Selecting the Right Electronic Sign
How often have you driven down the road or walked or drove past an electronic sign and can barely read the message? While, electronic signs have numerous benefits over conventional signs, buying one that does not meet your needs is money wasted. There are numerous ways to go about selecting the right electronic display. However, this section will give you the basic concepts on selecting an electronic display. Most of emphasis will be on applications for outdoor electronic displays. The following criteria will assist you in finding a electronic sign that you will be happy with.
1. Viewing Distance and Time
While, most people start out with an idea on the physical size of the electronic display, this is not the correct first step to follow. Instead, determine the viewing distance, or the distance from where you want the majority of the audience to read your message. As a general rule of thumb for electronic displays, one inch character is viewable from up to 50 feet away. For example, a person standing 400 feet away from a electronic sign can recognize an eight inch or larger character on the display. In addition, the traffic pattern in front of the electronic sign needs to be taken into consideration. A driver in a 45mph speed zone will have less time to read a message than a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk. On average, the typical audience will need at least 3 to 4 seconds to read about 6 to 8 groupings of text and/or graphics. For example, the phrase "VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. CALL 555-1212", would constitute four groupings of text. Understanding viewing distance and time will help you determine the correct size of your electronic sign.
As a summary:
• 2 inch text works well in most foot traffic areas, such as for indoor applications.
• 4 to 6 inch text is ideal for 45mph or under traffic, such as outdoor church and school applications.
• 8 inch text or larger works is suited for most outdoor applications where traffic is 60mph or slower.
| Character Size |
Max. Viewing Distance |
Max. Viewing Time (seconds)3 |
| inch |
mm |
foot |
meter |
25mph / 40kph |
35mph / 56kph |
45mph / 72kph |
55mph / 89kph |
65mph / 104kph |
| 2 |
51 |
100 |
31 |
2.7 |
1.9 |
1.5 |
1.2 |
1.0 |
| 4 |
102 |
200 |
61 |
5.5 |
3.9 |
3.0 |
2.5 |
2.1 |
| 5 |
127 |
250 |
76 |
6.8 |
4.9 |
3.8 |
3.1 |
2.6 |
| 6 |
152 |
300 |
91 |
8.2 |
5.8 |
4.5 |
3.7 |
3.1 |
| 8 |
203 |
400 |
122 |
10.9 |
7.8 |
6.1 |
5.0 |
4.2 |
| 9 |
229 |
450 |
137 |
12.3 |
8.8 |
6.8 |
5.6 |
4.7 |
| 10 |
254 |
500 |
152 |
13.6 |
9.7 |
7.6 |
6.2 |
5.2 |
| 12 |
305 |
600 |
183 |
16.4 |
11.7 |
9.1 |
7.4 |
6.3 |
| 16 |
406 |
800 |
244 |
21.8 |
15.6 |
12.1 |
9.9 |
8.4 |
| 20 |
508 |
1,000 |
305 |
27.3 |
19.5 |
15.2 |
12.4 |
10.5 |
| 24 |
610 |
1,200 |
366 |
32.7 |
23.4 |
18.2 |
14.9 |
12.6 |
| 36 |
914 |
1,800 |
549 |
49.1 |
35.1 |
27.3 |
22.3 |
18.9 |
| 48 |
1,200 |
2,400 |
732 |
65.5 |
46.8 |
36.4 |
29.8 |
25.2 |
| 60 |
1,542 |
3,000 |
914 |
81.8 |
58.4 |
45.5 |
37.2 |
31.5 |
Note:
1. LEDs emit light allowing the content to be visible further away than the same content on standard reflective surfaces.
2. Other factors, such as content size, traffic, distractions, weather, lighting conditions, etc. will affect the time required.
3. The values listed in the chart does not take into consideration the minimum required visibility distance (MRVD).
4. The information provided should not be taken as the definitive source on electronic sign visibility and viewing distance.
2. Text vs. Graphics
Ideally, everyone wants to run graphics and dazzling animation on their electronic sign to attract lots of viewers. In reality, certain applications do not need to display graphics, such as financial information, community announcements, upcoming events, name directory, etc. Why pay more for a full matrix (graphic capable) electronic message center, when your application does not require it? Furthermore, zoning and sign ordinance differ from place to place and may prohibit or limit the use of graphics with electronic displays in outdoor settings. Please, consult with your local government's ordinance to determine if electronic displays are allowed.
For displaying adequate graphics, you need to consider an electronic LED display that has at least 16 pixels in height. We recommended a minimum of 32 pixels in height for displaying good graphics.
3. Message Content (Resolution and Lines of Text)
The next thing you should consider is how much content you want to display on your electronic sign at once. LED signs give you the flexibility of displaying multiple messages by cycling through the messages at a delayed interval. Therefore, think about how many lines of text and number of characters per line you want. Usually it is a good idea to have at least two lines of text and twelve characters per line. With full matrix LED displays that can display graphics and animation, you also want to consider the resolution. Resolution is defined by the pitch and the number of pixels in your display. Usually, higher the number of pixel (refer to the pixel matrix value in the specification charts), higher the resolution. Resolution is important for video boards and should maintain an aspect ratio of 3H:4W or 6H:9W.
4. Physical Size of Electronic LED Sign
Most manufacturers of electronic signs carry standard models that are of a certain physical size. You can give us a call and we can talk with you about the specific needs and what size will work best for you.
5. Other Factors to Consider
We have covered the basic factors you need to consider when selecting an electronic sign. There are other factors that you may need to take into consideration. While we do not go into details here, please feel free to contact us and we will be glad to explain it to you.
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