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Sign Components

Front-lit Channel Letters

Channel Letters are usually the first large advertising expense for any new business. They are often the most prominent sign that a small business has on their building and can have a huge impact on “image” of that business. When you are designing a sharp and classy channel letter project, be sure to trust the experts at ChannelLetterWholesale.com

While there are a few types of Channel Letters (front lit and halo reverse letters), we absolutely specialize in quick, affordable wholesale front-lit Channel Letters.

There are 6 main components to Channel Letters. The cool part about Channel Letters are the many options of each of these 6 components. When you mix and match various material finishes and colors it literally creates a limitless series of options. Check out our Portfolio Gallery for examples!

Acrylic Face

  • the acrylic face is literally the part that lights up!
  • white, red, blue, yellow, clear… and much more
  • we always use 3/16″ sign grade acrylic (we do not shortcut with 1/8″ acrylic)
  • premium translucent vinyl is often applied to our channel letter faces to enhance the color options
  • full color digital printing onto translucent digital media allows us to create fancy fades, outlines, drop shadows and much more for our channel letter acrylic faces

Edgecap Trim

  • channel letter trimcap is about a lot more than adding a sharp accent color!
  • glued directly to the acrylic face, and then screwed into the return
  • the edgecap is one of the most important parts of the Channel Letter project
  • various standard colors; black, white, red, green, blue, orange, yellow etc.
  • premium metallic trimcap colors are available too; chrome gold and silver and a really sharp duronodic bronze.
  • Channel Letter edgecap can be custom painted, but the process is very involved and often too expensive
  • if you have a client with 50+ sets of Channel Letters we can have your trimcap custom produced in any color

Return (sides)

  • typically 5″ wide, creating a perfect depth for LED lighting
  • Channel Letter returns are made of .032 aluminum
  • multiple stock colors are available; black, white, red, light & dark blue, light & dark green, duronodic bronze.
  • premium brushed silver and gold Channel Letter returns are available too!
  • the returns are permanently fastened to the backer using our Accu-Clinch pneumatic equipment. No fasteners (rivets or staples means NO FAILURES!)

Backer

  • For standard Channel Letters 30″ and smaller we use .040 aluminum
  • For Channel Letters larger than 30″ we use .063 aluminum for the extra strength it brings
  • Larger capsules often require an even stronger material and we use a 3mm Dibond plastic/metal composite. They are riveted to the backer at larger sizes.
  • In every application the Channel Letter backer is white so that it bounces the LED lights towards the face of the sign for optimal lighting
  • We NEVER use MDO wood or scrap PVC… these materials are not UL listed and lead to nothing but problems!

Raceway

  • Channel Letter raceways are a very important element for a standard set of Channel Letters.
  • Not only are the individual letters mounted directly to the raceway, but it conceals and protects the wiring that illuminates the LED’s inside
  • We custom build our raceways out of .063 aluminum
  • The lid at the top extends the entire length so that you can easily access the wiring or power supply inside
  • Our standard raceway is 5″ deep and 8″ tall (nice and slim so they don’t protrude out from the wall any further than necessary!)
  • There are 5 stock colors for raceways (white, black, tan, burgundy & dark brown)
  • We can custom paint any PMS color for your raceways as well
  • It is important to note that approximately 30% of the Channel Letter projects we build for our clients do not actually have a raceway. These are considered “flush mount” or “direct mount” Channel Letters. While they are very common for a nicer finish, it does make the installation a bit more complicated as a significant amount of wiring must be done behind the walls.
  • Typically the landlord of the property dictates if a raceway is required or not. Most landlords would rather use a raceway because it requires much fewer holes to be drilled through the facade

LED lighting

  • LED’s are the state of the art lighting solution and are used in 100% of our Channel Letter signs.
  • Sure, we can still do neon… but only in an application where the city absolutely requires it (or for open face neon signs). In truth, this is incredibly rare nowadays.
  • As recent as 3 years ago there was a big stigma that LED’s cost more than neon, and we are happy to dispel that rumor now! Both our red AND our white LED’s are less expensive to produce and install than neon. This is due to the much higher demand for the product and the higher quality LED lighting products offered in today’s market.
  • We typically use JT LED’s for their consistency, excellent warranty and solid price point.
  • It is important to note that the LED’s are in fact the majority of the cost on a wholesale set of Channel Letters, so please note that choosing excessive bold letters or extra large capsules will increase the cost accordingly
  • Over the years we have tested and used all of the major brands of LED’s from Sloan to GE Tetra. We have no problem using a certain LED if you have specified a required brand. Please let us know during the time of quoting so that we do not need to make adjustments in the estimate later.
  • LED’s are at least 80% more efficient and environmentally beneficial than neon.
  • We ONLY use UL listed LED lighting and electrical components! 
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