Backlit Display Signs, 5 Amazing Signs on its Metamorphosis!
Once upon a time, large advertisers could only purchase backlit display signs called duratrans, short for "durable transparency." This end product was Kodak's brandname for backlit display prints. It was a purely photographic process that was costly because of the silver involved, time-consuming to produce due to slow printing and processing methods, and it also required a plexiglass cover for surface protection.
Enter the digital world and more specifically, UV flatbed printing. With the arrival of UV cured inks, backlit sign printing has taken on a completely new and drastically improved end product profile. All of its characteristics are significant improvements over the former.
The biggest advantage is the new and improved dual functionality! When a backlit sign is produced by a UV flatbed printer it can be viewed both by day and by night. This means this durable print is no longer just a transparency, but it also functions as a rich, vibrant, crisp reflective print. This means it can be both backlit at night, and will be just as bold and eye-catching a graphic during daylight hours, with lightbox off.
Formerly, a backlit display signs or duratrans prints were printed on a film with a built-in white layer called the diffusion filter. With UV flatbed printing, a backlit sign is printed with the "4-1-4" method. First, the image is printed in reverse (or backwards) on the backside of the substrate. Next a white layer of ink or the diffusion layer is printed on top of the first four. Finally, for creating density for the properties of a reflective print, another 4 layers of ink are printed on top of the one white layer. These layers are hardened or cured with the UV light, making a permanent bond to the substrate. The substrate used for this "day-night” print is either 1/4” plexiglass or Lexan (tradename for polycarbonate). The lexan substrate makes it more suitable for outdoor conditions. These are scratch-resistant, water-resistant, and can last for years.
Today’s UV printed backlit display signs are:
- Dual functioning as both a transparency and a reflective print (day-night)
- More vibrant and saturated with digital crispness
- More durable for both archival and surface characteristics
- More cost effective on consumables and accessible to smaller business
- Less impact on our environment
So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call@ 1800.829.4562
