LED backlit light box no doubt has an important place in the hearts of designers. Why? Thank to the rising popularity of LED technology, LED backlit light box is widely adapted worldwide.
Nowadays, the use cases of LED backlit light box are much more than you might think:
- Ad billboard (for retail design, trade show decoration
- Restaurant menu board
- Fake windows (for basement and furniture store demonstration)
- Illuminating painting frame
- Movie posters
But due to the nature of design, when designers are ordering LED backlit light boxes, they oftentimes need it custom made. On the top of the that, different suppliers has different prices, different lead time and sales support. So, it isn’t so easy to find the right suppliers quickly.
Things to consider when finding LED backlit light box suppliers
Although one Google search would render you hundreds of suppliers (if not thousands of them) from around the globe, the abundance of choice isn’t a guarantee for find the right suppliers. As a result, knowing what should you look into is critical.
Here’re the things that you should pay attention to when choosing suppliers.
- Price
- Lead time
- Appearance
- CSA and ULCertificates
- Others
Prices
No doubt this is the very first thing you care about. If you don’t have a benchmark, you can use our prices.
Take this one as an example: 2″ Standard Profile (snap frame)
| Dimensions | 22” X 28” | 24” X 36” | 24” X 48” | 36” X 48” | 36” X 60” | 36” X 72” | 48” X 72” |
| Trade Price | $210 | $230 | $265 | $380 | $540 | $650 | $850 |
*Comes with UL approved transformer. For more information, you can find prices of our LED backlit light boxes (including frameless fabric lightbox) here.
Appearance
Appearance, of course, should be considered. After all, you’re a designer!
There are aspects that might affect your designs:
- Metal snap frame, wood frame or “frameless”?
- Mounting options: hanging, standing or mounting on the wall?
- Edge-lit or back-lit?
- Paper or SEG fabric print?
Let’s say you’ve made up your mind to use a standing frameless fabric light box and assuming you’re ordering the right type of light boxes that fits your particular design. There are still some potential quality issues you might face:
- Scratches on the frame,
- uneven light,
- badly cut corners of the frame
- poor packaging
Lead time
This is some thing that designers often forget to ask until last minute. I’d suggest that you ask this question first.
If you’re ordering standard products, the lead time is usually 3-14 days; if you’re ordering custom made light boxes, it usually take them 1-3 weeks.
CSA and ULCertificates
There are a number of safety and quality issues to consider when you evaluate a LED Light Box for sale in USA and in Canada. The most important thing to look for is a label that shows the light box is certified for North America use. The label should show a CSA or UL logo, with the certificate number.
Being certified with CSA and/or UL means that the product meets the safety requirements of the U.S. and Canada. These include electrical and mechanical requirements, such as using standard wiring, following specific guidelines in assembling, using certified parts, and so on.
Other factors
Due to the nature of designers’ work, there are maybe other factors you want to consider. These factors rarely affect our customers, but I would like to list them here just in case.
Wiring
The wire that comes out of the light box goes through a metal frame, and should be protected by a rubber grommet. Also, the wire itself, which usually has a female connector at the end, should have a UL number on it. Inside the light box, if the wire should be protected if it goes through a hole in the metal frame.
Power supplies
A plug-in or a hardwire power supply that comes with the light box should have UL or CSA marking and the certification number on it. Most of the inspectors for commercial projects require a Class 2 power supply. Also, a lable on the light box should show the wattage (power consumption) of the light box. The power supply used for the light box should provide at least %20 more power. So, for example, if the light box is 40 watts, the power supply should provide at least 48 watts. A 2 amp., 24V power supply outputs 48 watts. In addition, in commercial projects, if a plug-in power supply is used, it should have a 3 prong power cord.
Weight
A hanging LED Light Box comes with aircraft cables and hanging hardware, which all should be able to carry at least the double weight of the light box. In the case of double sided free standing light boxes, since these light boxes are installed in heavy traffic environments, the supporting legs on the floor should be wide and long enough to keep the light boxes stable.