Lightbox Signs for Shopfronts, Interiors and Displays
A lightbox sign is an enclosed box lit from inside, with a printed or coloured face that glows evenly across its whole area. It keeps a shop name, logo or image bright after dark and makes graphics indoors look vivid even in a well-lit space.
We design, make and install lightboxes in our own workshop and with our own team, from small projecting boxes to wide fascia boxes and large fabric displays. Each box is built to the measurements taken on a free site survey.
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Types of lightbox
- Acrylic-faced lightboxes: a rigid acrylic face with vinyl graphics, a classic choice for fascias and projecting signs.
- Tray-based lightboxes: a folded metal tray with routed lettering backed with acrylic, so only the letters glow.
- Fabric or tension fabric lightboxes: printed fabric stretched into a slim frame for large, seamless images.
- Double-sided boxes for projecting signs that need to be read from both directions.
Fabric or acrylic?
Acrylic faces are tough and well suited to exterior signs. They work best for logos, names and bold colours. Tension fabric is printed and stretched into the frame, giving a soft, even glow across large images without joins; it is ideal for indoor retail displays, receptions and exhibitions, and the fabric can be swapped for a new print when a campaign changes. For very large outdoor faces, flexible banner material is often used instead.
How lightboxes are lit
Modern lightboxes use LEDs, either fixed to the back of the box shining forwards or arranged around the edges and spreading light across a diffuser. Back-lit boxes are usually deeper and very even; edge-lit boxes can be slimmer, which suits interiors. LEDs use far less power than the fluorescent tubes found in older boxes, and we can fit timers so the sign switches off overnight.
Planning a lightbox
We check the wall or fascia on the survey, plan the box depth and fixings, and find a route for the power supply. An illuminated sign on a building may need advertisement consent, especially in conservation areas, and we can prepare the drawings if so. Free design with photo-realistic mock-ups shows the box on your building by day and night.
Faces can be designed to be changed later, which is useful for franchises, rebrands or seasonal graphics.
Lightboxes and other illuminated signs
Lightboxes are one option within our illuminated signs range, which also covers lit letters and trough lighting. For very large signs with a stretched flexible face, see flexface signs.
Projecting and interior lightboxes
Lightboxes are not only for fascias. A projecting lightbox mounted at right angles to the building catches people walking along the pavement who would miss a flat sign, and a double-sided box works in both directions. Inside, slim fabric lightboxes can line a shop wall with large product images, frame a reception desk or create a backdrop for events and exhibitions. Because the graphic sits in front of an even light source, colours look rich and photographs look sharp even in bright interiors. We match frames and finishes to your other signs so every box feels part of the same scheme across your premises.
Lightbox Signs: Questions and Answers
Should I choose a fabric or acrylic lightbox?
Acrylic is the usual choice outdoors and for logos and lettering. Tension fabric suits large indoor images, gives an even glow with no joins and is easy to change when your graphics change.
How are lightboxes lit?
With LEDs, either mounted on the back of the box or around its edges with a diffuser to spread the light evenly. LEDs use much less power than older fluorescent tubes and can be put on a timer.
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