What kinds of backlit signage are there, and which suits you?

Backlit signage is any sign that carries its own light, inside it or behind it, so it can be read after dark and in a dim room. A lightbox suits a shopfront or mall unit, halo-lit letters suit a reception wall and edge-lit acrylic suits a counter, and our signage team makes all three in-house at our Bendemeer studio in Singapore.

Backlit sign types at a glance: which look suits where

Lead time: for a normal-size sign, about 7 to 10 working days to design, then 5 to 10 to make. Larger signs take longer, so check with us; we can speed things up if needed.

Outdoors: acrylic works best indoors. Outside, we recommend ASA (a weather-resistant plastic) or aluminium composite, and BCA’s licence rules apply.

Send your logo, tell us about the wall, and we'll say which type fits

Lightbox signs: the whole graphic lights up

A lightbox is a shallow box with LEDs inside and a printed acrylic face. The light passes through the face, so the whole graphic glows evenly. We UV print the artwork straight onto the acrylic, so a full-colour logo, a photo or a menu all work.

By day it is a printed panel in a slim frame; at night it is the brightest thing on the wall. Two things to bear in mind:

• The box has depth, so the sign sticks out from the wall.
• When the sign is lit, the face brightens and the lettering looks paler, as the photos show. Judge the graphic lit up, not on a screen.

Send us the artwork for a lightbox and we'll price it

Halo-lit letters: a glow around each letter from behind

Halo-lit (also called back-lit or reverse-lit) letters are solid letters fixed a short distance off the wall, with the light behind them. The letter face stays dark or coloured, and the light spills from its back onto the wall in a soft ring. We choose the material, depth, finish and gap from the wall to suit your logo and your wall. For PSA we modelled the logo in 3D from their own file, printed it about 2 m across in carbon-fibre PETG, finished it in brushed gold, mounted it on hidden magnets and lit every outline from behind.

Two things to bear in mind:

• The halo lands on your wall, so the wall’s colour and finish are part of the sign.
• The glow is soft. If the name must be read across a busy concourse, a lightbox is brighter.

Tell us about the wall and we'll plan a halo-lit sign

Edge-lit acrylic: the engraving glows

Edge-lit signs run LEDs along the edge of a clear or frosted acrylic panel. The light travels through the sheet, and wherever the surface is laser engraved or printed, it catches the light and glows. Cast acrylic suits this best; our acrylic signage buyer’s guide explains why.

Two things to bear in mind:

• It is a feature piece, not a sign to read from afar. The glow is gentle and looks best close up.
• Only what is engraved or printed lights up. For a large area of solid colour, choose a lightbox.

Ask us for an edge-lit panel and send the logo

Channel letters and LED neon flex: popular, but we don’t make them

• Face-lit channel letters are hollow letters with LEDs inside and a translucent face. They are the classic bright sign above a shop front.
• LED neon flex is a flexible LED strip bent into script or shapes to imitate glass neon. It is the look you often see on café walls and at photo spots.

We don’t make either. Ask us anyway: we’ll say plainly whether a halo-lit or lightbox sign would give you the look you want.

Describe the look and we'll tell you if we're the right maker

Choosing a sign for your space: match the spot, then plan the power

• Reception wall or lobby: halo-lit letters, plus an edge-lit panel if you want a smaller logo on the counter.
• Shop or mall unit: a lightbox if the name must be seen from across the concourse. Many tenants pair raised acrylic letters with a small lightbox.
• Outside, facing the street: this needs a different build. Tell us the spot and we’ll choose a weather-resistant material and protective topcoat for it.

Every lit sign also needs:

• Power. A socket or wired power point close by, and a route for the cable. Plan it before the wall is painted.
• Heat. LEDs give off heat, and ENERGY STAR calls heat management the single most important factor in how well an LED lasts, so leave a little air around the sign.
• Movement. Flickering, flashing or running lights are not allowed outdoors, except on certain streets along Orchard Road, Bras Basah/Bugis and Chinatown, under BCA’s rules. A steady glow is the safe default.

Tell us where the power point is and we'll plan the sign around it

BCA licence in Singapore: when an outdoor sign needs one

Most outdoor signs in Singapore need a licence from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). BCA counts a roofed space as outdoors if it is not fully enclosed and the public can reach it. Tenants need the landlord’s written consent, and some signs are exempt.

From 2 November 2026, BCA’s circular%20(AMENDMENT)%20REGULATIONS%202026.pdf) separates signboards (your own name, logo, hours or contact details) from promotional signs (goods or brands). The maximum fine rises fourfold, and jail terms of up to 12 months are introduced.

Send us your landlord's sign rules with the brief

Lead time and price: 7 to 10 days to design, 5 to 10 to make

For a normal-size sign, design takes about 7 to 10 working days, then fabrication about 5 to 10 working days. Larger signs take longer. Check with us for details; we can speed things up if needed.

Every lit sign is quoted from your artwork, because the price depends on the size, acrylic thickness, finish and type of light. Send a vector logo (AI, EPS or PDF; our guide to laser file types shows what a clean file looks like) with the location and a rough size. If you don’t need light, price an unlit acrylic panel in our online sign studio.

Send your logo for a same-day price on a lit sign