Low power consumption and overall environmental friendliness aside, however, technological advancements are also making LEDs more versatile and more attractive, helping to encourage their use in signage. One such improvement in recent years is the angle of view afforded by LEDs, which is now considerably wider than before, says Pappa.

LED use in signage has experienced a huge jump in the past three years and LED signs have grown to account for a whopping 95 per cent of the market, according to Bob Craig, president of Acme Neon and Plastics Signs in Mississauga, Ont. “From a lighting perspective, it’s the most dramatic change we have seen,” says Craig, who has been in the business for more than 40 years.

“LEDs are always changing. They’re becoming bigger, brighter and more cost efficient,” says Craig. In fact, it’s not unusual to see significant changes in LED technology every six to nine months, he says. Craig notes that lack of regulation is evidence and byproduct of this fast growth by the LED industry.

Nonetheless, says Craig, the decision by businesses to choose LEDs is a simple one, especially in light of recent developments. Not only have costs dropped significantly over the past four years, LED signs offer an inherent advantage of low maintenance when compared with the alternative, neon.
 
“They’re easy to ship and easy to repair in the field,” says Craig. That’s in part because LEDs generate very little heat, making LED signs easy to handle when it comes to installation and repairs. They are also more durable; an LED sign rarely breaks down and, when fading does take place, it’s barely perceptible to the eye, says Craig. Further, the potential for breakage is minimal when it comes to shipping and installation, in part because LEDs do not contain filaments or tubing. And since LEDs do not use or contain the gases or elements, there is no need to contain, replace, or dispose of potentially difficult substances, such as mercury.

Craig notes, for example, that repairing a non-functioning neon sign would normally require replacement of the entire structure or, at least, sending the sign back to the manufacturer’s shop to replace intricate tubing or delicate gases. By comparison, repairing a “broken” LED sign usually requires no more than replacing some individual bulbs.

As well, unlike a neon sign, which generally represents a single glass tube, a typical LED business sign comprises many separate lights, making it suitable for animation and other versatile design options.

From backlit advertising and displays, to channel-letter and edge-lighting systems, the popular applications for LEDs will only expand as developers work to overcome the limitations and improve the technology of LEDs for signage. Refining the brightness, power usage and cost efficiency of white LEDs, for example, could facilitate the use of LEDs in retrofitting existing signs.

For his part, Sunitron’s Pappa cites pylon signs—large signs affixed to the ground that offer high visibility—as a trend that is destined grow as it capitalizes on emerging LED technologies. “LEDs are getting better and better all the time,” he says. “They are the light of the future.”

A Step Beyond - Latest Technologies Merge Digital Display with Fixed Graphics

Graphic sign-makers faced with the challenge of presenting real-time information in digital format may now have a simple-to-use and energy-efficient option. Among the products to debut at the ISA International Sign Expo 2009, North America’s largest sign industry trade event, were Smart Signs from Albuquerque, NM-based Tred Displays. The Expo was held in Las Vegas from April 16 to April 18, 2009.

Smart Signs are based on the company’s tredPANEL™ and tredLINK™ technologies. Described by Tred as “ready-to-go,” tredPANEL uses proprietary Electro-Magnetic Digital Display™ (EMD2) technology to create a reflective, digital sign panel with high-contrast, large-format text that looks similar to ink. Communications to the signs, meanwhile, are handled by tredLINK, a wireless management system with applications for Windows® and for Tred’s own iN200 USB routers.

The company says its EMD2 technology is 80 per cent reflective, bi-stable and requires very low power. Based on this technology, TredPANELS allow sign-makers to add inkjet or cut-vinyl graphics to produce a Smart Sign, which is battery powered, wireless, and may be hung like a poster. By eliminating complicated installation, content management and high power requirements that may be associated with digital LCD and LED technology, Tred believes its new signs will open the door to digital signage for many graphic sign-makers and their customers who were previously constrained by price.

Dynamic applications expected to benefit from this development include digital pricing and point-of-purchase displays, as well as numeric information that is updated on an ongoing basis, such as interest rates, temperature, and time.