Imprints

Overview

Formetco’s backlit imprint sign cabinets are illuminated sign cabinets designed to display a brand’s logo or mark on a billboard or out-of-home structure with a clean, consistently lit appearance day and night. The product combines an all-aluminum cabinet, a durable polycarbonate face, and a translucent graphic film system to produce a sign that reads clearly whether it’s backlit at night or viewed in daylight.

Construction and Materials

The sign cabinet is built from all-aluminum construction with retainer caps, giving it a rigid, weather-resistant housing suited to outdoor, elevated installations. The face itself is made from .177” (3/16”) white polycarbonate — a material chosen specifically because it’s very durable against cracking and against fading yellow, two of the most common ways lower-grade sign faces fail outdoors. The logo is applied using 3M Scotchcal Translucent Graphic Film Series 3630, a film designed to transmit light evenly when the sign is backlit.

Lighting and Electrical

Imprints are ETL Certified, and the electrical components are backed accordingly: power supplies carry a 5-year warranty and the LED modules carry a 10-year warranty. The LEDs themselves are rated for a 65,000-hour life, which works out to roughly 18 years of service — a figure that matters for a product mounted on a structure where lighting replacement isn’t a simple ladder-and-screwdriver job. A 10’ power cord is provided, and installation is simplified by pre-attached mounting tabs, which eliminate the need to remove the face just to mount the unit.

Color and Customization

Imprints are available in more than 40 Pantone-matched colors, achieved through 3M Scotchcal Translucent Film Series 3630 and 3M Envision Translucent Film Series 3730, so a brand’s exact color can be reproduced on the sign face. Aluminum and reflective imprints are also available in custom sizes and a variety of colors, giving structure owners flexibility beyond standard cabinet sizing when a project calls for it.

Why It Matters

For an out-of-home advertising structure, the imprint is often the most visible, most permanent branding element on the site. A face material engineered to resist cracking and yellowing, combined with long-rated LED components, means the sign keeps its appearance and light output over years of outdoor exposure rather than needing early replacement. ETL certification and multi-year warranty coverage on the power supply and LED modules are meant to give structure owners confidence in the electrical side of the product, not just the visible face.

To see the manufacturing process firsthand or learn more about how backlit imprints are built, Formetco has shared a behind-the-scenes video and an article from its Hardware Product Manager, Chris Adams — both linked in the product resources below.

Contact your Formetco Hardware Sales Representative to discuss sizing, color matching, and custom options for your next Imprint installation.

See more of Formetco’s Imprints products, engineered for outdoor advertising use. This hardware is engineered to hold up to the demands of outdoor advertising structures, consistent with standards tracked by OAAA.

Reach out to Formetco’s Hardware Sales team with questions about the backlit imprint sign cabinets. Formetco’s team can help confirm the right fit before you order the backlit imprint sign cabinets.