Signs of the Times Magazine, the leading sign industry publication since 1906, featured Elmark Signs + Graphics in its April 2018 segment on LED signs. The articles lead photo of West Chester based Pete’s Car Wash, was taken by acclaimed artist, and Elmark Founder, Timlyn Vaughan.
If you’ve ever had to buy a diamond, someone – maybe a jewelry store salesperson, a friend or even a family member – most likely made you aware of the “4Cs.” For the uninitiated, and I’m counting myself here, that’s Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat. Cut influences the gem’s sparkle. Color, or lack of color, deter-mines grade. Clarity refers to imperfections that may reduce overall brilliance. And finally, Carat is the total weight of the gem. All four of these characteristics determine how much you’ll pay for the diamond, as well as give a general understanding of how satisfied you’ll be with the stone overall.
Choosing the right LED is similar, though thankfully, as the technology continues to improve and proliferate each year, it’s less nerve-wracking and much less expensive. Every day, signshops around the country order a variety of LEDs for use in channel and dimensional letters, front and backlit cabinets, and more, but what characteristics should you be looking for when purchasing this type of lighting? That is, what is the “4C” equivalent? Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus in our industry on a clever acronym for us to use. There are, however, specific qualities and considerations each shop takes into account when ordering and using LEDs, and while many of them are identical, where they differ, they can be light years apart.
POWER SUPPLIES – AND DEMANDS
Opened in 1983, Elmark Signs & Graphics in West Chester, PA is focused primarily on brand-driven, high-end custom work for a national audience. “The technology for LEDs has come a long way in the last 8 to 10 years,” said Elmark’s general manager. “It used to be you had to worry about light intensity issues, hotspots and color aberrations. Now though, all of those problems have been addressed.”