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Vertical light boxes
I’m making 2 vertical light boxes onto a recessed frame on the front of a shop. I’ve worked out a simple frame to go over the recess (which is about 2″ deep) and I figured I could use perspex to face the front with vinyl overlayed.
Am I okay for using the LED strips for this task? Or should I be using strip lights?
Also, if I overlay yellow vinyl over clear perspex, then overlay prints on top of that, will the material still be translucent enough to be able to backlight the images? Blimey, confusing myself now! 😕
Cheers, Dewi
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4 Replies
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But i would bet my last dollar you would not see any light coming through yellow vinyl with prints on top of it .
LEDs in our experience are only useful for backlighting thin 3D letters where we cannot use neon. LED’s are dotty as well as they dont have even flow of light. I would suggest that you need to have flourescent tubes (but the outlines of these can often be seen through the lightbox but probably not behind yellow vinyl) or the best scenario is that you use neon tubes (but this is the most expensive option)
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If you overlay translucent yellow onto CLEAR perspex you will see the tubes through it, especially if the recess is only 2 inches. Can you use opal? If you are worried about overlaid prints not illuminating, is it possible to cut out behind the prints so the yellow doesn’t block the light where the prints are? Again, if the box is only 2 inches deep there is a good chance that you will get hot spots where the tubes are. If possible, it might help light spread if you can make the inside of the box white by painting it or something.
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Like has been said I would use opal white perspex.
Cover the Perspex in oracal primrose yellow, or any translucent yellow vinyl. (Saying oracal because I know you use it.) Then using the size of the pictures you will mount onto the Perspex, cut away squares from the yellow vinyl. Maybe leaving a small hairline of space from vinyl to picture leaving a neat white border to illuminate.
Better this than an ugly dark overlap.
Illuminating a recess so shallow isn’t the easiest… like Andrew said… I would either paint it white or maybe get some cheap mirror acrylic and put this in at the back first. Then… call your nearest trade electrical centre. CEF do them. There is a very slim-line fluorescent tube light complete with its gear tray/workings. They are made by OSRAM and are as thin & as bright as neon. Or there about… they also do not heat up that much at all.. Price is minimal… Run one of these down each side of the recess and the mirror acrylic should spread the light pretty well. not perfect but an option.On the other hand you could just measure the exact size and get a slimline lightbox made for you and insert it into the area available.
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just a thought mr dewi whot are you printing on to for this light box
chris
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