Skip to main content
Get a Free Quote
White glowing letters on a black panel, lit on the face and the sides

Face & Side-Lit Signs

Face & Side-Lit Signs give every letter or logo piece its own acrylic shell, with LEDs inside lighting up both the face and the sides. Light from the sides falls on the wall around each piece as a halo, in a wide choice of colors from colored LEDs or colored acrylic, and they usually mount flush, indoors or out.

Get a Free Quote

Face & Side-Lit Signs Sample Cases

Here are sample photos of Face & Side-Lit Signs to help you choose the look of your own sign. Click any photo for a short description of how it was made.

Parts of a Face & Side-Lit Sign

Face & Side-Lit Signs glowing white on the face and the sides

Face & Side-Lit Signs are one of several ways we build halo signage. The whole letter glows, face and sides alike, and the light from its sides lights up the wall around it with a halo. They usually mount flush on a wall. Every Face & Side-Lit Sign is made up of five parts:

Key Specifications

Minimum letter height
3-15/16 in (100 mm)
Minimum stroke width
13/16 in (21 mm)
Default depth
13/16 in (20 mm)
Back panel
White powder-coated aluminum, 1/16 in (1.5 mm), laser cut, with the LEDs mounted on it
Mounting
Usually flush on a wall, on stud bolts. Off the wall when needed, for example on a curved wall, where tube spacers set the gap and keep the wires and bolts out of sight.
Production time
About 15 working days after you approve the shop drawings
Price
From US$50
  • As with every lit sign, we recommend a professional sign installer to protect its look, safety and service life.
  • Even above the minimum size, some letters have strokes of uneven width, or their shells leave only just enough room to spread the LEDs evenly. PCB LEDs give these letters a very even glow, because every LED sits on the circuit board at a position that has been calculated and tested. They improve the light, not the minimum letter size. They are fully custom LEDs with a minimum order quantity, and every letter needs its own PCB LED. Getting them right can take several rounds of testing and adjustment.
  • Production begins once you approve the shop drawings. For every step from inquiry to delivery, see how ordering works.

Acrylic Letter Shell

Material
Opal acrylic
How it is made
CNC engraved in most cases
Default depth
13/16 in (20 mm)
Colored light
Colored LEDs or colored acrylic
Brands
DonChamp by default, or Mitsubishi or Degussa (PLEXIGLAS) on request

LEDs

LED type
LED modules, LED strips or PCB LEDs
Voltage
12 V DC LEDs by default, or 24 V DC LEDs on request
Brand
BlueView by default
Light colors
  • White (6000K)
  • Natural white (4000K)
  • Warm white (3000K)
  • Red
  • Yellow
  • Blue
  • Green
  • Controllable RGB or RGBW
  • Other colors made to order, in a close shade rather than an exact color
  • Outdoor Face & Side-Lit Signs use waterproof LEDs, and for very rainy areas we upgrade them to IP67 LEDs.

Aluminum Back Panel

Material
Aluminum
How it is made
Laser cut to the shape of each letter
Thickness
1/16 in (1.5 mm)
Finish
White powder coat
  • The LEDs are mounted on the back panel, which then closes the back of each acrylic shell.

Electrical Wiring

Wire type
UL-certified flame-retardant two-core copper wire by default
Gauge
AWG 15 (1.5 mm²) by default
Lead length
78-3/4 in (2,000 mm) per letter by default
  • For the main power line, we recommend AWG 13 (2.5 mm²) or heavier. It is not included by default.
  • How each letter connects to the power supply is shown in our wiring diagram.

Power Supply

Brand
MEAN WELL
Series
LPV series by default (model LPV-60-12)
Input
90-264 V AC
Output
12 V DC by default, or 24 V DC with 24 V LEDs
Protection
IP67 waterproof
  • Each sign's power supply is chosen to match the power we measure on the finished sign, and it must be wired exactly as shown in the wiring diagram we provide.
  • If your site runs on commercial or industrial power rather than standard residential power, tell us its voltage and frequency before you order, and we will fit a power supply rated for it.

Certification and Mounting Kit

Certification
UL Listed
Operating temperature
−22 to 158°F (−30 to 70°C)
Mounting kit
  • Full-size (1:1) mounting template
  • Stud bolts
  • Nuts and washers, for walls you can reach from behind
  • Stainless steel tube spacers, for signs mounted off the wall
  • Wiring diagram
  • Installation instructions
  • Stud bolts hold each letter on the wall. Use the template to mark where to drill for the bolts and wires.
  • Nuts and washers are for walls you can get behind, such as thin drywall partitions, where they secure the stud bolts from the other side.
  • For signs mounted off the wall, the stainless steel tube spacers, 13/16 in (20 mm) long by default, hold all the letters at one distance from the wall and conceal the wires.

Warranty

  • Face & Side-Lit Signs come with a 3-year limited warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. If a part fails within 3 years because of such a defect, we send you a free replacement by DHL at our cost. Import duties are not covered, and neither is the labor to remove the faulty part or install the new one. The warranty doesn't cover damage from lightning, floods, storms or other natural disasters, or from power surges, improper installation or wiring. Damage caused by people isn't covered either. If you need a 5-year warranty, tell us and we will provide it as a custom service.
  • The power supply carries MEAN WELL's own warranty, and any controllers carry their makers' own warranties. We'll contact these makers for you and help you get warranty service. Shipping and duties for those parts are paid by you.
  • LEDs dim gradually with use. When your sign is no longer bright enough, we recommend replacing the sign. The shells can be opened to replace the LEDs, but that is skilled work, and a damaged shell would leave the sign worse off than before.

Diagrams

Face & Side-Lit Signs FAQ

The face and the sides of every letter light up. The light from the sides also falls on the wall around each letter and forms a halo.

Use colored LEDs or colored acrylic.

Fabricated acrylic shells crack more easily during shipping, so we CNC engrave most of them instead.

Yes. Besides walls, Face & Side-Lit Signs can go on a ceiling, the floor or a rooftop. Choose the spot by whose view you want to catch.

The smallest letter stands 3-15/16 in (100 mm) high, and its strokes are 13/16 in (21 mm) wide.

Written by the HaloLitSigns.com engineering team

Get a Free Quote

Tell us about the Face & Side-Lit Sign you need, and we will reply within one working day.

If we don't get a reply to our email, we will text you.

Every sign is custom made, and details change the price. The more you tell us, the more accurate your quote will be.

CAPTCHA image

Other Halo Lit Sign Models

Weighing your options? Here are our other halo lit sign models.

Basic Metal Halo Lit Signs

Every letter or logo piece has its own separate fabricated metal shell, stainless steel by default. An opal acrylic back panel sits fully inside the shell, so it can't be seen from the front or the sides. They mount on the wall but stand a short distance off it, and the wall reflects their light into a soft halo. Highly weather resistant, they suit small, medium and large letters, indoors and outdoors.

More Details about Basic Metal Halo Lit Signs

Pro Metal Halo Lit Signs

Every letter or logo piece has its own separate fabricated metal shell, stainless steel by default, with a stepped acrylic back panel that sits partly inside the shell and partly outside it. Because the acrylic is exposed, its light reaches the eye directly. It also shines straight onto the wall around each outline, so the halo is brighter and wider. They can mount flush or off the wall.

More Details about Pro Metal Halo Lit Signs

Side-Lit Signs

Every letter or logo piece has its own separate acrylic shell, mostly CNC engraved and sometimes fabricated, with a solid face of painted acrylic, black acrylic or a metal plate. Their sides glow and light up the wall with an elegant halo, and they mount flush.

More Details about Side-Lit Signs

Face & Halo Lit Signs

Every letter or logo piece has its own separate shell, which can be built in many ways, in fabricated metal (stainless steel by default) or in acrylic. The face glows, while light from the back lights up the wall behind it and forms a halo around the outline. Vinyl can give the lit face a different color from the halo, and they mount flush or off the wall.

More Details about Face & Halo Lit Signs

Halo Effect Light Box Signs

Some letters or logos are too small to be made as individual lit letters, yet still need to light up and have a halo. For them, a halo effect light box is the only way to do it. All the LEDs sit together in one metal box. A panel on the back of the box lets light through to cast a halo around it on the wall.

More Details about Halo Effect Light Box Signs