Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) can put out a single, narrow beam of light like a flashlight, or they can output a wide array across a room like a light bulb. Diodes output about the same amount of light no matter what type they are - but the "high-beam" diodes with a narrow angle focus more light into one small spot, whereas the "wide angle" diodes spread their light across the horizon. So, if you were to stand in front of a sign made from "high-beam" diodes with narrow viewing angles, you would see an extremely bright sign - if you stood directly in front of it. But the minute you walked to the left or right of that small spot light, you would see nothing but black.

With wide viewing angle LEDs, the image is visible in consistent brightness and uniform colors throughout the entire viewing range of the display. Golden Rule Signs only use wide angle LEDs to maximize audience exposure, maintain the highest color accuracy and extend reading times. Maintaining brightness across a wide spectrum also requires greater light output, which is why our signs have a higher LED density than any other manufacturer in the industry.

Below are some examples of bad viewing angles. The signs below were not manufactured, sold, or installed by Golden Rule Sign Company.

Some of our competitors use and promote “protective plastic faces” rather than surface mounted LEDs. This is antiquated technology which can lead to many problems with your sign. Simply put, the “protective face” or “vandal cover” is nothing more than a sheet of durable plastic in front of the LEDs. It presents two problems:

1. No matter how sophisticated or technologically advanced the plastic is, some of the light (and therefore the text/image) being produced by your sign’s LEDs will reflect back inside the display creating a red glow. This also means that less of your LEDs light is getting out and therefore your image/text is not as bright as it otherwise could be. There is significantly less contrast with signs that feature a “protective vandal cover”.
   
   
   
   
2. If someone or something does penetrate the protective face, the internal components of your sign are now exposed to the outdoor elements as well as other foreign objects.

In order to replace the sign face, exact measurements of the sign face must be taken, a new plastic face must be cut and shipped, then the sign must be opened and the faces replaced. “I sure hope it doesn’t rain between now and when the sign company sends a new protective vandal cover!” That’s right, the internal components will be ruined.

Purchasing a sign from Golden Rule Sign Company ensures that you will get the most up to date technology combined with practical design and ease of use. Our signs feature patented surface mounted pixels which are hot-swappable.