Large Back lit Sign, need some advice.

[Topper 61]

Hello everyone, So i have a customer who needs 3 pretty big back lit signs. 74" x 74" and 5'x15". The design isn't very complicated at all, some text and a simple logo. How would you go about doing this? I found a place that can print back lit material but they only print up to 52" so my sign will have a seam not sure how noticeable that would be. Or would it be better to use translucent vinyl and cut it out on my own plotter which is only a 24" cutter so I'd have to piece it all together. Also any idea what the best material to use for the actual sign? Maybe I am in a little over my head here, but thought I better see what I might be able to pull off before I turn it away.

[FrznFire07 217]

A sign that size will likely have a seam no matter what unless you have a large format plotter.  Yes seams are noticeable once the sign is lit up but usually you can be creative as to were the seam falls so it's not so noticeable.

As to printing the sign, please be aware that printing back lit signs the correct way is very expensive.  If printing you need two layers of vinyl, the first layer should be clear and the top layer should be white translucent, typically laminated with a matte laminate.  The reason for this is the print will wash out once the sign is lit up if there is only the white layer.  The clear layer provides the extra color needed once the sign is lit.

We do a lot of lit back signs.  Our general rule of thumb; if it can be cut it should be.  We try not to print them if they are simple enough to be cut.  Cut translucent vinyl lasts a long time and is really vibrant when lit.

However we do print quite a few, and we always give the customer the choice of one layer or two, but we explain why two layers are necessary, 90% of the time, they'll spend the extra money to make it look right.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, beware of sign codes in your area, our town has a dark skies ordinance, any lit back sign over 24sq. ft. has to have a dark background.  This actually works to our advantage on the larger signs because the seams are much easier to hide on dark backgrounds.