Help!

[James Rambo]

I have been asked by a local business, that I make interior signs for, if there is an alternative to the lettering in the picture. They need to replace the names on a regular basis. The sun here in florida (worse with this building facing to the East, caused the discoloration of the vinyl.
I am not a sign maker I basically do laser engraved plastic signs.
I would like to give him some kind of an answer. Maybe do the job. I am not very good at thinking 'out of the box'. THANKS
ps... If he decides to go back to vinyl lettering what price range would this run?

[Angus Hines]

Maybe a directory of some sort where the nameplates could be easily engraved in acrylic and swapped out??? Placed on the portion of Dryvit wall to the right of the window????

[Stephen Beckham]

James,

Is he hard pressed to put them back into the window? If so, you'll need to go with the UV stable stuff - same kind of stuff they use on vehicle wraps. But changing frequently would be a bear...

Do you have a Johnson Plastic catalog? They have several standups that you could put names on and have it in the window, but inside the office. It would just take minutes to change the names and they could do it themselves without having to involve you over and over. Just a thought.

[Joe Pelonio]

If that is dual pane glass, use white vinyl on the inside of the glass (cut in mirror image) and it will hold up a lot longer. I say white because it's the most readable since glass looks dark from a distance. The advantage to vinyl is that you can still see through the window and light still gets in. Any other setup will block more of it, but you could do a directory setup inside the
window with clear acrylic panels, one for each name, with either vinyl lettering or perhaps laser cut Rowmark ADA material. I did one yesterday that would work nice for this, only it was just one panel. You would need 1-2 pairs of side connectors for each name panel. This is where the cable/connector system came from:

http://www.novadisplay.com/wholesale...ay-system.html

The panel supports have two set screws, one to attach to the cable, the other to hold onto the acrylic. Very sleek and modern look.

[James Rambo]

Thanks Joe, they are a nice alternative for window lettering. I think I will show him this Idea and see what he thinks.

Anyone else use something different than window lettering for displaying occupants of a building.

[Scott Shepherd]

I think you really need to get it inside and use something like Joe mentioned. I see glass all the time that had vinyl on it and you can still see the old ghost. I did a job about 2 weeks ago and I could tell you all 3 of the names of the companies that occupied the space over the last 10 years, I'm told.

I would think especially in Florida. I'd almost bet you could remove those vinyl letters and still read all the names. Take it inside, either on the glass in reverse as Joe mentioned, or on a system, and you'll get rid of some of that risk.

The sunlight is crazy when it comes to how it will damage things. I've only been doing this a short time, but I've seen things up for only a few months and a ghost be left.

[Joe Pelonio]

The "ghosting" that Scott mentioned is something that people are pretty aware of happening on car/truck paint, from the fading of the paint except where the vinyl covered it. The problem on glass is less known, because it's not as obvious to the eye. Glass is a funny material. Perhaps because it's not really a solid nor a liquid.

When my windshield ('07 Ranger) is cold and the light hits it just right, I can make out some numbers on the corner, from grease pencil marks in the factory. It has been cleaned probably 100 times, treated with Rain-x 3-4 times, and the wipers are going 10 months of the year, yet it has lasted over 2 years.

I have a car dealer customer that uses my lettering on the windshield and rear glass of their loaner cars. When they eventually get sold used, they have to use a glass polish and buffer as used on car wax to make it invisible, but it will eventually show up again under the right conditions.

I once discussed this in great length with the technical support people at one of the vinyl manufacturing companies. I have never been able to resolve it scientifically. One theory is that auto safety glass contains a film laminated into the center that can fade from the sun but again is protected where the lettering was. This, however, applies only to the windshield, since the sides and rear are now made with tempered rather than laminated safety glass, and I see the ghosting on all auto glass and on storefront windows.

[James Rambo]

Thanks guys,
Ya he is wanting the names to be seen very easily from the outside of the building. We are in an area of florida where the average age is something like 66 yoa. And the doctors in this building see a lot of elderly patients.
He has looked at the setup that Joe suggested, and thinks it will look good as long as the name plates that I use are of the colors that can be seen easily from the outside. I will make up a test name plate and see if they can be read if at the distance the wire system will be from the frame inside the window glass. Them I will order some of the parts to create the wire display system