The signage industry has seen many changes in recent years due in part to the digital age and the new technologies that have sprung up around its eventuation. The primary purpose of a sign is to convey a message, and using light is an effective way to enhance the message.

Backlit signs have been around for many years. This was a not always an ideal solution as the bright tubular lamp behind the graphic could often be clearly seen, thus detracting from the graphic or message on the front of the sign. Another consideration is that this solution requires a greater number of lamps to achieve an even light output, and requires more real estate and/or materials to mount. The result of this can often be a sign that is brighter than required and may then need to be dimmed to provide an appropriate brightness.
An overly bright sign can saturate the sign’s image and cause the image to be less effective than its potential. The same is true for a sign that is too dim and failing to provide the correct brightness.

To overcome these performance challenges, the slimline sign was developed using edge-lighting techniques. Traditionally, these signs use a thick piece of acrylic to transmit the light to the centre of the sign and diffuse it in an even manner. The system works well and is widely used, but unfortunately this method is very inefficient. In recent years, a cleverly designed and patented system was developed by Mr John Ferguson of Ecosigns, where T5 fluorescent lamps are used in conjunction with parabolic reflectors and a diffuser system. The primary advantage of this system is that the lamps are allowed to operate at close to their optimum performance, ensuring maximum sign brightness for power input, and therefore the consumption of less energy. The use of the T5 fluorescent lamp due to its colour rendering characteristics gives a good representation of the colours in the image, thereby enhancing the graphic and maximising the colour rendering.

“An overly bright sign can saturate the sign’s image and cause the image to be less effective than its potential. The same is true for a sign that is too dim and failing to provide the correct brightness.”

Whilst many lightbox units are used to promote retail stores and brands in shopping centres, there is an increasing trend to use these units to inform employees and visitors in buildings about the activities and special events going on.

The ability to simply change the graphic allows this to be done quickly and easily. Where a building manager requires that the graphic be changed every few weeks or months, edge-lit lightboxes allow this to be done easily via a magnetic front panel system and the use of graphic clips. This system also eliminates ‘slumping’ of the graphic because the space between the front panel and the diffusing opal is kept to a minimum, which means the graphic will be held tightly in place.

LEDs or fluorescent light source?

There is now some debate about the advantages and disadvantages of using either linear fluorescent tube lighting systems or LEDs. LEDs have certainly developed a lot of hype as the way forward in all forms of lighting.
T5 Fluorescent tubes have been the first choice in signage for many years, and, in our opinion, are still the preferred solution. The table below lists some of the advantages and disadvantages of both light sources.

If you’re still unsure feel free to contact Matthew or Peter at Ecosigns for further assistance with determining the correct solution for your sign. All Ecosigns units are made in Australia and each and every unit conforms to AS60598 and is controlled by a quality control system during its construction. All Ecosigns electrical products have a unique serial number as part of the electrical standards protocols. This also allows easy service of the unit as all build details are on record.