Backlit Office Directory

[paul luszcz]

Does anyone have a source for backlit office directory systems?

The only source I'm familiar with is Nelson Hawkins and the system I'm looking for cost over $6000.

I have a customer who would like to replace the system shown on the attached photo with one that has larger (and fewer) tenant names, preferably in a forest green color (instead of black). They like the overall look of the existing sign and $7-8K installed is too much for such a simple upgrade.

 

[John Butto]

positives

I could be wrong but what I see with your photo is...Those names are black because they are made by a making a positive. Meaning clear film with black back and names, letters are clear. They slide into a slot with a white translucent acrylic back. So when the light is on you see the white names and everything else is blacked out. You cannot use a regular inkjet because it does not give you a good block out of light, plus the positives are not that expensive to have made by someone who has that machine. If you want to change it to green, you will have to find a different way, you should open it up and see if that is the way they are made and then proceed from there.

 

[dlndesign]

I'm not exactly sure how this was made. But directories I have worked with in the past typically make the letters knock outs ( or weed outs) letting the light show through and the vinyl would block out the light from the ligh tbox through a white plexi/acrylic.. Hope that helps in figuring this out.

 

[John Butto]

this

After you unlock it and lift up the outside glass panel and prop it in place you can take those panels out. They usually have some thumb locks that twist and holds them in place. Take it out and there will be a rubber like cap on both ends to enclose the edges. You can remove the one side so as to change out the name. The film positives are thin so that is why vinyl with a clear backing is bad to use because of the thickness. If you are wanting to use green it might be the only way to go is with a opaque vinyl. But why use green if it is blocking out the light, it will look black anyway. You could adapt what you have if you are handy with tools to make bigger panels. Here is a rough from my memory on how it works with the panels, it has been awhile since I have changed one out.

 

[Billct2]

I've got a few of these I service. Some have engraved plates (Nelson Hawkins style) and some have reverse weeded vinyl.
Maybe you could refurbish this unit. Paint the frame
a new color and using dark green reverse weeded translucent

 

[John Butto]

a word..

http://www.brickpoint.com/commercial/photos_boston15.html

I just looked up this building, it is a nice looking building in Boston. Please talk them out of green, maybe on St. Patrick's Day, but the black with white copy is a classier look. Do not paint the duranodic finish, unless it is scratch really bad, and from the pic it looks in good condition, it should be left as is. Since you live in a big city area, find someone who can produce the film positives for you, that also looks nicer than the reversed weeded vinyl and they do not break down from heat when left in there for a long time. You just lay them out and email them as a .pdf to get printed out. Cut them to size and slide them in. Also after looking at that directory, after you lift up the glass frame you can take that panel and slide it up and it will come out for removal.

 

[Rick]

You might want to try:

National Visual Systems
http://nationalvisual.com

I usually design something architectural around their
directory units. They do custom sizes and various panel
systems. I give them the size, they work out the rest.

 

[paul luszcz]

You all have a pretty good idea about what is there, so here's a little more information about this project.

It is in the lobby of a building in downtown Boston, in the financial district in fact. So it's not a suburban office park and given a choice, we would retain the frame that's there. Even for $6000 the new frame doesn't have as much character or charm.

The system uses slide in tiles, about 1/8" thick, with engraved names allowing the light to penetrate. Each tile is about 5/8" high by 11" long.

The client is willing to forego the green color.

What they really want is an arrangement of tiles that have larger type. If I could find an insert that gave them four columns of 1" high tiles instead of six columns of 5/8" tiles, and left the existing metal frame in place, they would be thrilled.

So a new set of inserts for the existing light box and frame would be ideal.

 

[Billct2]

I'd contact Nelson-Hawkins about available plate sizes and see if you can work it out with what's available.

 

[CES020]

Paul, I've worked on many of those directories over the years. I've pulled them totally apart, rebuilt them, and changed the strip sizes in them. Nelson Harkins has different size strips, so you can replace the smaller ones with larger ones if they fit. If you need them to be longer to accommodate larger text, you can do that to, it just takes a little effort to work through it.

The back pieces come out really easily. You just lift the bottom, pull it out an inch or so and then it'll drop completely out. Once out, you'll see it's not much to it. They are made from a piece of white acrylic with a black plastic piece on each side that allows for the strips to slide in and it not show any light.

You can, with some effort, get those black pieces off most of the time. It might take some work, but you can normally work on them and get the strips off. Once off, you can make the new back piece from white acrylic, then just glue the black side pieces on and you'll have your new backs that would accept longer, taller strips.

Those directories work great when someone knows what they are doing. When they are updated by morons, they end up being a heck of a mess. People don't seem to understand the way they work with the "Z" strips, so they make one strip with the tab up, one with the tab down, and butt them together and you get a light leak. Then some idiotic maintenance guy steps in to save the day with electrical tape. Then you have the property manager that thinks they can get them done cheaper somewhere else, so they switch vendors, the new vendor doesn't know how to match fonts or margins, so the new strips have different fonts and the left margin is off by 1/4".

We maintain two for large buildings that literally have 300 strips in them. Only 20 of them are engraved. Who thought they'd have 300 tenants at any time?????

Sorry......yes......I know about those directories more than I wish I did

 

[JJM7288]

We manage a few portfolios of class a office buildings with black out directories. We manufactured a spacer and converted the columns to printed inserts. We double print Lexedge on our Gerber Edge. If the property manager insists on engraved strips, we laser engrave them which works very well.

 

[nashvillesigns]

Paul- did you ever find a solution for this?
thank you.

Christopher

 

[MikePro]

can't you just utilize the existing light-cabinet, can design/produce new strips that would fit-into the unit?
that would be my most cost-effective direction.... with intent to have a production file, and price, ready to go for any tenant updates that the client can opt to install themselves if they like.

if so, I would suggest you design the strips to interlock with each other to avoid those awful light-leaks between them.

 

[paul luszcz]

I never did. The client was looking for something too inexpensive to pursue.