---
title: Eliminate Lighting Issues with Push-Thru Acrylic
description: "When you're lighting a sign with push-thru acrylic, consider these 4 challenges: light transmittance, competing brightness, loss of light, and sign depth."
---

[Grimco Connect | Tips and Resources for the Sign Industry ](https://connect.grimco.com/blog)

# [Eliminate Lighting Issues with Push-Thru Acrylic](https://connect.grimco.com/blog/eliminate-lighting-issues-with-push-thru-cabinets)

 Written by [Mallory Young](https://connect.grimco.com/blog/author/mallory-young) | Sep 27, 2022 1:15:00 PM

Routed out aluminum backed with push-thru acrylic can make for a bold, sleek and sharp look, but getting the lighting right will be the key to turning a great design into a great looking sign. It’s important to take a few things into consideration when tasked with illuminating these signs.

When you are lighting a sign with push-thru acrylic, consider these 4 challenges: 

1. Light Transmittance: typically Push-Thru applications require ½” – ¾” thick acrylic. A thicker acrylic reduces light transmittance when compared to standard 3/16” acrylic.
2. Competing Brightness: A push-thru cabinet located above or near an EMC board or in a metropolitan area with dense light pollution will need to compete with the brightness of the surrounding area.
3. Loss of Light: The addition of perforated vinyl can play an added role when calculating loss of light and is common in push-thru applications where the letters need to appear black during the day and illuminate white at night.
4. Sign depth: Lighting a 4” deep double-sided wayfinding sign can double your LED costs if you use the wrong LED, forcing you to use too many LEDs and adding more power supplies to a sign that doesn’t have any room for more!

These 4 factors can result in a dull, underwhelming sign when not properly populated, but here are a few tips to ensure brightness and quality.

1. [Module Choice](https://connect.grimco.com/blog/eliminate-lighting-issues-with-push-thru-cabinets?hs_amp=true#Module-Choice)
2. [Spacing](https://connect.grimco.com/blog/eliminate-lighting-issues-with-push-thru-cabinets?hs_amp=true#Module-spacing)

## **Module Choice**

Photo Credits: Designery and UFB Fabrication

 

Choosing the right LED module for your application will set you up for success. We recommend selecting a module with a high lumen output such as [Stellar Edge Big](https://www.grimco.com/Catalog/Products/HANLEYLEDSTELLAREDGESERIESS-1720?__hstc=9053098.3c2cc1054b5b06ca2b8ae3c4800addb0.1570388698745.1658775863863.1658780404307.133&__hssc=9053098.14.1658780404307&__hsfp=514928620), [Wingspan](https://www.grimco.com/Catalog/Search?searchString=wingspan), or PhoenixNRG [Series III](https://www.grimco.com/Catalog/Products/HANLEYLEDPHOENIXNRGSERIESPE-3) or [IV](https://www.grimco.com/Catalog/Products/HANLEYLEDPHOENIXNRGSERIESIV) depending on the overall parameters of your sign. The high lumen output will help you battle the 4 challenges listed above. 

 

## **Module Spacing**

Photo credits: Graphics 22 and UFB Fabrication

 

When illuminating ½” – ¾” acrylic, we recommend overpopulating behind the push-thru areas OR use a more powerful module to customize your brightness. Are you using perforated vinyl over your acrylic? Or is there a lot of ambient light competing with your sign? Sometimes you don’t find out until the sign is installed on site that your lighting needs a boost. And sometimes your sign is too bright.

Using an LED module that allows you *customize your brightness* gives you the versatility to play around with your lighting in the shop or in the field. HanleyLED’s [**Wingspan**](https://www.grimco.com/Catalog/Search?searchString=wingspan) or [**Stellar**](https://www.grimco.com/Catalog/Search?searchString=stellar&b=34&page=1) series modules will be a game changer in these situations.

When in doubt get a layout! Our team is happy to provide custom layouts unique to your application to ensure brightness on every job.[ Create your layout with HanleyPRO](https://www.hanleyledsolutions.com/request-layout.html#pro) today!

 

Want to learn more about push thru-acrylic applications? Check out this video.

 

 

[View full post](https://connect.grimco.com/blog/eliminate-lighting-issues-with-push-thru-cabinets)

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