Channel letters guide
What channel letters are, how they are built, which lighting style to choose, and what to know about size, cost, permits, installation and care. In plain English, in one place.
Individual 3D letters with the light built in.
Channel letters are individual, three-dimensional letters. Each one is a shallow metal shell cut and bent to the shape of a letter or a piece of your logo, with LEDs inside. The name comes from that shape: every letter is a channel that holds the light.
Because each letter stands on its own, the wall shows between them and the sign reads as your name, not as a box. You see channel letters on storefronts, shopping centers, office buildings and lobby walls.
The steel letter is the same. What changes is where the light comes out, and that decides where each style works best.
Acrylic faces glow evenly inside 304 stainless steel returns. The whole letter lights up.
Choose it when: People read your name from the road, across a parking lot or from a moving car. Of the three styles, it reads from the farthest away.
Solid steel faces printed with your artwork. Light shines out through an acrylic back and glows on the wall around each letter.
Choose it when: You want a polished look up close: a walkable street, a lobby, a reception wall. The glow shows best on a light, smooth wall.
Open steel channels with LED neon clipped inside each stroke. You see the neon line and the polished steel around it.
Choose it when: You want the neon look in a solid metal letter: a feature wall, behind a bar or counter, a salon or a gym.
| Feature | Front-lit | Halo-lit | Open-face neon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the light comes out | Through the face | Out the back, onto the wall | From LED neon in an open channel |
| Face | Acrylic | Solid steel, printed with your artwork | Open |
| By day | Colored faces framed by steel returns | Solid letters in your colors | Steel channels with the neon line inside |
| At night | The whole letter glows | Dark faces outlined by a glow on the wall | A line of light inside each stroke |
| Reads best from | Far away: the road, a parking lot | Close to medium: the sidewalk, a lobby | Close to medium: a feature wall, a counter |
| Mounting | Flush to the wall | Flush to the wall | Flush to the wall |
We build every letter from 304 stainless steel, the most widely used grade of stainless steel. Here is why.
Stainless steel does not rust the way plain steel does, which is why it is used on building fronts, railings and kitchen equipment. It still likes an occasional wash, especially near the ocean or salted roads.
By day the steel returns show, and halo-lit faces are solid steel. The letters read as metal lettering, not plastic.
Front-lit, halo-lit and open-face neon letters all start with a 304 stainless steel shell, so you can use one style outside and another inside and keep the same material.
Two things decide it: how far away people are when they read the sign, and how much wall you have.
A common rule of thumb for wall signs is about 1 inch of letter height for every 10 feet of viewing distance. Measure from where people first need to read the sign to the wall.
Measure the usable width and height, not the whole building, and leave some wall showing on every side so the letters do not look cramped.
It is the height of a capital letter. Lowercase letters are shorter, and text in all capitals needs taller letters to read from the same distance.
You do not have to work it out alone. Send the wall width and a photo, and we suggest a size on your drawing.
Every sign is built to order, so there is no single price for channel letters. These six things move it.
Taller letters use more steel and more LEDs.
Each letter is built and wired on its own.
Each style is built from different parts.
A special finish, printed artwork or several colors can change it.
Fine lines and many small pieces take more cutting and assembly.
Where the sign goes can change the parts we use.
Installation, permits and the electrician’s work are separate from the sign itself. Your exact price comes with your drawing, before you pay anything.
The letters start the same way. What changes is the setting around them.
People stand closer, so letters can usually be smaller. Room light is steady, so the glow shows all day, which is why halo-lit and open-face neon suit lobbies, reception desks and feature walls.
People are farther away, often in a car, so letters are usually bigger. By day, color and contrast carry the sign; after dark the light takes over. Sun, rain and dirt mean an occasional wash.
Tell us on the quote form where the sign goes. It can change the size we suggest and the parts we use.
Every letter mounts flush to the wall: the back of each letter sits right against the wall surface. A paper template comes with your sign, so you mark the holes from the template instead of measuring each letter.
Have a licensed electrician make the connection to your building’s electrical system, and ask your city whether that work needs its own permit or inspection.
Sign rules are local and differ from one city to the next. Ask before you order: it is much easier to size a drawing to the rules than to change a finished sign. Questions to ask your city and your landlord:
Channel letters need very little. A few habits keep them clean and working.
How long LED channel letters last, and how to care for them →
Every order starts with a drawing you approve. Nothing is cut until you say yes.
1
Use the quote form. Any logo file works to start, even a photo of your current sign.
2
Your drawing shows letter sizes and colors, with a preview of the sign lit up.
3
When it looks right, approve it and pay by card, or by bank transfer for larger orders.
4
Your letters are built from the approved drawing and come with a paper template for the mounting holes.
Which style fits depends on where your customers first see you. Each page covers the usual picks and planning tips.
Step-by-step help for each part of the job, from choosing a style to hanging the letters.
Individual three-dimensional letters. Each one is a shallow metal shell shaped like the letter, with LEDs inside. They mount on the wall one by one, so the sign reads as your name rather than as a box.
Where the light comes out. Front-lit letters glow through an acrylic face. Halo-lit letters have solid steel faces and glow onto the wall behind them. Open-face letters show a line of LED neon inside an open steel channel.
Front-lit. The whole face of each letter glows, so it reads from the farthest away. Halo-lit and open-face neon suit places where people are closer, like a sidewalk or a lobby.
304 stainless steel. Front-lit faces are acrylic. Halo-lit faces are steel printed with your artwork, with acrylic on the back. Open-face letters have LED neon clipped inside.
A common rule of thumb is about 1 inch of letter height for every 10 feet of viewing distance, as long as the letters still fit your wall. Send the wall width and a photo and we suggest a size on your drawing.
It depends on letter height, the number of letters, the lighting style, finish and colors, logo detail and indoor or outdoor use. Your exact price comes with your drawing, before you pay anything.
Often, especially outdoors, but the rules are local. Ask your city and, if you lease, your landlord before you order. Our permit guide lists the questions to ask.
The mounting is simple: the letters mount flush to the wall, with a paper template to mark the holes. Many owners hire a sign installer for work at height, and the power connection should be made by a licensed electrician.
Send your logo and a photo of the wall. We reply with a drawing and an exact price.