Printed 3D letters and signage: sizes and mounting
How a printed sign gets made: maximum size per letter, materials for indoors or out, finish, backlighting and how it goes on the wall.
A sign in cut acrylic or PVC carries a set-up cost: the cutting has to be prepared and every change costs. Printed in 3D there is no set-up, and that changes who it suits: a bar, a shop, an office or a stand that needs its name on the wall once, not a hundred times.
Size: where the limit sits
Each letter comes out in one piece up to 256 mm a side. Above that the letter is split and bonded, and it is worth knowing that is not a bodge: a large letter split along a straight section and glued is invisible, and it prints in parallel, so it arrives sooner. A two-metre-wide sign is perfectly possible; what does not exist is a two-metre letter in one piece.
Indoors or out decides the material
| Where it goes | Material | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Indoors, no direct sun | PLA | Cheapest, and best detail. |
| Shop window or near glazing | PETG | Sun behind glass heats and degrades PLA. |
| Facade, terrace, outdoors | PETG, ideally painted | UV is what kills a sign, not rain. |
| Backlit | Clear or white PETG | A thin wall diffuses the light evenly. |
| Metal-look or painted finish | ABS | Sands and primes better than anything else. |
How it goes up
- 1On rear standoffs and screws: the letter sits off the wall and casts a shadow. It is the cleanest mount and the best on a facade.
- 2On studs embedded in the back, printed into the letter and screwed to the wall. It has to be requested at order time so they get designed in.
- 3Double-sided tape, for interiors and light letters. Fast, reversible and enough in most cases.
- 4On a backing plate with every letter already fitted: aligned once in the workshop, so on the wall there is only one piece to hang.
The last option saves the most grief. Aligning eleven letters by hand on a wall, level and evenly spaced, is harder than it sounds, and a two-millimetre spacing error is visible from across the street.
Can you make a sign from my logo?
Yes, where the brand is yours. The logo’s outline is taken and given depth, which is what turns a flat symbol into a part with an edge. That is where the thickness gets decided, which moves the price more than anything else, and where the fine linework gets checked: detail that reads on screen can vanish at 4 cm tall in relief, so it sometimes wants simplifying for the sign’s real size.
What does a printed letter sign cost?
It goes by material volume, so it depends on letter height and above all on depth: a letter 5 cm deep costs considerably more than the same one at 2 cm. The way to find out is uploading the file and watching the price, moving the depth until it fits your budget.
Can they be lit from behind?
Yes, and it works well: a hollow printed letter with a thin front face diffuses light evenly, without the bright spots a badly made sign shows. We print the letter ready to house the LED strip; the electrical installation is an installer’s job.