Light boxes offer beautiful options to highlight your graphics by illuminating your content directly within the frame.
Because we want to give you as much freedom as possible and work with any type of graphics here at DSA, we build your display as you order it, following your specifications. Of course, our team of signage experts will guide you in choosing the best light box for your intended environment, but we also want to help you understand how to determine your LED light box size and what comes into play. Read this article if you wonder what size light box you need and what lead times you should expect for your project.
1. Size of LED Light Boxes:
Most light boxes are specified by three different sizes:
- Outside dimensions – the size of the actual light box
- Graphic size – the size of the trimmed graphic it’s designed to hold, which is smaller than the light box’s outside dimension
- The visual opening / illuminated area – this is slightly smaller than the graphic size because part of the light box’s frame covers up the edges of the graphic to hold it in place.
Since we make all our light boxes from extruded aluminum at DSA, the relationship of the Outside Dimensions to the Graphic Size to the Visual Opening of the light box is “fixed” for each model and cannot be altered.
Therefore, it is important to decide which is the “critical dimension” when specifying the size of the light box you need. Does it need to hold a graphic of a specified size? Or does the box need to fit inside a designated space? Or is the size of the visual opening most important?
Since all our LED light boxes are made-to-order and manufactured in-house by our expert fabricators, we can fit (almost) any size requirement. And we do not ask for minimum volume! We will calculate the size of the light box you need based on your graphic dimension, or if you have any outside dimensions in mind, we will confirm what size your graphic should be.
The situation is a little different when it comes to SEG Fabric light boxes. SEG Fabric light boxes are specified by one size only since there is no frame. When providing an art file for the graphic, it is advised to add a half-inch of bleed all the way around the perimeter for the area where the silicone bead will be sewn.
2. Lead Times
Our lead times vary for light boxes based on the specificities of your project and the ship-to location, but we will give you an estimated time frame and ship date as we discuss your specific order.
In addition to our house-made light boxes, we stock a few Value options in a variety of standard sizes, should you need an expedited delivery. Those can be shipped within 2 to 3 days.
3. Weight of a Light Box
One of the advantages of LED Light Boxes is their light weight. If you look at the product images online, you can see that most of our LED light boxes are slim profile – around 1″ deep. A 22″ x 28″ standard single-side LED light box weighs about 17lbs and a 24″ x 36″ one weighs about 24lbs.
4. Wattage of a Light Box
There is a simple formula to calculate wattage for LED light boxes that are edge lit with the LED strip set along the two longer sides: multiple 4.8 with the total length of LED strip in feet. Take a 24″ x 36″ light box for example, the total of the LED strip will be 36″x 2 = 72″ = 6 feet. The wattage will be 4.8 x 6= 28.8.
Have any questions?
Feel free to contact us if you have any more questions! Or visit our FAQ section for more useful information.
