Raceway mounted signs are a fitting solution to the age-old problem with channel letters: wiring. Applying signage to a business already costs money; and considering the old saying of "time is money", the fact that channel letters need their own distinct wiring configuration can quickly turn a marketing ploy into a money sink. This is where raceway mounted signs come into play.

What are raceway signs anyway?

Raceways are rectangular signage mounts that also enclose electrical components, like transformers and LED wiring. They are essentially signs with their own wiring housed inside, giving them the aforementioned advantage over ordinary channeled letters. However, raceway mounted signs usually require skilled technicians to install and perform maintenance and repairs. Despite this, these repairs are often simpler than other signage types because of the proximity of all the electric components to each other. Replacement parts are often cheaper and easier to find.

Financial advantages

This simplicity of installment and repair has a few concrete benefits to the business-owner. The first is simply timeframe: raceways do not take an exorbitant amount of time to install, allowing more time for the signage to do its job and bring in more customers. Raceways can also save precious dollars when it comes to labor. Due to the relative ease of installing and repairing these signs, raceways require less workers (and less hours needed for those workers to do their jobs), reducing the overall labor cost of the operation.

Logistical advantages

A logistical advantage to raceways in comparison to channel letters or flush mounts is the holes required for raceways. Raceways are often more desirable than other signage types because of the lower "impact" on the storefront itself, which can be near-mandatory if renting the location from a landlord. Finally, raceways are customizable, able to be painted appropriately to blend or contrast with the coloring of the storefront itself.

Consider the following

However, there are considerations that need to be worked out prior to installing raceways. The first is the more obvious: as mentioned earlier, raceway installation is not an amateur task. Specialized labor is required to get the signs working well enough to attract customers and spread the word about the enterprise. Finally, zoning must be taken into account. The wise business-owner looking to install raceway signage should do research on local zoning guidelines to see which buildings are allowed to have signage and how large it is allowed to be, and gain permission from the officials themselves.