Signs & Large Format Print
How they differ in practice
A light box is a case made from aluminium profile with an illuminated face. The whole panel glows (or only the routed letters glow, if the face is Dibond). The face can carry a logo, a name, a photo, a phone number: anything that can be printed.
3D letters are separate, built-up characters fixed directly to the wall or on stand-offs. You can see the building between them. They can be face-lit, halo-lit (glowing onto the wall) or not lit at all.
In short: a light box is a panel, letters are lettering. A light box adds a rectangle to the building; letters look as if they belong to the architecture. That is why architects and landlords accept letters more readily, and local authorities with design codes or conservation areas often prefer them outright. More on this in the guide does a shop sign need permission.
Comparison: light box vs built-up letters
| Feature | LED light box | Illuminated 3D letters |
|---|---|---|
| Price | from approx. €320 net / m² | from approx. €46 net / character (h = 30 cm) |
| What it shows | Any artwork, photos, plenty of text | Name and logo, no background |
| Daytime look | Clearly visible panel on the facade | Light, architectural |
| Night-time look | The whole face glows | The characters glow, or a halo on the wall |
| Installation | A few fixing points, one power feed | Each character separately, more holes and cabling |
| Changing the content | New face from approx. €80 net / m² | Effectively new letters |
| Hiding imperfections | Yes, covers old holes and cracks | No, the wall has to look good |
The table covers typical cases. There are exceptions: a light box with a Dibond face where only the routed letters glow (from approx. €390 net per m²) looks very similar to letters at night and has a calm, matt background during the day.
What it costs in a real example
Take a sign reading "BAKERY & CO", with 9 characters counted. We do not normally count spaces or full stops as characters; a logo is priced as a separate element.
- Non-illuminated letters in Dibond or acrylic, h = 30 cm: 9 × €16 = approx. €145 net.
- Face-lit letters, h = 30 cm: 9 × €46 = approx. €415 net.
- Halo-lit letters, h = 30 cm: 9 × €55 = approx. €495 net.
- Face + halo letters, h = 30 cm: 9 × €70 = approx. €630 net.
- The same face-lit letters but 40 cm high: a surcharge of approx. €11 per extra 10 cm, so 9 × (€46 + €11) = approx. €515 net.
- Single-sided light box 300 × 60 cm with the same name: 1.8 m² × €320 = approx. €580 net.
The pattern is clear: with a short name, letters are cheaper or comparable. With a 20-character name plus a strapline and phone number, the light box wins on price, because you pay per square metre, not per character. Then there is installation: letters take longer, because each character has to be levelled and wired.
When we recommend a light box and when letters
Choose a light box when:
- the name is long, or you want to show your offer, opening hours or a product photo,
- the facade is damaged, has old holes from a previous sign or uneven render,
- the tenant may change or you are planning a rebrand: you only replace the face,
- the sign has to be seen from a distance by a road and the budget is tight.
Choose 3D letters when:
- the name is short and the logo reads well without a background,
- the facade is new and attractive, in brick, timber or cladding panels, and it would be a shame to cover it,
- you want a premium look: showroom, law firm, hotel, restaurant,
- the landlord or building manager does not allow light boxes.
Often the best answer is a combination: letters on the facade and a small double-sided projecting sign at right angles to the wall, visible to people walking along the pavement.
- 24 hexpress printing (UV inks need no drying)
- approx. 3 daysstandard lead time
- up to 14 dayslarge and custom projects with installation
Plus courier delivery. Tell us your date — we plan production around it.
Installation and running costs
When comparing, do not look only at the production price. A light box hangs on a few fixing points and has one power connection, so a two-person crew is usually done sooner. Letters are fitted from a template: each character has its own holes, stand-offs and cable, and the whole name has to be levelled so it does not look as if it is dancing. We charge approx. €42 net per crew hour for installation, so an extra hour or two for letters does make a difference.
Later on it is the other way round. Changing the artwork in a light box means a new face; changing the wording on letters means new characters. On the other hand, one damaged letter does not switch off the whole sign, whereas a dirty light box immediately reads as a grey panel.
The most common mistakes when choosing
The first mistake is letters that are too thin. A logo in a very light typeface looks great on a business card, but as a 30 cm illuminated letter it has too narrow a channel for the LEDs and lights unevenly. In such cases we suggest thickening the strokes or going for a light box with a routed face.
The second is letters too small for a large wall. 20 cm lettering on a retail unit disappears from a few dozen metres away. Fewer words, bigger letters.
The third is not thinking about where the cables will go. With letters, every character has a cable that has to be fed into the wall or hidden in a raceway. A light box has one power feed. It is worth planning this before the building is insulated.
The differences between types of letter illumination are covered separately in the guide illuminated 3D letters: face-lit, side-lit or halo, and the full light box price list is in how much does a light box sign cost.