Glossary

The following list is only a small portion of the words used daily within the sign industry. The selected terms included here often appear on our drawings and specification documents. This list will help provide clients with a better understanding and working knowledge of these terms, and to be able to use them in discussions with industry personnel.

Angle Iron – describes any piece of structural iron or steel bent to a right (90-degree) angle for use in sign cabinets and support covers.

Back-to-Back – two or more sign cabinets mounted on a common structure but facing opposite directions.
Backlighted Channel Letter – the front, or face, of the letter is opague and the internal illumination is directed to the rear against the mounting surface creating a “halo’ or outline appearance.

Ballast – a device that operates as part of a fluorescent lamp system and is designed primarily to provide sufficient starting voltage. A ballast may also heat the lamp electrodes and, once the tube is in operation, limit the amount of electrical energy going through the lamp.

Banner – a sign made of fabric, plastic, or other non-rigid material which has no framework. May be painted, digitally printed, screen-printed, or decorated with vinyl. Most often used short term for promotional purposes.

Cabinet – a sign cabinet typically consists of a metal enclosure having a back and front which can be opaque metal, or translucent faces, retainers (if applicable), sides (fillers) and all related electrical components. A cabinet (or cabinets) is usually the part of the sign that contains the words or copy.

Changeable Copy Sign – a sign on which the copy can be changed, either manually through use of attachable letters (usually plastic), or electronically, using incandescent bulbs or L.E.D.s.

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Channel Letter – the outline of a letter with metal sidewalls (returns) into which a neon tube or L.E.D. is placed. A channel letter sign incorporating returns prevents the lighting from having a run-together, difficult to read, appearance. A channel letter can be open face with exposed illumination, reverse channel letters with a backlighted or halo lighted appearance, or have plastic faces.

Coating – another word for the paint process applied to a sign.

Code or Sign Ordinance – typically refers to a community’s or county’s sign code or ordinance which is designed to regulate the size, height, quantity, location, and illumination of all signage with it’s jurisdiction. A sign code may be a part of the government body’s land use planning regulations, or it may be a separate document designed to interact with other land use codes. As part of the police powers granted to local governments, a sign code normally seeks tp promote the health, safety,, and welfare of the public. In some areas, sign codes may also regulate the morals and aesthetics of sign content and design.

Copy – most commonly, the words or message to be displayed on a sign. May also include graphics or logos on the face, as well.

Design – at it’s simplest, a synonym for layout. Design is the process involved in creating a sign from the time the job is assigned until the actual manufacturing begins, and includes conceptualizing the idea, choosing the colors, typestyles, and graphics, and then arranging them in a way that is most effective for catching viewer attention and conveying the client’s message.

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Directional Sign – a permanent small on-premise sign designed to direct the viewer, using specific copy and arrows, to a particular area or event.

Display – another word for sign.

Double Face – a sign with two parallel cabinets or faces; a back–to-back sign.

Electric Sign – a sign which contains electrical fixtures or connections.

Electronic Message Center – a sign that utilizes computer-generated changeable messages. These signs include displays that most commonly use incandescent lamps or L.E.D.s for illumination.

EMC – sometimes used as a shortened version for the longer Electronic Message Center.
Embellishments – any addition to a sign or sign face that provides a three-dimensional effect. Cut-outs, push-thrus, architectural filigree, or inset revels are all examples of embellishments.

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Embossed – the process of producing raised letters and/or graphics on a sign, such as on formed plastic faces.

External Illumination – illumination provided separate from the sign itself, such as a spotlight.

Fillers – term used for the metal sides of a cabinet sign.

Flexible-Face Material – woven vinyl translucent cloth (such as 3M Panaflex) that is decorated and then stretched across a frame to provide virtually blow-out proof sign faces.

Fluorescent Lamps – in a fluorescent lamp, the tube is coated with phosphors and then filled with a mix of argon gas and mercury. When electrical current passes between the electrodes, the gas mixture emits ultra-violet (UV) light. The UV light is absorbed by the phosphors, which then radiate the energy as visible light. A starter and ballast help regulate the current and voltage necessary to ionize the gasses in the tube. Fluorescent lamps are more efficient than incandescent bulbs and are a popular source of illumination for many signs.

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Font – refers to the style and width of a particular design of letters, numbers, and symbols, with names such as Helvetica Bold or Times Roman.

Formed – refers to a plastic face or letters that has been heated and shaped to give it a dimension, such as a formed face with embossed copy.

Foundation – the below ground structure of a monument or pylon sign. Components usually include the pier or slab hole, steel support column(s), rebar, and concrete. Depending upon the location and/or complexity of the project, additional components may be required.

Grade – the contour of the ground surface, whether in its natural state or after development. The placement of signs is often measured as height above grade.

Identification Sign – a sign providing only the business name for the purposes of identification of the business or property.

Illuminated Sign – a sign which is lighted from either an internal (electric) source or external source, such as from floodlights.

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Incandescent Bulb – a lamp that provides light through the application of electrical energy to a wire filament, which glows as it is heated. The average household light is an incandescent bulb. Once popular as a light source for signs, it is now seldom used.

Internally Illuminated – a sign which is lighted through the use of internal electrical fixtures and/or lampbanks.

Lampbank – the park of an Electronic Message Center that the public sees – the matrix of vertical and horizontal rows of lamps or pixels in the case of L.E.D.s

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L.E.D. – Light Emitting Diode – a very small type of low power consuming lamp most often used in Electronic Message Center signs, but now is gaining acceptance as a channel letter lighting source. L.E.D.s are combined into groups and arranged in a larger device know as a pixel, which in turn is used to provide the final matrix designation of an Electronic Message Center.

Logo – an often-stylized group of letters, words, or symbols used represent a business or product. Seldom able to stand alone, a logo is usually used in association with the business name.

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Matrix – the overall size of an Electronic Message Center as measured by the total number of vertical and horizontal rows of lamps or pixels. Example: 24 horizontal rows of pixels x 96 vertical rows of pixels is designated as a 24x96 matrix Electronic Message Center.

Monument Sign – a free-standing sign sitting directly on the ground or mounted on a low base. Typically these signs are in the 10’ overall height range and have no open air space between the cabinet and the ground. Often use stone or brick.

Negative Space – the background of a sign. The area around and within the art and copy. Also know as white space.

Neon – a rare inert gas which, when an electric current is discharged through it, produces a reddish-orange glow. The word neon is used synonymously to describe a type of luminous tube sign, which may contain other inert gases.

Off-Premise Sign – a sign which is not located on the building or property of the business it advertises. The most common example of off-premise signs are billboards.

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On-Premise Sign – a sign which is located on the premises of the business the sign advertises.

Opaque – not clear or translucent; not allowing light to pass through.

Open Channel Letter – a channel letter that has no face and in which the lighting source, such as neon tubing, is visible.

Pantone Matching System (PMS) – standardized series of thousands of colors, each with specific color formulations and identification numbers. Designed for use in the printing industry, these color match systems are in use in countless paint matching and mixing systems, and are considered an universal color matching system.

Pegged-out – industry slang term for a sign or channel letters that have been installed several inches away from a parallel wall surface using all-thread and/or spacers to create a special viewing or lighting effects.

Permit – a license granted by the appropriate authorities to allow a sign to be erected.

Plexiglas – a trade name for a brand of acrylic sheeting, often used as a generic term for acrylic.

Pylon Sign – a free-standing sign, usually double faced, mounted on round pipe, square tube, or other fabricated members without any type of secondary support. Pylon signs have a greater overall height than monument signs.

Polycarbonate – a type of plastic, with a trade name such as Lexan, noted for its heat resistance and high impact strength.

Primary Wiring – electrical wiring that runs from the power panel/breaker box in a building to the sign.

Raceway – a metal structure, usually about 8” square, enclosing all electrical components of a sign including transformers. This hollow box structure usually extends the length of a set of channel letters, which in turn are mounted to the raceway. The type of installation is generally used when the surface of the building is very rough or the shopping center installation code requires a raceway. The raceway is typically painted to match the color of the building.

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Returns – term used for the metal sides used on individual channel letters, usually about 5” in depth, depending upon the final size and height of the finished letter.

Reverse Channel Letter – channel letter which has a face and sides but no back, and is pegged out from a background surface. When the light source inside the letter is lit, it produces a halo effect around the letter. Also used as a non-illuminated version to provide a three dimensional appearance .

Routing – using a computer aided manufacturing machine (CAM), a sheet of metal, usually aluminum, is placed on the router bed and the system is then programmed to cut certain areas of metal away, leaving only the background to ultimately end up with design openings in the metal – such as routing out the name of a business.

Support Column(s) – steel structural members of various configurations including pipe, square tubing, H and I beams, are the most common elements utilized to anchor the sign into the ground and extend to a height necessary for the particular sign as per engineered requirements.

Time and Temperature Sign – electronic signs utilizing either incandescent lamps or L.E.D.s. These signs alternate between showing the always important time and temperature.

Transformer – in electric signs, the mechanical or electronic component that transforms the voltage coming into the sign (the primary wiring or voltage) into a higher or lower voltage (the secondary wiring or voltage) necessary to run the sign. Although most signs – especially neon, which operates at 990-15,000 volts – require a higher voltage to operate, and all low-voltage lighting requires a step-down transformer.

Translucent – the property of a substrate, vinyl, paint, or ink, to allow the passage of some light through it without being transparent. Internally illuminated signs rely on translucent paints and vinyls.

Variance – A method where a government body deviates from the terms of its sign or zoning code. Typically, obtaining a variance for a sign requires the applicant to show that it would not be contrary to the public interest or where, owing to the conditions peculiar to the property – a literal enforcement of the regulations would result in unnecessary and undue hardship.

Vinyl – polyvinylchloride (PVC) film that, in signmaking, is backed with an adhesive that will create a strong bond to the surface when pressure is applied.

Wall Sign – a sign that is installed flat against an existing wall or structure and typically does not extend more than 12” from the surface.