There’s a neon sign or two for just about every occasion, and you’ll most likely find plenty on our website that would look great hanging on your bedroom wall, in your restaurant or business, and in many other places. A lot of these signs are great for certain occasions and for more general messaging (like an open sign for a shop), but you might have something else in mind.
Branded logos and specific, unique designs that showcase your brand are fantastic to put on a neon sign and that’s where UV printing can help. What is UV printing for neon signs, how does it work, and what sorts of designs can you create with our UV printing service? Let’s find out!
UV Printing for Neon Signs
UV printing involves the use of a printer (typically flatbed) and a strong ultraviolet light to cure the ink immediately. UV printing is not new, it’s been around since the 1960s, but it’s become highly practical and cost-efficient to use in recent years. It’s used in over 30 industries and has near-limitless applications, and yes, that includes printing for LED neon signs.
To be more precise, UV printing for neon signs involves printing picture-perfect graphics on an acrylic backboard - the light tubing itself is not printed on. To see what it looks like in real life, see our video showcasing our fantastic restaurant neon sign we’ve designed for our client Jook Sing:
UV Printed Neon Sign
Note how in the video, the fine detail of the animals’ stripes are kept intact on the acrylic backboard. Moreover, the colors of the animals, the food bowl, and the fire above the bowl are all vibrant and perfectly match the client’s design. That’s because with UV printing, we’re able to print exact color matches to the colors in a design.
UV Printing vs Non-UV Printing for Neon Signs
There are many signs that can be made without the need for UV printing. In fact, many of the custom signs we create for clients are completely handcrafted with no printers needed. We use flexible silicon and acrylic tubing which can be intricately formed to various shapes, text, and simple graphics. Have a look at our online catalog of products for examples of these types of signs.
Many companies have brand logos that aren’t so rudimentary, which is where the use of UV printing comes in. The combination of vibrant LED neon tubing and precise UV printed details and colors is an eye-catching and professional solution to elevating a brand’s identity.
Why Use UV Printing for Neon Signs?
Most of our standard neon signs come with the default option to use a clear acrylic background. This popular choice looks neat and the versatility allows for signs to be displayed against any surface. In these cases, the neon light is coming directly from the LED tubing and you’re limited to a maximum of 24 possible colors. The clear acrylic backing is great for many people who really want to showcase the vibrant LED neon.
The clear acrylic backing will often be partially or completely covered by colors or designs when UV printing is used to match a logo. By taking advantage of the extra space created by the necessary acrylic backing, these signs give people more to look at than just the LED neon itself. The versatility of UV printing gives us the freedom to include a wider range of colors in your sign and removes any color, size and design limitations that could arise when designing intricate signs.
Neon Party
Design custom LED neon signs with Neon Party.
