truckgraphics
New Member
We are soon going to install a 20' X 3' sign face in a lightbox. Box previously had a formed sign and we may have to cut away part of a center upright (Looks to be two light boxes placed adjacent to one another.)
Anyway, everyone on the shopping strip has a seamless sign of about 20' or so, so that's what the customer is getting.
We plan to use white polycarbonate roll stock, printing the sign on clear cast, then overlaminating with a clear cast, for our sign face.
Questions are:
1) how thick should the polycarb be? .150" or 3/16" ? Our thought on using .150 is that polycarb is supposed to be 30X strongerthan the 3/16" acrylic we have used in the past - and not that much thinner. Also, we are adding the support of two layers of vinyl. But will it be wavy? We've never used it so don't know.
1a - Can we drill through the edging into the polycarb to hold it in place if it is wavy? Will that crack it? (We would never try that with acrylic.)
2) We are worried about handling a 3/16" (or even a .15") sheet that is 20' long. Should we plan on removing all of the edging from the sign box and then placing our sign - whether .150 or 3/16"? Is there any chance in heck that we could feed a .150 thick roll of polycarb in from the edge of the sign?
We will be installing with two people and renting an electric lift of some sort (if we don't outsource the install) because the sign is 10'to 12' high.
3) Perhaps not the topic of this forum, but what do the experts here think of our printing process. Do you prefer printing on translucent white? Does that makethe sign face too opaque?
We are not sign face experts - but we have the equipment to do the job (at least the printing) - and have been successful on a few previous light boxes. We might outsource the install, but will want provide the right materials for the installer and of course get the best results.
Any help is appreciated.
Anyway, everyone on the shopping strip has a seamless sign of about 20' or so, so that's what the customer is getting.
We plan to use white polycarbonate roll stock, printing the sign on clear cast, then overlaminating with a clear cast, for our sign face.
Questions are:
1) how thick should the polycarb be? .150" or 3/16" ? Our thought on using .150 is that polycarb is supposed to be 30X strongerthan the 3/16" acrylic we have used in the past - and not that much thinner. Also, we are adding the support of two layers of vinyl. But will it be wavy? We've never used it so don't know.
1a - Can we drill through the edging into the polycarb to hold it in place if it is wavy? Will that crack it? (We would never try that with acrylic.)
2) We are worried about handling a 3/16" (or even a .15") sheet that is 20' long. Should we plan on removing all of the edging from the sign box and then placing our sign - whether .150 or 3/16"? Is there any chance in heck that we could feed a .150 thick roll of polycarb in from the edge of the sign?
We will be installing with two people and renting an electric lift of some sort (if we don't outsource the install) because the sign is 10'to 12' high.
3) Perhaps not the topic of this forum, but what do the experts here think of our printing process. Do you prefer printing on translucent white? Does that makethe sign face too opaque?
We are not sign face experts - but we have the equipment to do the job (at least the printing) - and have been successful on a few previous light boxes. We might outsource the install, but will want provide the right materials for the installer and of course get the best results.
Any help is appreciated.
