We recently completed channel letters for the FlexPAC corporation. Thousands of motorists pass their facility, located adjacent to I-465 in Indianapolis, every day. Their building is light in color, requiring dark colored letters for the sign to be visible in daylight hours. Therein lies the problem, dark colored letters don’t lend themselves to being lit – they don’t show well after dark. So do you use dark letters to be seen in the daytime, or light colored to show at night?

The Answer is Both

Dual color vinyl sign material has been available for several years and has recently gained popularity. It’s the perfect solution to the day or night visibility predicament. 3M describes dual color film as… “A dual color light management graphic film that creates one visual effect for daytime and another for nighttime viewing of channel letters, signs and displays with maximum color clarity and backlit brightness. This permanent film is available in black, white and custom colors.”

How Does it Work?

A white acrylic sign material is overlaid with a secondary color. In the FlexPAC example, black was overlayed on the white backing. The overlay has a series of openings, or holes, similar to a grid of circles, exposing the white background. When viewed closely, the grid of circles look like nothing but dots, but when seen from a distance, a picture emerges. Similar techniques are used in painting with pointillism, or digital graphics with an intended pixel effect.

This technique allows for maximum exposure, day or night. Black letters against a light colored building stand out in the day and white lighted channel letters show extremely well at night. Both variations of the sign are hard to miss. If you’d like to learn how to make your sign or channel letters work for you, both day and night, contact us — we have a lot of bright ideas.

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