-term reliability. For very high-detail indoor work or large runs we can use custom PCB LED boards for more precise, uniform light (higher cost and lead time, mainly indoor).

Yes. Brightness can be set with a dimmer. For automatic control you can add a dusk-to-dawn light sensor (turns the sign on at night and off in daylight) or a timer (on/off at set times each day). Please let us know in advance if you’d like any of these, so we configure them with your order.

They are solid three-dimensional letters with a finished surface, so they look clean and premium even when switched off.

Standard single colors include white (~6500K), warm white (~3000-4000K), red, yellow, blue, and green. RGB / WRGB color-changing is available for wider strokes and comes with a controller. If you choose color-changing, then where the stroke width and budget allow, we recommend WRGB. The added White (W) diodes greatly expand the range of colors the sign can produce and make the result look richer.

High-quality LED systems are typically rated for over 100,000 hours. The dimming is gradual rather than sudden. LEDs lose brightness slowly instead of burning out, and the eye usually doesn’t register the change until it reaches around 30 percent, so a sign keeps reading as bright and even through years of normal use. Many signs run well past five years before anyone thinks about a refresh. Replacement is need-based. As long as the sign is bright enough for your setting, there’s no reason to change it, and a relight restores full output whenever you decide you want it.

Backlit letters need very little maintenance. Wipe them with a clean soft cloth dampened with clean water. Avoid alcohol-based or harsh chemical cleaners, especially on painted or plated finishes. In coastal areas, regular cleaning with clean fresh water (typically every 1-2 months) helps protect the sign’s finish.

We need vector artwork (AI, EPS, SVG, or PDF), which you can usually get from your designer. A high-resolution image is fine to start the conversation, but production still needs vector artwork for accurate manufacturing. One thing to watch: a “vector” file made by auto-converting a bitmap (such as a PNG or JPG) through software or a website is basically useless. The edges come out jagged and a lot of detail is lost, which makes it worse than a sharp bitmap. Our designers can rebuild vector artwork from a high-resolution bitmap, but some differences in detail are unavoidable, so it’s best to get the source file from your designer saved as a vector.

AI-generated images and renderings are welcome as a visual reference, but production still needs vector artwork. If your image came from an AI chat, ask that same AI conversation which font it used, and send the font name together with the artwork (you can also ask the AI to give you the design as an SVG vector file) and the rendering. Even if the rendered letters are warped or stylized, the font name gives our team a reliable baseline to rebuild clean vector outlines.

Yes. Based on your wall, viewing distance, and wording we can recommend suitable sizes, proportions, and letter structure.

There is no strict font restriction, but very thin strokes need a minimum width (generally at least 10mm, about 3/8 inch) so the LEDs can be arranged evenly and the halo lights uniformly. For fonts with fine serifs or narrow local strokes, the Classic model is usually the safer choice.

A quick guide:

• Classic backlit metal is the safest pick for oversized letters, outdoor projects, and fonts with fine serifs or narrow strokes. Its reflected halo is forgiving of dark spots.
• Luxury backlit metal is a flush-mount premium metal look, with strong dimensional presence and no stand-off needed, well suited to boutiques, flagship stores, hotels, and upscale façades.
• Backlit acrylic is lightweight and great for close-up detail and indoor or covered-outdoor settings.

Send us your wording, size, and location and we’ll recommend the best fit.

Yes. After your order is confirmed we prepare a detailed shop drawing for your approval, and production doesn’t start until you sign off. Before shipping, we also send finished-product photos and a 24-hour lighting-test confirmation, so nothing leaves the factory without your approval.

The letters run on a safe 12V DC low-voltage system, never wired straight to 110V or 240V line power. Each order includes one or more UL-listed Mean Well power supplies, sized to the sign. For a standard U.S. 110V supply, they plug in as-is, so most projects just connect and go.

If your site runs on industrial or commercial power, send us the voltage before we build so we can match the right power supply. If you want to run the sign off a 12V AC landscape lighting system, you’ll add a US-bought power supply that suits it, since the letters themselves run on 12V DC. Tell us your power source up front and the sign arrives ready to connect.

Yes, with one added part. Landscape lighting usually runs on 12V AC, and the letters run on 12V DC, so the two don’t wire together directly. Add a US-bought power supply or LED driver that puts out 12V DC for the sign, on its own line. Let us know if that’s your setup and we’ll plan the wiring around it.

Yes, for the metal routes. We apply waterproofing matched to the installation environment, with sealed components and a suitable outdoor-rated power supply, so the sign performs long-term outdoors. We also adjust the specification for tougher conditions:

• 316 stainless for coastal or high-salt areas
• Heavier waterproofing for heavy rain and high humidity
• Materials chosen for very cold climates

Acrylic letters are built for indoor and covered settings, not open-weather outdoor use, so for exposed locations choose a metal route.

Each order ships with everything needed to position and power the sign:

• The letters
• A Mean Well power supply (LED driver)
• A mounting template
• Stud bolts and hardware
• The wiring
• Installation instructions

If only a few holes can be drilled, we can pre-mount the letters on a backing plate, so the whole sign installs as a single piece. It then needs only one hole for the power cable plus 2-4 stud-bolt holes. If the wall can’t be drilled at all, the only option is suspension: the sign and its backplate are hung from the ceiling as one unit. Either approach can add to the shipping cost, so tell us about your mounting surface and any constraints and we’ll recommend the best approach.

Yes, for the metal routes. We raise the waterproofing specification for wet climates so the letters stay reliable in heavy rain and high humidity. Keep acrylic letters to indoor or covered locations, and use a metal route where the sign is exposed to the weather.

Yes, they suit cold environments. For extreme cold, send us the local temperature range so we can choose the right materials and electrical setup.

We accept PayPal (under PayPal’s seller-protection policy we issue you a PayPal Invoice) and credit-card payments processed through PayPal. Full payment is required before production. Any PayPal or credit-card transaction fees aren’t included in the quote and are paid by the buyer. For any questions about PayPal payment, please contact PayPal’s official customer service.

When you confirm your order, we’ll need:

• Your recipient name and recipient company
• Your shipping address (not a PO box)
• Your PayPal account address (in email format)

Our finance team will then send you a PayPal Invoice so you can complete payment.

Lead time depends on the finish, size, quantity, destination, and installation requirements, so we confirm a real timeline once we understand your project. As a general guide, most orders are completed in about 15 business days, plus shipping time (DHL takes roughly one week). We don’t promise a blanket rush time, but if you have a deadline, tell us early with your project details and we’ll let you know what’s realistic.

By default we ship worldwide with tracking through couriers such as DHL, UPS, FedEx, and TNT (air or sea freight for large orders). Delivery time depends on the destination and the shipping method you choose. Any import duties or local taxes follow your country’s rules. If you can accept a slightly longer delivery time, we can use DDP air freight, where the freight forwarder handles customs clearance and pays the duties. This is about 5-10 days slower than DHL, but the freight is cheaper and duties are included. Sea freight can also be arranged on a DDP basis.

Customs duties are charged by the customs authority where you live, based on your country’s policy, and they aren’t part of our production and shipping quote. For specifics you can contact your local customs. The HS (customs) code for backlit letters is 9405600000. Scam text messages are very common nowadays, so if you receive a message like this, contact DHL’s customer service through their official website to confirm the situation. You’re also welcome to contact us and we’ll check with our DHL contact. Either way, don’t ignore the message. If it goes past the deadline, DHL may dispose of the package. If you’d rather not deal with duties at all, you can choose DDP air freight from the start: you simply wait for the goods to arrive, the freight is cheaper, and customs clearance and duties are included. The trade-off is that transit takes roughly 5-10 days longer.

Classic is the default route for large signs. Letters above 39 3/8 in (1 m) are routine, and it scales into the 6.5 ft to 10 ft (2 to 3 m) class. For very large letters the shell can switch to aluminum to cut weight, which keeps shipping and installation manageable. It stays structurally practical over a far wider size range than Luxury or acrylic.

Its halo is diffused and reflected rather than read off a visible edge, so small dark spots barely show. When a serif or connecting stroke narrows toward about 3/16 in (5 mm), Classic usually stays cleaner than Luxury. Strokes generally need at least about 3/8 in (10 mm), or 1/2 in outdoors, for even lighting.

Yes. Classic mounts off the wall on stud bolts so the light can reflect and form the halo. The crew controls the stand-off spacing, keeps the run level, and plans the cable exit. It is more involved than a flush-mounted letter, which is normal for this route.

Yes, and it is usually the safer metal route for harsher outdoor walls. For coastal or high-salt sites we use 316 marine-grade stainless with powder-coat, brushed, or mirror finishes. Most other environments use 304. Outdoor projects still need the right material, drainage, mounting, and power planning.

When the letters get large enough that a stainless shell would be heavy to ship and install. Aluminum keeps the same look while cutting weight, which is why it’s common on very large or tall-facade signs. We’ll advise the switch point based on your size and wall.

No. They light differently. Luxury releases part of its light directly toward the eye, so it often reads brighter, especially on a busy storefront. Classic relies on reflected light, so its brightness depends partly on how reflective the wall is. Classic’s advantage isn’t raw brightness. It’s an even halo and tolerance for size and complex fonts.

Your logo or wording, with vector preferred, the letter height or overall size, any serif or narrow-stroke details, the wall material and exposure, a preferred finish and color, the destination, and any deadline. The more detail you send, the more exact the recommendation and price.