Question 1

Which plastic should I print channel letters in?

Accepted Answer

Outdoors — ASA or PETG housings (PLA fades and warps in the sun) and an opal PETG face 1.6 mm thick. PLA is fine indoors. Print a test face tile before the first sign to find the thickness that hides the LEDs.

Question 2

How much does it cost to print a sign?

Accepted Answer

The generator calculates the plastic weight and print time of every part. On the last step press “Calculate the sign price” — the calculator opens with grams and hours filled in; add your filament price, electricity, LED strip, power supply and markup. A generation is charged once, re-downloading the same sign is free for 30 days.

Question 3

How do I hang the letters and cut the face from acrylic?

Accepted Answer

With face lighting every letter has keyholes for screws in its bottom: print the marking template from the archive at 100 % (check the 100×100 mm square), level it on the wall, drive screws into wall plugs at the crosses and hang the letters. Halo letters hang on standoffs — the studs are marked on the same template. Instead of printing the face you can laser-cut it from opal acrylic: the archive has a DXF and SVG of the contour with kerf compensation.

Question 4

What is the difference between the face joints?

Accepted Answer

Sealant groove — the face ridge sits in a groove on the wall, which is filled with silicone: reliable outdoors. TPU gasket — a printed seal, the face is held by screws through the wall and can be removed to replace the strip. Simple fit — the face lip goes inside the housing with glue, indoor use only.

Question 5

How is the strip length calculated?

Accepted Answer

Along the stroke centerline of every letter: each part of a letter is replaced by a band with the same area and perimeter. Wide strokes get several rows. Pieces are rounded to the strip cut step (usually longer at 24 V). The power supply gets a 20% reserve.

Question 6

What if a letter does not fit my printer bed?

Accepted Answer

The generator splits such a letter into parts automatically: each fits the bed with a 5 mm margin, seams have a dovetail lock, splice plates bridge the seam on the bottom, face seams are offset from body seams, and the part number is on the inside. Glue the parts together before fitting the LED strip. If you'd rather not split, choose “Don't split (shrink)” in Construction → Print or pick a printer with a bigger bed.

Question 7

How do I make halo (back-lit) letters?

Accepted Answer

Choose “Halo (back-lit)” or “Face + halo”. The generator builds a housing with a solid 3 mm face and an open back (or the regular housing with a diffuser), bosses next to the letter wall and tube standoffs as long as the distance from the wall — 30–50 mm, 40 by default. The strip runs along the letter outline with LEDs facing the wall (on the back of the floor in “Face + halo”); its length and the power supply are calculated for the chosen mode, and M4 rods are in the shopping list.

Channel Letter Generator

What the sign says

FAQ