Channel letter cost calculator

The trade rule of thumb is to price by letter height: roughly $25–$40 per inch for standard front-lit aluminum letters with acrylic faces, so an 18-inch letter lands around $450–$700 each before install. Halo-lit (reverse-lit) runs higher — the returns and standoffs take more labour — and non-lit fabricated or flat-cut letters run well under it. Treat that as a sanity check, not a quote: the real number comes from your own coil, trim cap, acrylic and LED costs against the letter's actual perimeter and face area, which is what the calculator above measures.

Work it out per letter, then add the job. Per letter: return coil by the foot (its length is the letter's perimeter), trim cap by the same footage, acrylic by the face area, LED modules by the count the face needs, plus fabrication labour. Then add what belongs to the sign rather than the letter — power supplies, the raceway or backer if there is one, wiring, a permit, engineering if it's required, and install with lift or bucket-truck time. Apply your markup to the total, not to materials alone, or the labour goes out the door free.

It follows face area and depth, not letter count. Most manufacturers publish a spacing guide — commonly a module every 3–4 inches across the face, which works out near one module per 4–8 square inches depending on the product and how bright you need it. Shallower returns need tighter spacing to avoid hot-spotting. Size the power supply on total module wattage plus about 20% headroom, and never run a supply at its rated maximum. The calculator counts modules from your letters' real face area; check the number against your specific LED's datasheet before ordering.

Yes — and now the downloads are free too. Type a word or upload your logo, get exact perimeter, face area, material footage, LED module counts and power supply sizing with no signup, then download the layered DXF cut files and 3D-print STLs by leaving your email. The full PrinterFlo app (quoting, proofs, production boards, invoicing) is the paid part.

No — that's the point. Other channel letter software starts from a vector file you have to prepare in CAD or Illustrator. This tool reads real font outlines from text you type, so the numbers exist before any artwork does.

The geometry is exact: the tool measures the true vector outline of every letter — outer edge plus the counters (the holes in O, A, B) — so perimeter and face area aren't square-footage guesses. Material rates are editable so the costs reflect your own suppliers, and LED counts follow published manufacturer density guidelines (verify against your product's datasheet).

Yes — free. The same design exports a layered DXF: face and back outlines at true size with counters cut out, plus return coil and trim cap strips cut to each letter's edge length, in inches, ready to nest. Just leave an email to download.

Yes. PrinterFlo generates a printable STL per letter — a hollow can with perimeter walls and a solid back, open for LED modules — plus an optional snap lid with an adjustable fit clearance you tune to your printer and material. Files are in millimeters, ready to slice.

Yes. PrinterFlo shops embed this designer on their own site — customers design their sign, and the finished spec lands in your quote pipeline priced with your rates.