need some Light Box Basic help please?

[Graeme Harrold]

Warren, Ive just ordered the bits for one of the smaller boxes. Again supplied with frosted acrylic. Im flood coating with translucent green and applying a heavier white for the text. Looks like you will be doing the reverse, however the text looks like its tinted blue in places, or is it just the picture?

[Gareth Williams]

Hi Warren

Why don`t you give a price for a flex face as well. that way you will lose the join in the panel and there not that expensive either

Gareth

[Andy Gorman]

Warren, it looks like blue translucent lettering with a clear outline which would show the opal. You need to do something to prevent the background from illuminating though, as it looks non illuminated in the photo. I always use translucent vinyl on boxes because it doesn’t shrink like normal stuff. For the background, you could apply black first and then the dark blue but you’d have to be very accurate with registration. Even non translucent will let some light through.

[Dave Harrison]

Warren, don’t want to complicate things but you’ve got a couple of options here.

First off are you trying to block all the light coming through the panels (excluding the text) ?. . . .text to be illuminated only ?

if so you could. . .

Fit a standard dualcase style lightbox, using blackout vinyl ( not sure if this comes in colours ) only having used white and black. . . so you might have to coat twice. . ( this is the stuff you need to stop the light, standard vinyl will illuminate )

Use lightbox as above but instead of using opal acrylic, insert a fret cut or CNC machined ali/composite panel, with opal letters inlayed. .

or. .. have a bespoke tray fabricated and illuminate with a couple of flo tubes !. ..

or as someone has suggested a flexface. .

There are pros and cons for each solution. . . and as with everything depends on customers budget !

best of luck !

[Warren Beard]

Hi Guys

Graeme: one of the lights are out and it has created a tint effect, it is light blue (I think translucent) vinyl but the dark blue is total block out.

Gareth: Sorry not sure what flex face is, this is my first light box 😕

Andy: I hear your comments about registration so don’t think this is the best option.

What do I have to do to make the dk blue a block out? Will I have to get it cut out of dibond or something and fit the acrylic behind it and apply the lt blue translucent vinyl to the acrylic?

I’m going to go down tomorrow and have a look at how that one is done but all help is appreciated.

Thanks again

Warren

[Warren Beard]

Thanks Dave, you must have replied while I was typing :lol1:

I think it best for me to go see how the other one has been done and take it from there.

I will report back tomorrow 😉

cheers

Warren

[Andy Gorman]

There is a way round the registration issue……

Flood the panels in black. I mean solid black with no lettering cut from it.

Then lay your cut and weeded blue on top.

Then use the cut blue as a guide to handcut the black. Then weed the black.

Piece of cake.

[Peter Normington]

Warren to make a total block out, you could use white digital block out vinyl, (it has a black adhesive) laminated with the darker colour.
To avoid registration errors, just layer the 2 vinyls first then cut, easy peasy. Hexis and others do block out vinyl

Peter

[Jamie Wood]

Another way round the registration issue is to laminate the blue onto the
black before cutting, then set the blade a little deeper to cut through both
layers. Bit tricky without a laminator though….

[Jamie Wood]

Aaah…see Peter beat me to it.

[Warren Beard]

Hi Guys

I checked the sign today and the Dk blue is a vinyl, it looks like a Matt vinyl too. I could not see if it was done with a double layer of vinyl with the text cut out by hand, it looked like one layer of blue vinyl and it blocks the light.

Besides getting this right I have to get this one to match that one in colour 😕

Any suggestions as to what vinyl to use to do this? and what is the best way without the laminating option as I don’t have one.

Cheers

Warren