Design
Printed backboard neon signs and backlit logo panels
How a full-color printed backboard with LED neon on top works, when a backlit printed acrylic panel suits better, and how each looks and mounts.
Updated
A logo does not always fit into lines of tube. Gradients, photos, fine type and many colors are hard or impossible to draw in neon. A printed backboard solves that by putting the full artwork on the board and the light on top. This guide explains the two printed options we make and how to choose.
Two ways to combine print and light
| Neon on a printed backboard | Backlit printed acrylic panel | |
|---|---|---|
| What lights up | LED neon tube on the front, tracing the main lines | An LED tube ring on the back, lighting the wall behind |
| What you see when lit | Glowing lines over a full-color logo | A printed panel with a soft halo around it |
| Switched off | The full logo is still visible | The full logo is still visible |
| Detail | Full detail in the print; tube draws the main lines | Full detail in the print |
| Mounting | Any of our mounting kits | Always off the wall on standoffs |
| How to order | Choose width, glow and indoor or outdoor; from $289.99 | Made to size, priced by quote, free mockup |
Neon on a printed backboard
How it is made
We UV print your logo or artwork in full color directly on the acrylic backboard. Then we trace the main lines of the design in LED neon on top: for example the outline, the name or the main shapes. The tube sits in a groove routed in the board, just like any of our LED signs.
When the sign is on, the tube glows over the print. When it is off, the full-color logo is still there, so the sign keeps doing its job in daylight or after hours.
When to choose it
- Your logo has many colors, gradients or shading.
- It has small text or fine lines that tube cannot draw. In any LED sign, details too small for tube are UV printed on the board; a printed backboard simply prints all of the artwork.
- The sign hangs where it is seen by day, such as a reception wall or a shop window.
- You want the logo to be recognizable even when switched off.
If your logo is simple, with a few bold shapes and one or two colors, a regular custom logo neon sign may be all you need.
Options
The neon sign on a printed backboard comes in the same widths, 20 to 120 in, and at the same price as the custom logo neon sign. Custom logo signs start from $289.99, and the printed board costs nothing extra. You choose a single-color tube (one or several fixed colors) or color changing (RGB), and an indoor or outdoor build. Like every LED sign, it ships with a dimmer, the mounting kit you choose and the plug-in adapter.
Backlit printed acrylic panel
How it is made
A backlit printed acrylic sign is a thick acrylic panel printed with your logo on the front face. On the back, a ring of LED neon tube runs a little in from the panel edge. When it is on, the tube lights the wall behind the panel, so the panel appears to float in a soft halo of light.
The panel has small rounded corners. It is made to size from your artwork, priced by quote, and comes with a free mockup before anything is made.
Always off the wall
The light needs room to spread, so a backlit panel always sits off the wall on standoffs, about 1 in by default. It cannot be mounted flat against the wall.
The wall makes the halo
Because the light bounces off the wall, the wall is part of the sign:
- Light, matte walls give the clearest, most even halo.
- Dark or rough walls such as dark brick soak up light, so the halo looks weaker.
- Shiny walls can show the tube as bright spots.
- Colored walls tint the halo. A white halo on red brick takes on a reddish tinge.
Send us a photo of the wall with your artwork and we will take it into account on the mockup.
When to choose it
- You want a calm, upscale look for a reception desk, office or salon.
- The logo should look exactly like the artwork, with no tube lines across it.
- The sign hangs on a light, smooth wall.
How each one looks switched off
Both options show your full printed logo when off. That is the main reason businesses choose them. A neon sign on a clear board shows only the tube when off; see our guide to neon sign colors on and off for how tubes look by day.
Preparing your artwork
- Send the best file you have. Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF) work best. A clear photo or sketch is enough to start.
- Tell us your brand colors if you have color codes, so we can match the print and the tube as closely as possible.
- Mark the lines you want in neon if you have a preference. If not, we suggest them on the mockup.
- Tell us where it will hang: the wall, the size of the space and the viewing distance. Our size guide helps you choose a width.
Every order starts with a free design proof, revisions are free and unlimited, and nothing is made until you approve it. Our guide to turning your logo into a neon sign walks through the whole process.
Mounting
- Neon on a printed backboard mounts like any LED sign: wall standoffs, ceiling hanging cables, no-drill adhesive mounts or a free-standing base. The standoff mounting kit holds it about 1 in off the wall.
- Backlit panels mount on standoffs only.
If you are fitting out a shop, office or several locations, our trade page is the place to ask for a quote. For ideas, see the office logo wall project and our business neon signs.
Custom LED Neon Sign
