Are all retail light boxes made equal?

New developments in retail technologies and demands from finish customers for additional a sophisticated and power efficient cohort of merchandising and show products can be signalling the demise of regular light box technologies.

So, what does this new technologies bring for the table?

1. Dramatic reductions in power consumption that translate in dramatic dollar savings

2. Significant reductions in the hidden and ongoing fees of maintenance and upkeep

three. Improvements within the effect of marketing by means of brighter and much more even illumination

four. Thinner constructions that save space and enhance customer perception of the brand

5. Meeting customer and regulatory demands for environmentally friendly retailing

Who's Being Left Behind?

Regular retail or shop light boxes have been productive for decades. They are straightforward constructions that actually they are no a lot more complicated than the name suggests - A box, illuminated from with in. Usually they are 200mm (8 inches) in thickness and fabricated in aluminum. Inside a variety of fluorescent tubes are mounted towards the fabrication and illuminate a graphic applied to an acrylic face on one particular or each sides of the building. These traditional-type units are nevertheless generally utilised currently and are as effective as they have ever been. The issue is that the world and customer expectations has moved on, leaving this old technology falling quick within a variety of areas.

Firstly these old illuminated displays really chewed through the energy. A large box of 6m x 3m (approx 20 x ten foot) calls for 45 x 58 watt fluorescent tubes to proficiently illuminate. Such a operating for just 12 hours every day, utilizes around 12,000 kW of power per annum and that equates to an electrical energy bill of properly in excess of US$1000. For just one particular light box!

Upkeep can also be an issue that appears to be problematic for company owners employing these older style units. Just one faulty tube can imply your display appears... properly... average at best. And clearly the likelihood of a fault at any given time, whenever you have 45 fluorescent tubes or far more illuminating a single display, is rather high. Flickering or broken tubes speedily grow to be a considerable ongoing price and consequently it really is common to advertising surfaces and indicators with dull patches or shadows across the surface. This flawed presentation features a negative effect on consumer perception of your brand, to not mention a significant decrease inside the influence of the signage or advertising - it really is not specialist and it's not vibrant.

New Technologies! But Buyer Beware

The new player in light boxes is edge lit or slimline technologies. These terms refer to units which operate by indicates of illumination applied directly for the edge of an acrylic panel, the front surface of which then also illuminates as a result of a matrix pattern printed on that surface.

These matrix patterns will be the important element within the effectiveness of slimline boxes. The light that's introduced into to acrylic panel is reflected by the pattern and exits the panel by way of the front face, therefore illuminating any poster or graphics placed on that face. Helpful matrix patterns operate using algorithms which have been calculated to distribute illumination evenly across the panel. In essence these patterns reflect less near the edge of your acrylic panel, exactly where it is applied and levels are at their highest, and more at the centre in the panel where levels are at their lowest. With out an effective diffusion pattern the perimeters in the acrylic panel will be brightest, while the centre will be dim.

And let me take this opportunity to warn you (!), there are a lot of low-priced slimline units out there utilizing sub-standard matrix patterns which produce specifically this result. Make certain that your supplier understands the workings of matrix patterns in slimline displays and may assure you that the solution you're getting uses a reputable pattern.

Saving $$$ and Maintaining Up Appearances

Immediately after all, the uniform diffusion in the light source across the face in the unit is among the key triumphs of slimline technology, because it eliminates the hot spots or shadows which might be visible in varying degrees in all older kinds of internally illuminated signage. These terms refer to a visible variation in light intensity causing some places of the illuminated face to be clearly brighter or duller than other locations. By contrast, slimline panels generate a smooth as well as illumination across the face of the panel. But there are also numerous other benefits which have drastically elevated demand for this somewhat new technologies.

As mentioned above, electricity consumption and upkeep are significant operational costs associated with classic "back lit" light boxes. These costs are the truth is two sides on the very same coin, in that they are a direct result in the variety of fluorescent tubes needed to efficiently illuminate any offered sign. A higher tube count clearly equates to greater energy usage, but this quantity also dictates the regularity of maintenance procedures by multiplying the probability of faults. Slimline boxes lower the tube count by 50 - 70% thus lowering maintenance expense by a comparable percentage. The precise figure varies dependent upon the size and proportions on the show in question, but if we take the instance offered above from the 6m x 3m box utilizing 45 fluorescent tubes, a slimline show of your same dimensions would obtain equal illuminance using only 12 tubes - a reduction in tube count of over 70%.