Full-Color and Monochrome
Digital LED Electronic Message Centers and Video Display Boards
TURN-KEY Manufacturing, Installation, and Service
LED
Digital Electronic Message Centers are also known as LED
Signs, Display Signs, Jumbotron Signs, Changeable
Signs, Changeable Letter Signs, Scrolling Signs,
Marquee Signs, Video Displays, and Readerboard Signs, among others.
Electronic message centers help your business many
ways:
They allow real-time communication with potential
customers.
With almost 20% of the US
population moving in a year, new potential customers of varying demographics are always viewing your
signs. What is effective now may not be
effective later…or after lunch.
They attract attention through animation and
brightness so they increase awareness of your
business location and your products.
Message center signs are prettier than signs with changeable plastic letters, improving the appearance of your business.
Your message is not limited by the size of your reader board, or to only one message.
Your advertising dollars are invested in selling in
your trade area, preventing excessive advertising
expenses.
Changing your message, any time you wish, is as easy
as typing. It can be done often and safely.
Quality electronic message center displays are
readable from a further distance, especially is poor
lighting.
Full color displays are vastly superior to monochrome displays in impressing potential customers. Fortunately they are no longer vastly more expensive!
You increase your employee's safety vs.
conventional letter-changing poles and plastic letters. Walgreen's Drug
Stores changed from manual readerboards to Electronic Message Centers
partially for employee safety. We were an expert witness in one such
tragedy leading to this change.
Research
shows that you have about 3 seconds to attract a passer-by's
attention and communicate your message to him.
We have exact data on this on our "Letter
Visibility Chart" page under "Design
and Marketing."
An electronic message center will make your message
stand out from the crowd of signs around you.
Even displaying the time and temperature can give a
viewer valuable information which they will associate
with your business. Combining that capability with
animated messages,
possibly in color, can really drive
your sales up, 15% to 150%!
Even the Federal Government has determined that signs
containing electronic message centers are safety
enhancing devices, not traffic hazards! This is
why they are used on federal roadways to communicate
with drivers.
Read what the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has to say about the
advantages and costs of signs for your business:
Modern electronic message centers are illuminated
using LEDs. This lowers their operating cost by
80+% over older, incandescent systems. If the
system is properly designed the bulbs are part of a
modular display board that is easily removable and
changeable, thus helping to control service costs.
The "pitch" or spacing of the LEDs greatly affects
the appearance of the display, and the cost of the
unit.
In almost all instances an electronic message center
is built into or attached to additional signs that
contains your name and other permanent information.
You need to work with a sign manufacturer, not just an
electronic message center salesman.
Summary - Sunburst LED Displays™ In a Nutshell
The
Special Features and Benefits of Sunburst LED Displays™
Solarbrite™ Large LEDs –
A brighter sign with exceptional viewing angles.
Balanced Array™ -
A better looking sign.
Internal Processor
–
Not a computer with all the associated problems they create.
Superior™ and Enhanced™ Operating Modes -
Even more versatility.
Lets the sign owner decide which display "look" is best for them.
64 GB Non-Volatile Memory –
This sign will run, and do, whatever you want it to do – every time.
Individual Glare Shields
–
A sign you can read during the day.
Free Programming, Pre-Programmed –
No learning curve.
Structural Steel Frames with Aluminum Exterior Skins –
No rust and lasts forever. Virtually Hail-proof.
Ceramic Vacuum Microsphere Exterior Coating
–
Temperature protection for the sign.
Signlux Paint Systems™ Automotive+ paints and 2 part primer system
- The same exterior paint type they paint a Ferrari with. It looks new virtually forever, helping your business.
SolarGuard™ and Lumabrite™ Protected Plastics –
Won’t fade and look bad to customers.
Self-Cleaning Sign Faces –
Your sign never looks dirty and dingy, chasing potential customers away.
Energy Saving Electrical –
Saves 35% or more of electricity costs.
UL/ETL Listed Sign –
This sign can be installed anywhere, and moved anywhere at a later time. Requires much less electrical service than an unlisted sign.
Special Features and Benefits of doing business with Signs Manufacturing
We Actually Manufacture the Sign
–
Single-source responsibility, unlike everyone else selling this type sign in North Texas.
Lifetime Warranty* –
Saves you money forever.
Product Liability Insurance –
Protects you and your customers forever.
Deposit Insurance –
Your money is protected even if we were to default.
State Licensed Electrical Sign Contractor –
We know our business and do our job.
State Licensed Electrical Contractor –
We know electricity.
Trained QualityCertifiedSigns™ Technicians –
We understand quality.
Established 1979 and the Largest Custom Sign Company in North Texas –
We back our claims.
Better Business Bureau Accredited Business
–
Others back our claims, too.
Visit Texas' Largest Signs Showrooms
-
Don't buy your sign from a drawing, a slick website, or photo-shopped
pictures, when you can actually see and
side-by-side
compare Real sign types, resolutions, and designs.
Why Should I Buy from Signs Manufacturing™?
Signs Manufacturing™ is an excellent sign company, we make great signs.
But just being a good sign company does not necessarily mean that a company can install and service
Electronic Message Centers. They may be able to weld, install fluorescent lamps and roll paint, but can they build, program and service a computer?
Digital LED electronic message centers are very complicated computers, remotely served by other computers, use proprietary software programs, and are not what most sign company employees, or electricians, understand.
But because these signs are electrical they must be installed by a qualified electrical sign company or an electrical contractor. We are the largest electronic message center manufacturer in North Texas; one of only 3 in the entire State! And we are State licensed as both an electrical sign contractor and as an electrical contractor.
We know what we are doing when it comes to Electronic Message Center fabrication and service. We even carry all parts in stock for immediate replacement if something fails.
A large part of our business is repairing mistakes other sign companies and electricians made installing signs they bought and resold to their customers.
"We paid $34,000 for a full-color LED message center from Wal**** Signs & Lighting. It took them 11 months to get it installed. It is now 4 months old and has never worked in full-color mode. They don't know how to make it work. Can you fix it?" Jack Miller, Grace Point Church
Electronic Message Centers are usually built into additional signage, not installed by themselves.
Doing so makes them less expensive and more effective at the same time!
But most electronic message center manufacturers do not manufacture additional types of signs.
Signs Manufacturing™ makes more than electronic message centers.
We manufacture, install and service
church signs,
school signs,
apartment signs,
park signs,
governmental signs,
architectural signs, etc.
Interior signs as well as
exterior signs.
We
manufacture
road signs and
building signs including
channel letter signs
(internally lighted with neon,
Solarbrite™ LEDs, the new automatic color-changing SpectraLites™ LEDs, or externally lighted with
first-surface
LetterLites™ LEDs),
neon signs,
wall sign cabinets,
pole signs,pylon signs,
monument signs,
message centers,
PinLights™
LED signs,
architectural
signs,
plastic lettering,
metal lettering,
trim-cap lettering, awning signs,
plaques
and
more!
You May Qualify for a "BETTER THAN FREE™" Sign
Dependent on your location, Signs Manufacturing™ may be able to offer you INCOME from a FREE pole, pylon, monument sign, or electronic message center.
Contact us for exciting details!
The Signs Manufacturing On-Location Sales Team's
Personalized Service
No matter what types of signs you are interested in, our sales team, consisting of 11 highly-trained individuals, is at your beck and call.
Let us meet with you in your office, or at your new signs location, or home, or anywhere.
You will probably have a firm quotation for what you want during our meeting; certainly no more than a day later. There are 19 questions you must have answers to before investing in signs. Questions not about the signs themselves, but about how the signs will be perceived, and how long they will take to pay for themselves. Our sales team will bring you a COMPLIMENTARY PROFESSIONAL MARKET SURVEY of your new signage locations. Click on the "Sign Market Research" tab to the left for details.
Visit Our Unique Sign Lighting Laboratory and Demonstration Showroom with LED Video Displays
Unique in the entire sign industry, Signs Manufacturing™ built an 85’ by 50’ (over 4,000 sq ft) indoor sign lighting laboratory for testing the longevity, visibility, and effectiveness of all the lighted signs we manufacture.
The Laboratory is open to the public, for FREE, adding an LED Video Display Showroom because we realized how important one would be to consumers.
If you are considering purchasing an
LED Video Display or Digital LED Message Center sign this exclusive opportunity will be particularly important. You must determine what type of sign, and which LED spacing is best, so that your sign will be successful, considering how you will use it.
a 4-thousand-shade single-color LED Message Center sign
are always available for you to compare.
We
invite you to also observe all other types of signage, viewing them up close as well as from a distance, under varying light conditions (and stay out of the weather while doing so!)
Channel letter signs, both neon and LED lighted.
Letterlites™ channel letter signs.
Twinkling Letterlites™ channel letter signs.
SpectraLites™
Color-changing channel letter signs.
Reverse channel letter signs.
Cloud signs.
Channel letter signs with backplates.
Raceways and wireways.
Cabinet signs, fluorescent, HID, or LED lighted.
Neon and LED building accent lighting.
Computer-controlled full-color, programmable, building lighting.
Storefront Lighting.
Facade Lighting.
Neon color selection.
Brighter Signs™
neon.
Solarbrite™
LED lighting.
LED color selection.
Pinlights™ signs.
Pylon signs.
Pole signs.
Masonry Monument signs.
Wall-wash back-lighting for all types of signs.
Routed sign faces for all types of signs.
Digitally printed and cut vinyl decorated sign faces for all types of signs.
How will shadows affect my sign's readability during the day? Should the wall behind my sign be light or dark colored? Would a different type of sign look better on my brick wall? Should I consider a routed sign face with push-through letters?
Don't buy your sign from a drawing, a slick website, or photo-shopped
pictures, when you can actually see and
side-by-side
compare Real sign types, resolutions, and designs.
Live Demonstrations of Signage Features
Sunsational™ Engineering
NASA's Ceramic Vacuum Microsphere Coating
Solarguard™ Protective Coatings
Signlux™ Paint Systems
Solar Finishes™ Bright Reflective White
Lumabrite™
Vandal-Resistant Coatings
Flexible Sign Face Installation Methods
No one else can offer you this unique opportunity. Be sure to take advantage.
Your business will be better because you do.
If you don't visit it could cost you thousands in sales every year.
Your business will be better because you do. Can you afford not to?
"I almost made a huge mistake by not listening to you and visiting your showroom prior to buying my sign. I thought I knew what I wanted, after listening to so many salespeople...boy, was I wrong. My vision of the sign did not jibe with what it would really turn out to be, even after viewing so many drawings. It was obvious the moment I entered the showroom. If I had stuck to my guns my sign would have been a disaster. I would have wasted a lot of money."
Cecil Drake, Drake Communications
Changeable Message Signs – A Brief History
When LED lighting first replaced incandescent lighting in changeable message signs their color was monochrome, and their array was balanced.
When color LED’s were introduced existing computers could not coordinate the virtually unlimited display options a balanced array offered. This resulted in a very “grainy” product. The 3 led colors (RGB) were therefore grouped into “pixel clusters” so that these classic computers could control the display, providing better results.
We’ve come a long way; computers and processors are thousands of times faster than early models.
The technical ability to place larger individual LED’s closer together without electrical co-interference has greatly improved also.
Not bound by pre-existing equipment or designs, and rather than invest in dated technology, Sunburst LED Displays™ utilizes modern computing power to control the virtually limitless potential of our large LED Balanced Array™ Video Displays and Digital Electronic Message Center Signs.
Sign Cost Information
Interested in the concept of electronic message
centers, but unfamiliar with their cost?
Click on the "Cost" tab to the left to obtain
general pricing and cost
information on various sizes and types of LED
Electronic Message Centers and our 5 different methods of paying for them.
When you do so notice how dealing directly with the manufacturer can potentially save you additional thousands of dollars in Texas sales/use taxes!
However, you can purchase right now and save if you know precisely what you want.
Signs Marketplace™
$297.00 per square foot. (Based on 40 square foot single-faced cabinet with monochrome full animation 19mm pixel separation. Shipping or installation costs are additional. We will contact you for construction and shipping/installation particulars.) Sunburst Displays™ Installation available.
If you do not know precisely what you want, please contact us to develop an exact plan to meet
your particular needs - for free (see our "Design Center" page!)
Our professional staff will usually have exact quotations, and exact scale
drawings of your signs installed on your building or property ready for
you the same day we meet with you. (Much faster than the 2 1/2 week
average in our industry.)
If you are planning for the future, please bookmark
our website as a "Favorite" so you can find us when
you are ready. The
detailed construction and installation information below, and to the left, is very important in
developing a sign that will accomplish your goals.
"After being ripped-off by one
sign company, who took my several-thousand-dollar deposit
but never delivered my sign, I was nervous. I'm sure
glad I met you guys!" Paul Lewis, Jubilee
Mortgage
Signs Manufacturing™ is insured,
registered, licensed and bonded per all City and State
regulations, and even carries product liability insurance to protect our customers, and their customers, which is very rare among sign companies.
We even offer our customers free coverage on a $2,000,000 insurance policy providing Deposit Insurance if we were to default.
We've got you covered!
Free Demonstrations
Arrange an on-site demonstration today! Demonstrations are available in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and all of North Texas.
View first-hand the importance of everything we discuss below.
BIG Business Booster
There is no question that LED electronic message centers are the business signage communication wave of the future. Local advertising has never been cheaper because of them.
Every business has a need to promote special events, sales, sponsorships, etc.; either at their business location and/or at local sports events, parades, church and school events.
If your business is not located where you can have a permanent messaging sign, or you need to advertise at multiple locations (like the kid's soccer game), the question is, HOW?
This question has been answered with “The LED Sled™” pictured above, Signs Manufacturing™’s new portable self-powered LED electronic message center and video display.
Local businesses have never before been able to be so creative, to think so far outside the box to gain a competitive advertising advantage.
“To rent, or to own, THAT is the question.” (sorry Shakespeare.) How often do you need to promote your business?
If you are a multi-location business you need to own one of these! Some location ALWAYS has special needs or opportunities. Or a new store under construction.
If you’re not in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex you absolutely need to own one because you are too far away for us to rent you one!
Why so many different manufacturers? Especially when we're a manufacturer?
All electronic message centers are made differently, with different characteristics and sizes, and no single display can be used in every installation condition.
And they vary by features. See the many variable features enumerated below.
No one manufacturer's design is the best value for every customer, any way they want to use it.
Not even ours, so we cover the bases!
Sunburst Displays™
With an electronic message center you are leaving your computer out in the Texas rain, ice, heat and cold, and tornados and hurricane-force winds are trying to blow it away.
Sunburst Displays are built in Texas, for Texans, by us.
Sunburst Displays are only sold wholesale FACTORY-DIRECT to our customers.
Color Selections
Historically monochrome displays were much cheaper than color displays. This is no longer true.
In making your decision regarding monochrome vs. color realize that colors in motion are proven to be much more attention-getting than moving single-color lights.
Monochrome (one color) displays are available in “Red”
or “Amber (Yellow).”
Full-Color displays are either RGB (Red, Green, Blue) or
RGBW (Red, Green, Blue, White.)
The more colors, the more LED lights in each pixel,
the larger each pixel, the further back from the sign
you must be so that the sign is not “grainy.”
Display Capability - Palette
Because the intensity of a LED light can be changed by
increasing or decreasing the voltage to it, the better
monochrome displays feature over 4000 shades of
Red or Amber. Some manufacturers call this "grayscale."
The cheaper monochrome displays cannot vary their color intensity at all, they are truly one color. A Sunburst Displays™ sign can turn it's gradients feature "off" and display one-color monotone.
Good color displays (RGB) can display over 260,000
color variations; exceptional units 6 million.
We have units available with
256/4,000/26,000/6,000,000 and 281,000,000,000,000
shades/colors.
Pixels
An electronic message center is in many ways a large
computer screen. The screen is illuminated by
turning many individual lights, or pixels, on/off (or
varying the voltage to them.)
Tighter spacing between pixels allows more data to be
displayed and makes the sign look better but increases
cost.
Older generation displays group LEDs in clusters. Modern Sunburst Displays™ utilize “Balanced Spacing” and more modern software for a superior appearance.
Pitch and LED Spacing
How far pixels are from one another is called
“pitch” and is usually expressed in millimeters (mm.)
The pitch must be small for a display not to appear
grainy up close.
Older color displays, because each pixel is actually an unequal cluster of 3 or more different colored LED’s, cannot have as small a pitch as a monochrome display or the appearance of a more modern display with a Balanced Array™. Therefore they must be viewed from a greater distance to have a quality appearance. There is a lot of blank space between pixels.
Old-style full-color displays are available in 12mm, 16mm, 20mm and larger pitches.
Old-style monochrome displays are available in 9mm, 19mm, 25mm, 35mm, 46mm
and larger, some very larger pitches.
The distance between LEDs in Sunburst Displays™ Balanced Array™ can be as small as 6 mm, monochrome or full-color. Pixels can overlap in full-color video displays.
Light Density (LD) = The
Number of LEDs per Square Foot of Sign Face
As the discussion gets more and more technical, the easiest comparison between displays is the "LD," the number of LED lights in a square foot of sign face.
As an example, a 6mm Balanced Array™ has a Light Density of 2344 (2344 LD.)
Again, pixel pitch or LED spacing, as well as image quality, determines how close a sign can be and still deliver quality images. They also determine Resolution (below).
Too large a pitch or spacing for the viewing distance and images are grainy, maybe unreadable. A potential customer’s image of your business suffers. When you see grainy LED signs don’t you think of them as “cheap?”
It is therefore better to err on the side of a “tight” array. Visit our showroom to personally compare displays before making this very important decision. Remember, we’re local.
A Balanced Array™ can automatically adjust pixel quantity and location to produce as high a resolution as the image will allow for the display size. It’s like a modern “High Definition” television. If the image sent to it is “HD” it will be shown “HD” if possible. But remember, garbage in, garbage out! And, size matters! A larger display will support more detail in images.
Why Not Use a Television?
TV’s do not have as bright a display as is necessary.
Glare on the screen is a big problem.
Only “specialty” TV’s even claim to be weatherproof.
All modern flat-screen televisions are LCD televisions. So-called “LED” TV’s are actually LCD screens edge or back lighted with LED’s.
LCD’s will not function with internal temperatures above 122° F. (200° is common outside in an enclosed box in Texas.)
LCD’s will not function in extreme cold.
How many pixels wide and high the display is, which determines how many of what size letters can be displayed at one time.
Most matrix dimensions are in multiples of 8 pixels, or potential pixels in the case of a Balanced Array.
A larger matrix can display more and larger information at one time.
Viewing Angles
As an automobile driver drives toward an electronic message center which is installed on a 20’ tall pole the vertical viewing angle increases from near 0° to almost 90° as the driver passes under the sign. As the viewing angle increases the intensity of the display decreases. The vertical viewing angle of the LED’s used in the display plays an important role in the usefulness of the display. (For more information on this see “Glare Shields or Louvers” below.)
As a driver drives toward an electronic message center installed on the side of a road the horizontal viewing angle increases from near 0° to 90° as the driver passes beside the sign. As the viewing angle increases the intensity of the display decreases in this direction also. The horizontal viewing angle of the LED’s used in the display also plays an important role in the usefulness of the display.
It is important to understand the vertical and the horizontal angle that the display will be viewed from.
LED lights are directional, and Glare Shields or Louvers can block visibility. High quality LED’s can be viewed by as much as 90° horizontally and vertically and still observe over 70% of the lumen potential.
Some LED’s lose virtually all of their light at angles over 45°.
Less-expensive signs must therefore be viewed nearly straight-on to be legible.
Sunburst Displays™ are effective at radical angles.
Determining Your Minimum Display Size
Videos will run on any size sign, with a resolution equal to the pixel matrix of the display.
This is not true for wording, however.signs that have a larger pixel pitch will not be able to display small letters as clearly as a sign with a smaller pixel pitch (smaller pixel pitch means more dots per square foot).
Decide on how many lines of text vertically you need to display. Decide the maximum height of the letters you want each row to use.
Add at least 2” between rows, and 1.25” top and bottom. If you are going to use both upper and lower case letters allow additional space for the descending letters also. The amount of space varies by letter size and style. Will you want a lighted border around your message?
The cumulative total is how tall the minimum display height of your sign must be, in inches.
But, can the display clearly display your smallest letters? For a standard block letter style the smallest letter a 20mm sign can clearly display is a 6.3" tall lower-case character. A 16mm sign can display 5.1" minimum-height characters.
It is possible to go smaller, but it may require some experimentation with letter styles and spacing. Smaller letters probably require a tighter pitched sign.
If you plan on using some lower-case letters recognize that their shorter height is your shortest letter.
To determine minimum letter height for all sign pitches, multiply the pitch of a display you are considering, in millimeters (say 20), or by the LED spacing in a Balanced Array™ times 2, by 0.315. This tells you the smallest letter the display you are considering can reliably display.
Next, decide on the longest message you need to display. Count both the letters and spaces, and include space both before and after the message. Multiply by 0.3145. Now multiply by the pitch of a display you are considering, in millimeters (say 20), or by the LED spacing in a Balanced Array™ times 2. The answer is how long the sign display must be in inches to display the message adequately in most letter styles. Realize that some letter styles would require an even longer display, but this is a good average. If you plan on running text twice this smallest size, the display will need to be twice as long.
You now know if the size and pitch of the sign you are considering will meet your needs.
But, remember that size matters! A larger display will support more detail in images.
Viewing Distances
The minimum viewing distance is the point at which the
display loses its graininess. This can vary
depending on the message being displayed.
The maximum viewing distance is the point at which the
smallest character which will be generated on the display
becomes unreadable. A potential solution is to
generate larger characters, but this may increase the
minimum viewing distance.
Reading Time
The length of time letters are readable when moving towards them.
These times are only achievable when viewing signs made with LEDs with wide viewing angles, and a tight resolution.
Many signs reading times are much shorter for the same sized letter.
30 MPH
40 MPH
60 MPH
80 MPH
6" LETTERS
1.4 Seconds
1 Second
0.7 Seconds
0.5 Seconds
8" LETTERS
1.8 Seconds
1.4 Seconds
0.9 Seconds
0.7 Seconds
12" LETTERS
3 Seconds
2 Seconds
1.5 Seconds
1 Second
18" LETTERS
4 Seconds
3 Seconds
2 Seconds
1.5 Seconds
24" LETTERS
5.5 Seconds
4 Seconds
2.75 Seconds
2 Seconds
36" LETTERS
8 Seconds
6 Seconds
4 Seconds
3 Seconds
Prepared by Signs Manufacturing™
Control Software
More than any other part of the sign the operating software determines the usability of the system. Sunburst Displays™ proprietary operating software contains many virtually unique features into one package:
Encryption so that no one else can operate the sign.
The programming computer's screen displays exactly what the sign will look like.
The software allows enlargement after images or text are uploaded.
Displays can be programmed using Power-Point, Corel, Photoshop, or any graphics software you are familiar with. So you already know how to program the sign.
Pixel Text can be directly entered.
Add multiple images at once, speeding set-up time.
The computer communicates with the sign via Wi-Fi, and only needs to be "on" when changing the program. The sign runs on its own internal processor. You can create a program at home, and download it to your sign when you get to your business, if you desire.
One click updates the sign.
Allows for the use of Text, Graphics, Animation, Slideshow, Video, Scheduling, Time, Temperature, Brightness Control listed separately below.
Text, Graphics, or Both
Some competitive units only display text, some must display
text as a graphic (drawing), some can display both
text and graphics. Some competitors can only display "stick" letters (one line.)
Sunburst Displays™ proprietary software can display text and graphics, and we can vary the font (letter style) and the thickness of the letters.
Many varied letter-styles (fonts) are pre-programmed
in all our units.
All our units can also automatically place text over
graphics pictures.
On our monochrome units (one color) text and graphics can be displayed
in 1 or 256 shades of the one color. Full-color units
display 281,000,000,000,000 separate shades.
All Sunburst Displays™ software can display fixed messages or graphics (drawings) or “scroll” messages or graphics (drawings) and include F/X features. We also show a display such as a cartoon with character movement, for instance.
Monochrome displays convert colors to shades of either Red or Amber (Yellow.)
All Sunburst Displays™ programming can display pre-programmed messages and pictures in a slideshow format, much like a screensaver slideshow showing multiple messages or images.
All Sunburst Displays™ proprietary software can display videos of varying random lengths.
Live Video or TV
Live video or television feeds are available options.
Scheduling
Schedule various messages, graphics or videos to automatically run at various times of day or night with Sunburst Displays™ software.
Double-Sided Display Programming Options
Most competitive units display the same message or animation on both sides of a double-sided display.
However some competitive units can only be programmed totally independent of each other. There displays will not synchronize, so they take twice as long to program.
Sunburst Displays™ standard is a synchronized display, with independent programming an inexpensive option.
Display Size and
Appearance
Some displays have "retainer", or a picture frame around the display.
Some displays are "bleed", or the matrix goes to the edge of the face.
A bleed face gives more display space in the square footage allowed if a city has a restrictive sign ordinance.
Glare Shields (Louvers)
Glare shields, also called louvers, prevent a display’s LEDs from appearing to be lighted, by sunlight, making your message unreadable.
Sunburst Displays™ curved glare shields are individually molded into the actual face, not bolted on, to individually shade each LED.
These features guarantee that our shields are effective and positioned properly. They also allow our shields to be as small as possible to eliminate their interference with viewing our displays from below or above.
This is a very common problem with competitive displays with shields that are straight, or continuous. Theirs are less effective and must be much larger, limiting the viewing angles of their signs.
Automatic Brightness Control
Sunburst Displays™ and other quality displays automatically adjust their brightness to the current lighting conditions.
Display Brightness
LED’s are affected by
voltage. For instance, an LED will burn nearly
100% brighter if you double the power feeding it.
The LED will last about 1/6 as long, however, making this
alternative quite expensive in total cost.
LEDs dim as they age. At some point (subjective) they will need to be replaced because they are too dim. Feeding them less voltage extends their useful life.
Sunburst Displays' engineering goal was to balance brightness and longevity.
If only brightness is important a monochrome display that does not include a grayscale feature, or automatic brightness adjustment, will be the brightest, at least initially, because all LEDs will always be fully-powered. The LEDs can also be more closely packed because only one color of LED is used; room does not have to be dedicated to other-colored (RGB) LEDs.
Colors in motion, though dimmer than monochrome, have proven to be a better attention-getter, and the displays last longer.
Temperature Sensor
A thermometer installs on the sign cabinet and plugs
into the sign computer in systems set-up for this
feature.
Time and Temperature Display
Options
With this option, and a temperature sensor, the controlling computer can have the display flash, scroll, or constantly display time and temperature.
The best systems display “atomic” time and self-adjust for daylight savings time.
Computer Link Types
Optical Fiber. Run underground from the
sign to the controlling computer, usually inside the
building. This fiber must be run in separate
conduit, but it can be buried in the same trench as
the electrical supply.
Phone Control. The unit can have a cell
phone number and a modem. Simply call the sign
from the controlling computer and tells it what to do.
The internal memory of the electronic message center
repeats these instructions until they are changed.
RF Wireless Modem Communications. An
antenna is placed on the sign, and on the building,
which is hooked to the controlling computer.
Wi-Fi Modem. Uses a wireless modem connection in the computer, and in the sign cabinet, to communicate.
Group Links
It is possible to have one computer control multiple
of our electronic message centers (all Long John
Silver’s are, for example.)
Besides the computer that is used to program the sign there is a processor or a computer inside the sign in most systems.
The poorly engineered signs are programmed and controlled by a single computer that is hard-wired to the sign and must be left "on" at all times. Or, in some cheap signs a second "personal computer" is actually installed inside the sign.
The problem with either of these systems is that the sign is running on "Windows" using a CD or hard-drive and is additionally subject to all the viruses, freezes, lock-ups and reboot problems that a personal computer faces. (As a simple example of the problems faced, who climbs the pole of a free-standing pole sign to reboot the computer after a power outage or computer lock-up? Service call.)
Plus, with all the moving parts in hard drives, disk drives, and other humidity and temperature sensitive components, a PC is a poor way to run a sign from inside the sign. They fail often enough when they are used in the controlled environment of a building.
Tremendous cooling is required when there is an "Intel Inside" but many of these poorly engineered units don't even have cooling fans for the LED displays, much less the computer's processor chip.
In the worst of all signs, the software to program the computer inside the sign is not even in the sign owner's possession. It is not on the programming computer, it is "on the cloud." The sign’s computer must have high-speed internet access.
What if the sign manufacturer does not own the software, he uses a third-party system, and they notify you that in order to keep your sign operating you will now have to pay them $2,000 per month to continue access to the programming software. This happens all the time with other "free" software. Or, he controls the software "on the cloud" but goes out of business so your sign cannot be programmed by anyone.
We don't have a "computer" in our signs. The processor in our signs is a "mother-board" with a non-volatile memory (no heat-sensitive processor chip) and its sole purpose is to store and control using the commands you send it from the programming computer we furnish Free with the sign. (No rebooting!)
The processor stores up to 64 GB of text, images, and video. Enough memory to change the image on the sign every second for 723 days! The memory in non-volatile, no reprogramming after a power failure, as is common in some competitive units.
The programming software is on the computer we give you, and we also give you a back-up copy.
This vastly superior system also uses less energy.
Ventilation
Heat is the enemy of LED’s. Sunburst Displays™ electronic message centers have multiple inflow and outflow ventilation fans. Additionally, every heat-producing component has its own internal cooling fan. Larger units incorporate air conditioners into their design. Excessive heat can shorten LED life by up to 80%.
In poorly engineered signs with little (passive) or no cooling, decreasing the pitch, increasing the size of pixels, or over-driving LED’s with higher-than-required voltage to increase their brightness, increases heat, shortening the life of the unit.
Some units vent out the front of the sign, some out their sides, and some out the rear. This affects how each unit can be installed. For instance, a unit that vents out its sides cannot be covered with brick.
Solarbrite™ Light Emitting Diode (LED)
Technology
Many companies manufacture
LED’s. There are over 5,000 varied LED’s available,
and they vary greatly as to brightness, lux, light-dispersal
(viewing) angle, useful lifetime, and lifetime.
Some are very cheap, some are quite
expensive, but all cost more than neon for equal
illumination.
Signs Manufacturing Corporation's Sunburst Displays™
only use Solarbrite™ LED’s
that are rated to retain 80% of their brightness for
60,000+ hours. These are the most expensive, but highest value, LED’s.
Our selection of LED’s is what makes our signs brighter, and last longer.
As an example, a White Solarbrite™ LED is 280 lux, compared to our
BrighterSigns™ neon's 235 lux, or standard neon's 140 lux.
A Solarbrite™ LED incorporates a new kind of chip, different from all
other LEDs.
Signs Manufacturing™ is an industry leader in the
implementation of new technology in advertising.
Solarbrite™ LED’s utilize military specification
coatings on the circuit boards the LED’s are attached to,
preventing corrosion and electrical problems.
Like neon, LED’s are also affected by
voltage. For instance, an LED will also burn nearly
100% brighter if you double the power feeding it.
The LED will last about 1/6 as long, however, making this
alternative quite expensive in total cost.
We power our Solarbrite™ LED’s properly, and offer a 5 year warranty on the LED’s in
our lighted signs.
Incandescent Lighting
Incandescent (household) lamps begin disappearing in 2012, starting with the 100 watt lamp, and will be mostly gone by 2016.
The Government has mandated that all these lamps, with 22 exceptions, must begin being at least 25% more energy efficient starting in 2016, 70% more efficient by 2020.
"Sign Service" lamps are exempt, but whether or not lamp manufacturers will recognize a big enough market to continue to make just them is problematic.
Servicing
Our signs are front-serviceable, but they do not
hinge like some older designs. By eliminating the
"hinge" we avoid a potential place for water to get
into the sign. Our signs are sealed to avoid leaking
water, but the LED parts can all be accessed from
the front of the sign!
To speed trouble-shooting we've also incorporated our LEDs into our circuit boards as a diagnostic aid in our Sunburst LED Displays™. Few manufacturers of LED signs have taken this logical step.
The Value of “Listed" Signs
Virtually ALL cities, as well as the State of Texas, adopt the National Electric Code as law.
The National Electric Code (NEC) requires that for electrical, structural, and installation safety all electrical signs be "Listed" (tested and labelled with an appropriate Listing Mark.)
Certification (testing and labelling) organizations acceptable in the USA to test to the multitude of Standards signs are required to meet are determined by OSHA.
For you the Listing Mark is
assurance. It means that the sign has been tested to insure that it is structurally and electrically safe, and will be installed properly. You benefit from the knowledge that it is not solely us telling you that our signs are safe, this is what the testing laboratories and the US Government says also.
Underwriters Laboratories (“UL” Listing Mark) and Intertek (“ETL” Listing Mark – originally Edison Testing Laboratory founded by Thomas Edison) are the premier certification organizations and 80% of all things electrical are tested by them.
If the sign you are purchasing does not have a ETL or UL Listing Mark label the sign is probably not legal to install, anywhere in Texas. There are a few local city ordinance exceptions.
Buy carefully.
Intertek is over twice the size of UL, and has a greater global presence. UL is the largest in the USA. We have both companies test and apply Listing Marks to various signs.
We are the third oldest ETL Listed sign company in Texas. ( File #4007685) (One of the two older companies makes lighted scoreboards, the other makes lighted office door signs.)
There are many sign companies that pretend to be Listed, but are not!
Incidentally, ISO (International Organization of Standardization) Standards, such as ISO 2001, are NOT electrical Listings (similar to a UL or ETL Listing) that allow a sign to be installed in Texas. That said, components in our electronic signs also meet ISO 2001 standards.
The Savings Advantage of a “Listed" Sign
Listed Signs Save You Money.
Sunburst Displays Video Displays and Electronic Message Centers, because they are Listed, are approved to operate with approximately 40% of the power supply requirements of unlisted signs.
This is a huge savings in installation costs, as only 1/3 of the comparable electrical service needs to be provided.
And since the National Electrical Code limits the branch circuits serving signs to 20 amps maximum, this equates to many fewer circuits.
For safety, an untested sign (not Listed) must be supplied with enough electricity to meet the total “continuous” needs of each internal components rating. (Each components rating x 125%)
A Listed sign has been tested as a whole, and the amount of energy actually used has been determined. The sign is approved for use when supplied with this amount of electricity, regardless of the ratings of the individual components.
This is always much less than the rating of each internal component taken individually, so the cost of installing electricity to the sign will be significantly less.
Electrical
120 volt single phase service is normally required
because these Listed displays do not consume a great deal of
energy, but some units require 240 volt 1 phase.
Remember, however, that other parts of the sign will
have electrical requirements also.
Electromagnetic Interference
Radio Frequency (RF) interference from the sign can cause a sign to interfere with radios, cell phones, radar, TV signals, automatic door openers, hospital equipment, etc.
Radio frequency interference can also cause radios, cell phones, radar, automatic door openers, TV signals, hospital equipment, etc. to interfere with the sign.
Although not required in the United States, Signs Manufacturing™ had our electronic signs tested for Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), even testing beyond the rigorous European standards.
This assures you of an even-more-trouble-free sign when you purchase from Signs Manufacturing™.
Energy Consumption
This varies by the message displayed, and how long the electronic message center is on.
That said it is uncommon for ANY electronic (LED) message center to use over $1.00 in electricity in a day.
Energy Caveat
Some electronic message center manufacturers, more
interested in the sale than the needs of the customer,
overdrive their LED’s to make them brighter (usually
because they are using inferior LED’s.)
Besides shortening the lifetime of the display to 1/6
of a properly manufactured display it wastes energy.
Sunburst Displays™ does none of this!
We do provide internal overvoltage, low voltage, spike and brownout protection for the sign. Many manufacturers do not.
Software
The system should have easy to use control software
with built in features such as scrolling and blinking
messages and a time and temperature display. It
should also allow you to preview both individual
messages and your whole display queue without forcing
you to show the world your half-finished ads by
running them on the display. The message should
be able to be changed from inside your business, or
the system should be configured so that “headquarters”
can change the message at each store.
Software Training
Learning how to program an electronic message center
is not hard.
Most good manufacturers have teaching CD’s in addition
to Technical Assistance.
Many have telephone training included as part of their
package.
Signs Manufacturing™ is particularly adept at these
systems, and helps our customers until they no longer
need us.
Then we come back when they find they were premature.
Product and Technical Support
Most important in an investment of this size is product support.
The electronic message center manufacturer must be large and dedicated enough that they will continue to support their products with parts.
Technical support must be easily available and there must be no limit to your access to it.
Even after you have become an expert, and years later, you might have difficulty programming a new-look message.
Make certain your electronic message center manufacturer and installer will be there to help you 24 hours a day.
Minimum Computer Requirements
Most up-to-date computers, purchased within 2 years,
have enough memory to create control programs.
It is usually NOT necessary to buy a
separate/additional computer to control an electronic
message center.
Free Programming with Sunburst Displays™
Each Sunburst Displays™ electronic message center comes with a "free" pre-programmed laptop computer ready to remotely program your new electronic message center.
Tutorials are a part of the computer’s pre-programming.
Full-color displays can also be programmed using Power-Point, Corel, Photoshop, or any graphics software you are familiar with. So you already know how to program the sign!
The programming computer communicates via Wi-Fi, so you probably already know how to work it, and it only needs to be "on" when you are changing the program. The sign runs on its own internal processor.
You can create a program at home, and download it to your sign when you get to your business, if you desire.
Proprietary encryption in both the sign and the programming computer software make the sign impossible to use by anyone else.
SolarGuard™ Protection for Sunburst Displays™
Our plastic faces that hold the LEDs, and Glare Shields, have internal UV protection. But
your sign needs to look nearly as good 10 to 15 years from
now as it looks the day it is installed.
The
longevity and appearance of plastic face materials are extended when they are coated with
SolarGuard™, a special, clear, high-gloss,
mar-resistant topcoat which protects plastics from
ultraviolet light and ozone so that they last longer, just
like your eyeglasses have UV coatings to protect the
plastic lens.
Signs Manufacturing™ is an authorized
SolarGuard™ applicator.
Signs Manufacturing™ adds
SolarGuard™ protection to every plastic sign face component.
Does SolarGuard™ Protection
Work? The face on the right was made of
“generic” red acrylic and black trim-cap. The left
half was coated with SolarGuard™ and the face was left
outside for ONLY 7 years; your sign will be out there much
longer!
(This product does not come from the traditional sign industry. Few sign manufacturers know about it, or where to get it.)
EMC faces that were NOT protected with SolarGuard™ (Click on each picture to Enlarge.)
Self-Cleaning Faces for Sunburst Displays™
Signs Manufacturing™ adds Lumabrite™
coatings to every plastic-faced sign.
Lumabrite™ reduces maintenance
because of built-in self-cleaning properties.
This products inspiration was the optical plastic lens industry.
Our people are factory-trained in the
application of Lumabrite™.
Construction Details for Sunburst Displays™
All face-plates, the part of the sign that the display's external LED boards are mounted to, are CAD/CNC (Computer Aided Design/Computer Numerical Controlled) routed from solid aluminum plate, to prevent rusting and increase heat dissipation.
An extensive lattice-formed 3-dimensional aluminum frame is welded to the face-plate to insure rigidity and further aid in heat dissipation.
Aluminum is also used for all exterior surfaces of the sign cabinet, again to prevent future rusting.
Almost all Chinese-manufactured signs, among others, have steel cabinets and face-plates.
Free-standing signs are engineered to survive a 140 mph wind.
With some manufacturers, incredibly, the face-plate is merely many individual pieces bolted together. Hardly engineered to withstand 140 mph tornado winds.
Water is the enemy of electronic message centers. Sunburst Displays developed a unique cabinet design that channels water and ice away from vital internal electrical components.
The face boards, containing the LEDs, are gasketed and hermetically sealed to prevent moisture from entering the sign through the faces.
The interior of the sign incorporates a welded structural-steel frame, necessary for the strength to withstand 140 mph winds. All other interior metal is aluminum also.
All fasteners are galvanized or non-corrosive; no rust.
Most Chinese displays are painted with questionable paints. (Remember when the Chinese were caught painting Mattel kid's toys with lead paint?) We even add self-cleaning properties.
Revolutionary Ceramic Vacuum Microsphere Shield
During a Texas summer, your Texas electronic message center can experience daily internal heat levels of over 200* F, enough to seriously damage it, shorten its life, and cause you expensive repairs.
High heat is very hard on electronics and LED’s, and shortens both their lives.
NASA, with the Space Shuttle program, has proven the value of insulating ceramic vacuum microspheres as a thermal barrier to both heat and cold.
While not as debilitating as temperatures experienced by the Shuttles, we commonly experience temperatures well over 200º inside Texas signs. Water boils at 212º at sea level.
Signs Manufacturing™ builds a better sign. We cover the metal exterior of each Sunburst LED Display™ with the same ceramic vacuum microsphere barrier developed by NASA.
We have documented 30% internal heat differences, 60º cooler at 200º, accompanied by an 80% increase in heat dissipation when compared to identical signs without our ceramic shield.
NASA confirms that 90% of solar infrared and 85% of ultraviolet rays are reflected by this revolutionary product.
Visually the only difference is the very slightly textured appearance of our ceramic barrier when compared to uncoated metal; a small price to pay, especially since you will never notice the difference. We still use the same wonderful paints with the same excellent results.
Impact protection from hail, asteroids, and other objects is vastly improved also.
Made in Texas, for Texans, by Us.™
Automotive+ Paint Finishes on Metals for a Quality Appearance
The goal of every sign is to be noticed. Paint your sign some color other than Architectural Brown, which is what the Chinese paint ALL of their signs.
Stand out. You have 32,807 choices. Maybe even add a neon border. We can do that!
IS PAINT QUALITY IMPORTANT TO ME? Look at the letters at the right. The sign looked good when new, but even the plastic has lasted longer than the paint (this sign is only 2 years old.) What is your impression of this business?
Signs Manufacturing™ also uses the new Signlux Paint Systems™ Automotive+ paints and two-part primer systems.
The entire channel letter sign will be epoxy primed, then finished with Signlux™ modern acrylic urethane automotive type finish coats, to insure that it continues to look good for many years. Even though these paints and primers are five times more expensive the long-term results are well worth the price.
In fact, the same paint types are used by BMW, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, and many other luxury automobile manufacturers to paint their cars!
But, Signlux™ offers many advantages over “automotive” paint when used on signs.
Signlux™ features compatible systems of very durable, high solid yet flexible paints specifically formulated for applications on metals, plastics, wood, banners and flexible sign-face materials. These paints do not chip off the surface because of heat-freeze cycles. The paints are UV stabilized to virtually eliminate fading.
Signlux Paint Systems™ feature their own paint intermix system. The system uses the latest in paint mixing technology; more sophisticated than any paint store's.
An astonishing 32,807 colors can be mixed. Virtually all PMS (Pantone) colors can be closely matched.
Color-matching opaque and translucent paint formulas are featured. Metals are painted opaquely. Plastic and flexible sign-face materials are painted translucently so that the sign face lights in color at night. Not all sign companies do this!
Metals can be painted with either a solid color or "metallic" finish.
Signlux™ is compatible with our Ceramic Vacuum Microsphere coatings protecting the electronics in the Sunburst™ Digital LED Electronic Message Centers and Video Displays we manufacture.
Our painters are factory-trained and certified.
Our painting is virtually blemish-free.
Painting air is cleaned and dried twice before entering the paint booth, and again before painting.
Our state-of-the-art paint booth, 25’ by 25’ by 16’ tall, with full-sized entry/exit doors on each end, filters the air coming into the booth as well as the air discharge. (The booth even has its own built-in explosion-proof lifting crane.)
Free Factory Tour
Come and see the array of equipment
and tools, and the facility dedicated to making good
signs.
Contact a sales consultant to arrange a
plant tour.
Quality Certified Signs™ Trained Technicians
All Sunburst Displays™ shop, installation and service personnel are QualityCertifiedSigns™ trained technicians.
Go to
www.QualityCertifiedSigns.org for listing details.
Certified Welding
Sunburst Displays™ employs Certified Welders; horizontal, vertical, and overhead.
We are virtually the only sign company in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex employing certified welders.
Manufacturing Lead-Times
The quality suppliers get their product to us in
4-8 weeks. Our manufacturing cycle is usually slightly shorter than this.
Since most electronic message centers are built into
or installed as part of additional signs we need
time to fit the parts together.
Warranty
Sunburst Displays™ warranty is the
STRONGEST TOTAL WARRANTY for Digital Electronic Message Centers in the industry!!!ry!ry!ry!
If ANY part of a Sunburst Displays™ electronic message center fails in the first three years of service, if properly supplied with power, Sunburst Displays™ will provide BOTH parts and service FREE OF CHARGE through Signs Manufacturing™.
Even stronger, this Initial Warranty is extendable to six years.
Plus, Sunburst Displays™ warrants their sign with a LIFETIME* WARRANTY, again through Signs Manufacturing™, that reduces both our normal labor rates for service, and parts costs, 20% forever.
Sunburst Displays™ Lifetime Warranty*is transferable at no additional cost!
No other Digital Electronic Message Center manufacturer IN THE WORLD provides a warranty on ANY labor, much less a transferrable warranty.
Additionally, after the Initial Warranty period, Sunburst Displays™ will provide free replacement parts for any previously replaced part that fails within one year of installation.
Other manufacturers whose products we install and service have varying new-sign parts-only warranties that average 3 years.
"Our
($70,000) electronic-message-centers were nightmares. Even
though they were only 2 years old the manufacturer
refused to service them. Your new signs, and
your service, have been exceptional."
Major
Vincent, Salvation Army
"...I had to hound Vital ***** (a sign broker) for weeks and weeks, then I had to call ******** (the manufacturer) to finally get a hold of Vital *****. I thought Vital ***** was taking my deposit money and running. When he asked for the second deposit I was kind of hesitant based on my experience with him. I did some research on Vital ***** and there were judgments in Dallas County, civil judgments for Vital ***** taking money and not putting up a sign! But the manufacturer said I had to deal with him, and he already had a great deal of my money.
The installation company he subcontracted with, City *****, finally did show up and after giving them another $30,000 the sign was installed but City ***** didn't pay Vital *****, I guess, his "fair cut" of it.
Vital ***** was initially mad at City ***** and then he was mad at me, so he came and took the controller out of the sign so now it doesn't even work! I tried to go back to ******** (the manufacturer), and gave them all of the documentation and they said it's between me and Vital *****, they won't do anything about it. I'm never dealing any way but directly with a manufacturer again!"
Mr. Sinkler, Freedom Wash
"...the sign will be dismantled. ...not knowing when and how to get parts was a major factor..."
Cathy Clarke, Johnson Elementary School, Southlake. They are throwing away their $40,000 six-month old sign because they can't get parts to repair it (company out of business.)
Controlling Message Center Cost
Electronic Message Centers cost a lot of money, but they achieve tremendous results.
To keep from spending more money than necessary, consider the design of your sign and the results you want to achieve.
Rather than purchase a larger, blank, rectangular message center and display your name and all other information on it, consider incorporating signage that constantly displays the messages you want to constantly display. It will cost less, and look better!
Because we manufacture and install all types of signage, not just electronic message centers, we can design, build, and install the most cost efficient and effective signage for you
(see our "Design Center" page!)
"Click" Below for Additional Information on Installing an
Electronic Message Center in:
Select the link "Electronic
Message Center Check List". This is a tool
for your use to insure that quotations you receive
are for the same sign! Insist that your
bidders fill-in each line, then sign the document
when they give you their quote.
If you know all the details of the sign you wish to purchase, and desire to
buy it right now, click the following link to go to our online
LED Electronic
Message Center Purchase Page.
Free Demonstrations - Sunburst Displays™
Arrange an on-site demonstration today!
Demonstrations are available in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and all of North Texas.
View the importance of what we discuss on this
website.
Call us at 214-339-2227, 817-861-1234, 972-239-4448,
or 800-333-7137.
Using Our Website to Learn About Signs and Create a Successful Image.
Your
sign forms that very important "first impression" your
potential customer has of your business. Your
sign must always look nearly as good as it looked the
day it was installed so that you don't give potential
customers a worsening impression of your business as your sign ages.
An example of our dedication to helping our customers succeed is this website. It IS the definitive source on signage information, ranked by Alexa® in the top 0.05% of ALL websites in the world, the top 0.01% in the USA! Not bad for a sign company serving North Texas. (We placed the website online in 1999, and have been improving it ever since.)
Click our "Sign Types" tab to the left, then pick any of our products and
discover how we make each sign to last; including the
use of CNC manufacturing, rust-proof metal,
structural-steel frames, high-end automotive paint,
high-impact plastics, and most importantly,
sophisticated
protective coatings.
All our signs include these many hidden features, critically important to you but often ignored by competitors so they can make more money. We even add self-cleaning properties.
We champion
brighter, energy-saving
solutions that save our
customers money while
protecting our environment.
No matter what type of signs you are considering, please
explore our "Lighting Choices" tab for that product, with
its own "Energy Savings" tabs. In fact many of our unique sign designs can even be Solar Powered!
We
have lots of experience. Click our "Design Center" tab to the left to learn how
we can help you - for free. We even furnish a "Grand
Opening Package" featuring a free parking
lot "Coming Soon" free-standing portable sign to
attract attention while your sign is being
constructed.
We
will give your company an edge and help make you
money.
We are the
"greenest" sign company in Texas. Click the "Our
Environment" tab on our "About
Us" page to learn about our environmental
efforts.
Please use and enjoy this 400+ page, always growing, website with over 2000 images, the largest information resource about signs on the internet, created so you can learn about all types of signs and how you can control their affect on your image.
We believe that if you're a knowledgeable purchaser there's a real good chance you'll become our customer.
Signs Manufacturing Corporation's Four-building Manufacturing Campus prior to our 7,500 sq. ft. expansion in 2004 (Photo courtesy of Bing.)
Weekend photo showing Signs Manufacturing Corporation's 2004 Building Expansion, taken during our 2009 re-roofing project (Courtesy of Google Earth.)
Texas' Success Story
The Dallas/Fort Worth "Metroplex" continues as the
fastest growing large city area in the United States, year-after-year. It is the fourth
fastest growing such area in the world. As fast as in China or India!
North Texas is expected to
gain over 4,000,000 new residents in just the next 4 years!
The business economy HERE remains healthy! Well over
100 new businesses are started in just the D/FW Metroplex every week.
Don't let the "doom-n-gloomers"
talk you out of being successful. This is the best time ever to
start a new business in North Texas and Northeast Texas.
State Licensed Sign Installation and Sign Service
We are a full-service sign company.
We
provide
sign site surveys,
sign permits,
sign installation
and
sign maintenance
services for electrical and non-electrical signs for our customers as well as other sign
companies. We
provide this work in Dallas, Fort Worth (DFW), and ALL of
North Texas and Northeast Texas.
State Sign and Electrical License Numbers: TECL17503, TSCL18015, TSCL18016.
Our technicians are also
Quality Certified Signs™ certified. (Click the "Installation
& Service" tab for details.)
Area Codes 214, 254, 430, 469, 682, 817, 903, 940, and
972.
Serving Collin, Cook,
Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson,
Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman,
Lamar, Navarro, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant,
Titus, Van Zandt, Wood, and Wise Counties in Texas.
We also have signs in 43 different
states, and 6 other nations.
WHOLESALE TO THE
PUBLIC!
The Signs Manufacturing™ Commitment to Quality
Established 1979
- One of the
oldest sign companies in Dallas / Ft Worth area.
The Largest
Custom Sign Company in the D/FW Metroplex
- We can handle your needs. With about 200 custom signs
in construction all the time we have the facilities and people to
solve problems and get the job done; creatively. No one else
comes close - no matter what they say!
Manufacturing
Specialists - We specialize in manufacturing identity signage, and selling
our creations wholesale, factory-direct, installed. This is what we do.
We aren't a car wrap, or a poster, or printing, or banner, or coffee cup "sign
company" that sells major identity signage on the side. We concentrate on
doing one thing very well.
Branding Signage
Specialists - Your major identity signage, your storefront sign in most cases,
if done properly, creates your opportunity to be successful.
Once it
does so it must maintain that image for years and years so you remain
successful. Your sign must provide you with enough of the right customers
so you reach your break-even point when you sell them once they enter your
establishment.
ImageKrafters™
Design Team and The Design Tank™
Digital Design Studio -
Hundreds of years combined experience. Creative sign designs that
make our customers more successful.
Professional Market Research Staff
-
Helping insure that your signage meets your needs.
Visit Texas' Largest Signs Showrooms
-
Don't buy your sign from a drawing, a slick website, or photo-shopped pictures,
when you can actually see and side-by-side
compare REAL signs and designs.
Same-Day Price Quotations -
Put us to the test!
Fast and Responsive - When you call a real person will answer the phone every time
during regular business hours.
Guaranteed Highest Quality...Guaranteed
Lowest Price™- We manufacture the best signs, for the
lowest price. WHOLESALE TO THE PUBLIC!
1-Year Warranty (5 Years for LED message signs) plus Lifetime Labor
and Replacement Parts Guarantees* - The strongest guarantees and warranties in the sign industry.
Upgradeable for even more protection!
Local, In-House Sign Manufacturing
-
Single-source local responsibility, without middlemen.
UL®
plus ETL®Approved Manufacturing -
The ONLY manufacturer in the Metroplex regularly inspected by both
OSHA-approved Listing agencies. Our signs are approved for installation
anywhere, worldwide.
Turn-Key™
Full-Service Sign Company - We manufacture, install, and
service all signs; ours and others. Seven cranes/bucket
trucks to 80' reach. Seven installation/service crews.
We Are Also Electronic LED Sign Experts
-
We build, install and service our own programmable LED signs,
Sunburst LED Signs™.We have the knowledge
and ability to install and repair our competitor's signs too.
Unique Quality Signage Products
-
We offer products you won't find anywhere else. Ask your Sign
Consultant for details.
Eleven Person Sales Team - We'll
come to you.
Exclusive Automatic Updates System
- Keeps our customers informed every step of the permitting,
fabrication and installation cycle.
Trained QualityCertifiedSigns™
Technicians - We have a heavy focus on quality fabrication
and installation.
Product Liability Insurance
-
Protects you and your customers forever.
Deposit Insurance
- Your deposit
is safe.
State Licensed Electrical Sign Contractor
- Licensed for electrical sign installs anywhere in Texas.
State Licensed Electrical Contractor
- Not just signs, we know electricity.
Many Different Payment Options -
Cash,
Credit Card, Conserve Your Nest Egg™, Signs on Time™ Lease (with Zero
Down option) and Pay as You Grow Lease/Purchase™
Delayed-Deposit Billing™ -
Significantly
reduced initial billing to help you control your cash-flow.
Grand Opening Package* -
We
want you to be successful; here's another way we're helping. A free
"Coming Soon" and "Grand Opening" banner with your name on it, and free
"store" hours lettered on your door. *Minimum order required.
The Knowledge Tree™
- The world's largest and most complete information source on signage.
(See below.)
"Sign
Buyer's Guide" Brochures - How signs should be built, and why.
Sign-type-specific printed information to help you purchase adequate
signage. (See below.)
SignDawgsTV™
-Free Advertising every time your signs are featured
in episodes!
Why use Signs Manufacturing?
Do
you want someone to just make your sign cheaply, or would you prefer to have
someone make sure it will help you be successful now, and be built to help you
remain successful in the future?
We’re
not just a sign company, we’re unique. And apparently our customers appreciate
our help because we’re the largest sign company in the DFW Metroplex.
Many,
many details follow on how we intend to help you be a success.
WHOLESALE TO THE PUBLIC! Signs Manufacturing™ guarantees that our price will be the lowest price
you can obtain on the product(s) described in this brochure; now or
anytime during the next 90 days.
If you are offered a lower price by someone else we will match that
lower price PLUS give you 10% of the difference.
What does anyone say who can’t compete in quality, timeliness,
professionalism, etc.? “I can save you money!” But with Signs
Manufacturing’s “Guaranteed Lowest Price” that’s just not true. You CAN
have it all!
This is another reason we’re the largest.
Large, or Small, We Make (and service) them All
Whether it's the
largest sign in Texas, above to the left, One of our Sunburst LED
Signs™,
or one of our smaller ones, Signs Manufacturing manufactures, installs,
and services them all.
The Miller sign is
over 35 feet tall and over 45 feet wide. Notice our Quality
Certified Signs™
Technicians to the left and right of the sign on the ground, and under
the sign as it is being installed on it's 150 foot tall pole.
We are the
ONLY manufacturer of Digital LED Signs in Texas, and provide
factory-direct sales and service.
The Signs Manufacturing
Your-Location Sales Team's Personalized Service
No matter what types of signs you are interested in, our sales team, consisting of 11 highly-trained individuals, is at your beck and call.
Let us meet with you in your office, or at your new signs location, or home, or anywhere.
You will probably have a firm quotation for what you want during our meeting; certainly no more than a day later.
There are 19 questions you must have answers to before investing in signs. Questions not about the signs themselves, but about how the signs will be perceived, and how long they will take to pay for themselves. Our sales team will bring you a COMPLIMENTARY PROFESSIONAL MARKET SURVEY of your new signage locations. Click on the "Sign Market Research" tab to the left for details.
We can design and build your next sign while maintaining
social distancing
Our showroom is open and sanitized so you can safely review the different options available for your new signage.
Also, we have many options to help design your new look, from collaborating remotely (from your own home
bridged to our design team) to designing with you in our Projection Room,
which is large enough to maintain Social Distancing.
Are You a "Visual" Person?
It is difficult to picture what a sign is going to look like. What do you picture when we say "triple-layer multi-colored lighting with a textured backplate?"
Our showroom is designed to solve that problem. Most people are visual ... they need to see
something firsthand to understand what it is and whether it has value to them. Seeing is believing!
Don't buy your sign from a drawing, a slick website, or photo-shopped pictures, when you can actually see and
side-by-side compare REAL signs and designs.
Visit Our Unique
Signs Showrooms
(including our LED
Electronic
Signs, our Sign Lighting Laboratory, and the Modern-Sign Museum™)
Now with
LiveShowroom
Demonstrations of Products that
Improve Your Signs
We are constantly
innovating with newer, better, more dazzling ways for you to establish
your business in the eyes of your customers.
Unique in the entire
sign industry, Signs Manufacturing™ built an 85’ by 50’ (over 4,000 sq
ft) indoor sign lighting laboratory and showrooms to help its customers
decide which sign innovation is the right one for their business as
well as to test the longevity, visibility, and effectiveness of all the
lighted signs we manufacture.
Seeing is believing!
Don't
buy a sign from a drawing, a slick website, or photo-shopped pictures,
when you can actually see and compare real signs.
Our Showrooms now contain
over $750,000 in business sign ideas alone, not to mention
signs for churches and schools! We also have an interactive
storefront that will allow you to see what effect multiple sign ideas
have on your street presence.
"I almost made a huge mistake by not listening to you and visiting your showroom prior to buying my sign. I thought I knew what I wanted, after listening to so many salespeople...boy, was I wrong. My vision of the sign did not jibe with what it would really turn out to be, even after viewing so many drawings. It was obvious the moment I entered the showroom. If I had stuck to my guns my sign would have been a disaster. I would have wasted a lot of money."
-
Cecil Drake, Drake Communications
As detailed on the pages that follow, everything will be done to make your sign look better, and last longer...Guaranteed.
Signs Manufacturing™ also guarantees that our price will be the lowest price you can obtain on the products described in this website; now or anytime during the next 90 days.
If you are offered a lower price by someone else we will match that lower price PLUS give you 10% of the difference.
Sign Cost Information
We sell our signs FACTORY-DIRECT, WHOLESALE to the public,
INSTALLED.
Each Sign Type, above and on the "Sign Types" page, has a "Cost" tab under its "Pricing" tab that lists general budget pricing for that type of sign and explains our 5 different payment options.
But, please, contact us to develop an exact plan to meet your particular needs - for free (see our "Design Center" page!)
Our professional staff will usually have exact quotations, and exact scale drawings of your signs installed on your building or property ready for you the same day we meet with you. (Much faster than the 2 1/2 week average in our industry.) Contact us NOW...Please!
If you are planning for the future, please bookmark our website as a "Favorite" so you can find us when you are ready.
Cash, Credit Cards, Conserve You Nest Egg™ 0% 15-month financing, Signs on Time™ Conventional Lease/Purchasing or our Pay as You Grow™ Accelerated Lease/Purchasing.
Click on the "Cost"
tab on the "Sign
Types" page for details.
Zero Down
To help you open your business we have worked with one of our lenders to create an exclusive NO DOWN PAYMENT lease.
Now you can pay for your sign totally out of your businesses’ future cash flow.
Fraud Protection
"After being ripped-off by one
sign company, who took my several-thousand-dollar deposit
but never delivered my sign, I was nervous. I'm sure
glad I met you guys!" -
Paul Lewis, Jubilee
Mortgage
Signs Manufacturing™ is insured,
registered, licensed and bonded per all City and State
regulations, and even carries product liability insurance to protect our customers, and their customers, which is very rare among sign companies.
We even offer our customers free coverage on a $2,000,000 insurance policy providing Deposit Insurance if we were to default.
Visit our "Cost" tab on the "Sign Types" page for details on all of the above.
We've got you covered!
"
...I had to hound Vital ***** (a Car Wrap company) for weeks and weeks, then I had to call ******** (the manufacturer) to finally get a hold of Vital *****. I thought Vital ***** was taking my deposit money and running. When he asked for the second deposit I was kind of hesitant based on my experience with him. I did some research on Vital ***** and there were judgments in Dallas County, civil judgments for Vital ***** taking money and not putting up a sign! But the manufacturer said I had to deal with him, and he already had a great deal of my money.
The installation company he subcontracted with, City *****, finally did show up and after giving them another $30,000 the sign was installed but City ***** didn't pay Vital *****, I guess, his "fair cut" of it.
Vital ***** was initially mad at City ***** and then he was mad at me, so he came and took the controller out of the sign so now it doesn't even work! I tried to go back to ******** (the manufacturer), and gave them all of the documentation and they said it's between me and Vital *****, they won't do anything about it. I'm never dealing any way but directly with a manufacturer again!"
-
Mr. Sinkler, Freedom Wash
Why Buy Factory-Direct, from a State-Licensed Company?
TURN-KEY Design, Manufacturing, Installation, and Service
Why not buy from a Sign Dealer (also called a Sign Broker, Car Wrap company or a Sign Store?)
Would you give a car dealer $10,000 and tell him to buy you the best car
he can for the money, sight unseen (or from a drawing?) Don't you think you would get the car that made him
the most?
Do you think you
could meet your needs asking for the cheapest car he can buy?
Why would a sign dealer (Car Wrap company or sign store) be any different? Remember, they are
merely buying a sign from a manufacturer to resell to you, usually to resemble a
drawing, making the most money they can.
You need to know ALL of the details on how your sign will be manufactured, and how it will be installed. It needs to meet YOUR needs, not the seller's profit goals. What is he telling the manufacturer you don't need?
Believing "...a sign is a sign" gets you a Yugo instead of a Cadillac.
Remember the Yugo? They didn't last very long, either.
Also, most sign dealers, Car Wrap companies and sign stores cannot legally install
or service an electric sign. Ask to see their license.
Ask to see a manufacturer's license also. A few are not licensed to do electrical work, either, they also have to hire other companies to install the signs they make.
Now, who provides the warranty? The manufacturer, the installer, the
salesman, anyone? If the sign was installed illegally
do you think they'll honor their warranty? Did they REALLY obtain your
City sign permit? Is the sign even safe?
As a large, both UL and ETL listed manufacturer, our name is on all our signs. Just like you,
we can't afford to have a bad sign destroy our business. We have to care,
particularly with our LIFETIME* warranty.
If you wonder if a sign-seller can legally install and
service electrical signs through-out Texas go to
http://www.tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch,
enter "Electricians" in the "Inquire by License Type" box and the name of the
sign business or person in the "Inquire by Name" box. If they
are not licensed they can not.
So someone can sell you signs and not be licensed to install or service them. You may have to have this done. But unless the electrical signs
you buy are "listed" (U.L. usually) they won't
be allowed to be installed in Texas, a State of Texas Consumer Protection Safety Law designed to insure that signs are safe to use, with a few local city
ordinance exceptions. It is not illegal to sell them to you, however. Buy carefully.
"I had a ****-a-**** (sign company) right across the street … that store's out of business now … I found out they hired some other company to build and install our sign and they did a really #@%&&$ job, the thing has never lit right. ****-a-**** Corporate won't do anything, they say the closed store was an independent franchise, and the sign builder/installer won't fix it, they say we weren't their customer. I need you to come out, tell me what it will cost to get the thing working properly and get it fixed."
- Chris Jennings, Jimmy Johns
"I Want a Sign Company Near Me"
Even
if you are looking for outdoor signs our Sales and
Design Teams, consisting of 13 highly-trained
individuals, are at your beck and call.
Let us meet with you in your
office, or at your new sign location, or home, or anywhere.
You will probably have a
firm quotation for what you want during our meeting; certainly no more
than a day later.
We are not just a
sign company. Our suppliers say that we are the largest sign
company in the DFW Metroplex. We can meet any demand, any
schedule, anytime!
In addition to your personal
sign consultant, your signage project will be managed by:
A
Signage
Project Manager assigned to shepherd your sign thru
production and installation. In addition to your salesperson,
your Project Manager will also interface with you to keep you informed,
and obtain additional information so we can quickly solve any problems
that arise.
Our
ImageKrafter™Design Team double-checks the
proportions of both the sign you approved and the installation
location. Permitting and manufacturing drawings are prepared.
Our sign company
Master Electricians and Master
Sign Electricians design the electrical portions of the sign
if the sign is electrical (State Law, incidentally.)
A
Certified
Engineer designs the structural aspects of the sign.
Our
Installation
Manager reviews everything known about the installation
location to verify that our manufacturing methods will allow for
efficient installation at you particular location, according to what
we've been told and what we have been able to observe.
A
Nationally-Certified Permitting Clerk is charged
with obtaining your City Permit as quickly as possible, if one is
required. Our full-time clerks training and experience proves
invaluable in quickly gathering all the information necessary for City
approvals. All of the steps above contribute to the data
needed to file a City Permit.
Our
Production
Manager verifies that all pertinent manufacturing information
is available, then schedules production. The more "eyes" on a
project, the better!
Exclusive
Automatic
Customer Updates keep our customers informed, so they know
where their sign is in production, when the permits were approved and
when the sign is scheduled for install.
Our
Shop Foreman
verifies again that all pertinent manufacturing information is
available, then has your sign manufactured by our shop
personnel. Again, the more "eyes" on a project, the better!
Quality
Control putting even
more "eyes" on your project, tests and verifies. They then
add either a UL Listing label or an ETL Listing label, depending on the
type of electrical sign.
Our
Installation
Manager now shepherds the installation utilizing our
QualityCertifiedSigns™ trained, State-licensed, technicians.
We are trained to identify and solve
problems before they affect your sign's delivery. If problems
do arise, our sign company's goal is a trouble-free experience for our
customers. Our staff can handle it!
Smaller sign companies have limited
resources to dedicate to problem-solving.
Free Factory Tour
Come and see the array of equipment
and tools, and the facility dedicated to making good
signs.
Contact a sales consultant to arrange a
plant tour.
Full Service Facilities
(Designing,
Engineering, Permit
Filing, Listed Manufacturing, State-Licensed Install and Sign Repair)
Please visit our four-building manufacturing campus (Two sets of joined
buildings.) (2017 commercial drone photo.)
If you are seriously considering buying from someone else we suggest
that you also visit their location to observe if they can actually do
what they say they can; or at least “Google” their address. A lot
of competitors who present themselves as manufacturers actually only buy
and resell signs, working out of a house, office building, small
warehouse, or storefront!
Our Gang
"Signs
Manufacturing & (Maintenance) has a BuildZoom
score of 127, which places them above 99% of 222,249 contractors (all contractors of all trades) in
Texas." - BuildZoom
State Licensed Sign Installation and Sign Service
We are
a full-service sign company. We
providesign site surveys,
sign permits, sign installation and sign maintenance services
for electrical and non-electrical signs.
We
provide this work in Dallas, Fort Worth (DFW), and ALL of North and Northeast Texas.
Our State
electrical contractor, and electrical sign contractor license
numbers are: TSCL 18015, TSCL 18016, TECL 17503.
Click the "Installation & Service" tab on the left for specific details on
sign site surveys,
sign permits, sign installation and sign maintenance services.
We serve and have installed signs in the Texas cities of
Area Codes 214, 254, 430, 469, 682, 817, 903, 940, and
972.
Serving Collin, Cook,
Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Franklin, Grayson,
Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman,
Lamar, Navarro, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant,
Titus, Van Zandt, Wood, and Wise Counties in Texas.
We also have signs in 43 different
states, and 6 other nations.
The
Knowledge Tree™
- Using Our Website to Learn
Your
sign forms that very important "first impression" your potential customer
has of your business. Your sign must always look nearly as good as it
looked the day it was installed so that you don't give potential customers a
worsening impression of your business as your sign ages.
An example of our dedication to helping our customers succeed is this website.
It IS the definitive source on signage information, ranked by Alexa® in the top 0.05% of ALL websites in the world, the top 0.01% in the USA!
We
refer to our website as The Knowledge Tree™.
We placed the website online in 1997, and have worked to improve it ever since.
Our database to create it requires over 8,000 pages; more information than some
"encyclopedias."
The Knowledge Tree™ tells you how we manufacture our signage, and why.
Knowledge Tree™
subjects are on the left side of every page.
For instance, click our "Sign Types" tab to the top-left, then pick any of our products,
then explore that page's tabs and
discover how we make each sign to last; including the use of CNC
manufacturing, rust-proof metal, structural-steel frames, high-end
automotive paint, high-impact plastics, and most importantly, sophisticated
protective coatings.
Go to our "About" page and select tabs to learn about the
history of Signs Manufacturing, and many other subjects.
Unsure, or unconvinced
about the importance of signage to the survival and success of a
business? Click our "About" page's "Importance of Signage" tab
to learn what Nationwide studies have proven.
Please use and enjoy this 550+ page website with over 3,000 images, the largest
information resource about signs on the internet, created so you can learn
about all types of signs and how you can control their affect on your image
and business. Consider "bookmarking" our site as a "favorite" for easier reference
later.
We believe that if you're a knowledgeable purchaser there's a real good
chance you'll become our customer.
Signs are Like Boats
There are $50,000 boats; there are $400 boats. The devil is in the details.
Our websites, our literature, and our quotations describe in detail what we do when building signs, and why we do it.
Many competitive quotations that customers show us, and competitors' websites, are for “a boat.”
We have observed in over 40+ years of manufacturing signs, and in life in general, that no one, ever, includes quality and features in their products that are not described in their literature and quotations.
Have you had a different experience?
Considering the proven importance of a quality sign to the success of a business, do you really want to trust “a boat” to keep your business afloat?
Buyer Beware! You must have finite details to evaluate competitive signage quotations.
Nothing hurts a business more than bad signage.
Literature
We believe we are the only
sign company that offers informative
literature on signage, our "Sign Buyer's
Guide" series.
Our most popular Guides
are:
LED Signs
Full-Color or Monochrome
Lighted 3D Channel Letter Signs
Wall Cabinet Signs
Pole Signs and/or
Pylon Signs
Monument (Ground) Signs
Lobby and
Reception Signs
44 Page Brochure
36 Page Brochure
36 Page Brochure
36 Page Brochure
36 Page Brochure
20
Page Brochure
Additional "Sign
Buyer's Guide" Literature Available:
Would
you like
to be seen on our SignDawgsTV™
Show?
Season 8 of the
reality TV documentary series about Signs Manufacturing™
featuring the signage we create, and the customers we serve in
the DFW Metroplex area of North Texas, is currently being
filmed.
Co-star with William, James, Robert, and the
whole SignDawgs™ crew. Every business ever featured
on SignDawgsTV™
continues to operate successfully. If your business, church, or
school, are interested in appearing in this project be sure to
tell your salesperson so we can immediately arrange for the
producers to contact you.
SignDawgsTV™ is one of YouTube's
most successful series, with 2,000,000+ viewers (we've
officially gone viral+.) Older episodes continue to be viewed
over-and-over.
This could be valuable free advertising for
you.
SignDawgsTV™ debuts bi-weekly on
Tuesdays at 5:00 pm.
You can view allSignDawgsTV™
episodes @
SignDawgsTV.com
Ask if you would like to tour the Sea King
Productions™ Studio Building.
Business hours are 07.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday thru Friday (Central Time)
or by Appointment
Office hours are 08.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday thru Friday
Showroom hours are by Appointment
Factory Tours by Appointment
TV Studio Tours by Appointment
Emergency Service 24/7
Signs Manufacturing™ does not provide any compensation for testimonials.
None of the photographs in this website, or in our brochures, are “photo-shopped.”
All images in this website, and in our brochures, are of signage we both manufactured and installed, unless identified as bad/funny examples. (Some competitor’s websites contain pictures they’ve taken of our products.)