Cut-out letters, which can be produced in many sizes and type styles, are cost-effective solution for engravers and signmakers who currently use other solid surface materials for signage. Most solid surface materials used in sign making require a secondary paint filling operation and the cut-out products incorporating into solid surface materials would be different according to what type of material is applied and how it is installed.

Many Materials to Choose
A variety of cut-out products can be manufactured using multifarious solid surface materials. Amongst them, engravers or signmakers use primarily rubbers, PVC Foaming, acrylics, aluminums, bronzes and brasses for their work amongst them. According to a lot of engravers, all solid surface materials except for flexible substrates can be engraved or routed. And wood artists also cutout woods for their artwork. A rubber board has been widely used, and it is often painted and attached with metal products. A PVC Foaming material is chiefly applied for small-sized letters and a satin-surface acrylic is used in both indoor and outdoor application. As for its color, blue and yellow cut-out letters were prevalent a few year ago, but now diverse colors including blue and yellow have been development. The most common type of cut-out letters is ones that are painted and finished after engraving or routing acrylics. The materials, which are used to display classy and elegant feelings for hotels, hospitals and high-class restaurants, are aluminums, artificial marbles, bronzes and brasses. In spite of high prices, aluminums and artificial marbles have recently been increasing market share in sign industry because many businesses prefer to decorate with the most up-to-date sign systems.

Halo Light Effect
The way of installing cut-out letters and signs on the designated site is so simply: attachment with a strong adhesive, silicon resin or installation with a bracket kit. Any installing method can be considered according to the type of business, and the atmosphere of interior displays around the mounting site. A way of attaching cut-out letters with an adhesive or silicon resin is mostly used in a retail store on a busy street to draw passerby’s interest. And in the event of thin materials, bracket installation is used for mounting cut-out letters. Bracket installation enhances its visibility and makes cut-out letters and signs match well with a building. In addition, if installing cut-out letters with a bracket kit, it is possible to mounting light fixtures behind it, which creates a halo-effect.

LEDs Application
Because cut-out letters and signs are not illuminated, a lighting fixture must be installed at the exterior of cut-out signs to create visibility at night. Consequently, indirect illumination is applied for cut-out products. Unlike flexible faced signs and channel letter, which are illuminated from its inside, indirection lighting installation could decrease the brightness from signs, however it would create the sonorous or resounding lighting effect that the other type of sign can never present. While channel letters has a restriction in its size and letter fonts due to its own structure, cut-out products are unlimited in the sizes and a dimensional angle and they produce the appropriate lighting effect for business type. Gusung Kim, president of Sion Channel, explained, “we were going to utilize LEDs as a halo light of cut-out letter. Thanks to its small size, I thought, LEDs was fitting with small-sized letters” and “Application of LEDs devices to cut-out letters would result in increasing market share in the sign industry. Now, our sign industry is undergoing a change that a classy dimensional signage is more preferred and letters get smaller by Government’s sign code. So, we expect that cut-out letters and signs, which are cost-effective and have no limits in sizes and design style, come into fashion in the future.