Light Boxes (Cabinet Signs) in Calgary: Bright, Even and Built to Last
A light box, also called a cabinet sign, puts your whole message on one evenly lit face: logo, name, colours, even photos. It is the most practical way to show a full brand on a fascia or a projecting bracket, and it reads clearly from the road in daylight and after dark. You will also see them called lighted box signs, illuminated sign boxes or LED box signs.
If you already have a light box, you may not need a new one at all. We keep the cabinet and replace only what has worn out: the lighting, the acrylic face, the graphics, or all of them together.
- Free site visit & measurement
- Design included
- 2-year warranty
- Own workshop in Calgary
What a Well-Made Light Box Does for Your Business
Most light box complaints are the same: dark patches, faded colours, a sign that looks cheap at night. Building it properly solves all three:
Even Light, No Dark Spots
LED modules with lenses light the whole face smoothly.
Room for Your Full Brand
Logo, name, tagline and photos fit on one printed face.
Colours That Stay Strong
UV printing made for long outdoor use and slow fading.
Easy to Update
New graphics or a new face, with no new cabinet needed.
Lit on Winter Evenings
The face keeps working when Calgary gets dark early.
Low Maintenance
LED modules rated for up to 50,000 hours.
New Light Box (Cabinet Sign) Options
A new light box is built in one of two ways, depending on how people will see it: from the front, or from both directions along the street. Each option has its own page.
Single-sided light boxes
Mounted flat on the fascia and read from the front, the most common storefront cabinet.
Double-sided (projecting) light boxes
Mounted at a right angle to the wall on brackets that hold it off the facade, and read by people coming from both directions. Often round, sometimes square.
Already Have a Light Box? Renew It Instead of Replacing It
A new light box is not always the best use of the budget. The cabinet is usually the longest-lasting part of the sign, and when it is still sound we keep it and replace only what has worn out:
New lighting
New LED modules in place of dim, patchy or failing lights, for an even glow across the whole face.
New face with graphics
A new milky acrylic face when the old one has yellowed, cracked or turned brittle. New graphics always come with it.
New graphics
New printed graphics on translucent film, on a face that is still clean and uncracked.
Any combination is possible, or all three at once. You pay only for the parts that need it, and in every case removal and reinstallation of the sign are included in the price. On the free site visit we open the sign, check the cabinet, the lighting and the face, and tell you which parts are worth replacing.
The guide light box re-face vs a new cabinet explains how to judge an old sign yourself before you call.
How Our Light Boxes Are Built
A cabinet sign looks simple from the street, but the difference between a good one and a tired one is all inside: the light layout, the face and the print.
Lighting that reaches every corner
We use LED modules rated for up to 50,000 hours with high-performance optical lenses for wide, even light. Module placement is planned for each cabinet to avoid hot spots and dark areas across the face.
Faces and printing
Graphics are UV-printed either directly onto milky acrylic or onto specialized translucent film for backlit use. Both reproduce logos, gradients and multiple colours and stay vivid when the sign is lit. The guide light box graphics: UV print on acrylic or on film compares the two.
Checked before installation
Every completed cabinet is lit and checked in our shop before it goes on the building, so the sign you approve is the sign that arrives.
Who Uses Light Box Signs
Light boxes are a natural fit wherever the sign needs to carry a full logo or several lines of information.
Signs for Plaza & Strip-Mall Tenants
Signs that meet landlord criteria and still get noticed among your neighbours.
Restaurant Signs
Facade, window and dining-room signs that bring guests in and set the mood.
Auto Repair Shop Signs
Big, readable signs for garages and body shops along busy roads and in industrial areas.
Signs for Real Estate & Property Managers
Office signs for brokerages and building signage for property managers and landlords.
Gym & Fitness Studio Signs
Bold exterior signs and motivating interior neon for gyms and studios.
Light Box Pricing: New Cabinet or Renewal?
The biggest price decision is whether the existing cabinet can stay. We evaluate the old sign on the site visit and tell you honestly which option fits.
A complete new single-sided light box costs CAD $350 plus CAD $65 per square foot of the face, plus GST. For example, a 2 × 4 ft light box comes to about CAD $870, a 4 × 8 ft one to about CAD $2,430 and a 4 × 17 ft one to about CAD $4,770. Renewing an old cabinet costs less: a new face with graphics is CAD $450 plus CAD $30 per square foot, plus GST, and new graphics alone, the most economical option, is CAD $450 plus CAD $20 per square foot, plus GST. New lighting and double-sided cabinets are quoted individually.
When the existing cabinet stays, removal and reinstallation are already included in the price. For a complete new light box, installation is quoted separately.
- Size of the face (width × height)
- Single-sided or double-sided
- A new light box, or which parts of an old one are replaced
- Print method and number of colours
- Installation for new cabinets (guide: about CAD $100 per hour plus GST)
For a quick estimate, see the light box calculator; for a side-by-side comparison read light box re-face vs a new cabinet.
Calculate the Price of Your Light Box
Choose a new light box, a new face with graphics or new graphics only, enter the size and see the price straight away.
Not sure if your old cabinet can be saved?
Book a free site visit. We will look at the structure, the wiring and the face, and tell you which option is worth paying for.
From Old Sign to New Light
New cabinets and re-faces follow the same steps, and most projects take about two weeks. We handle all the sign permit paperwork: we prepare the drawings, specifications and documents and submit the application on your behalf. If you prefer to apply yourself, you get the complete package from us, ready to submit.
Request
Send us your logo, a photo of the wall and approximate sizes through the form or by email. We reply with a rough price.
Free site visit & measurement
We come to the location, measure the wall, check the surface, power and access, and note anything the landlord or City may ask about.
Design concept
We lay out your graphics on the real face size so you see exactly how the sign will read before printing. Design is included in the price.
Permit documents
If your sign needs a permit, we prepare the drawings, dimensions and specifications for the application and walk you through it.
Fabrication
The cabinet or new face is built and printed in our workshop, then lit and checked for even light before installation.
Installation & warranty
We install the sign or swap the face on site. A new sign carries a 2-year warranty on the LED lighting, power supply, sign structure, materials and installation. For a new face, new graphics or new lighting in an existing light box, the 2-year warranty covers the new parts and our work; the existing cabinet and wiring are not covered.
Why Work With Creon Design on Your Light Box
- An honest check of whether your existing cabinet can be reused
- Built and printed in our own Calgary workshop
- Every cabinet lit and tested before it leaves the shop
- Removal and reinstallation included when we renew an existing cabinet
- Design included, with no separate fee
- All the permit paperwork handled by us
- 2-year warranty: on the LED lighting, power supply, sign structure, materials and installation for a new sign, on the new parts and our work for a replacement
Light Box Questions
A new single-sided light box costs CAD $350 plus CAD $65 per square foot of the face, plus GST: a 2 × 4 ft light box comes to about CAD $870, a 4 × 8 ft one to about CAD $2,430 and a 4 × 17 ft one to about CAD $4,770. A new face with graphics in your existing cabinet costs CAD $450 plus CAD $30 per square foot, plus GST, and new graphics only CAD $450 plus CAD $20 per square foot, plus GST, with removal and reinstallation included.
A new sign has a 2-year warranty covering the LED lighting, power supply, sign structure, materials and installation. For a new face, new graphics or new lighting in an existing light box, the 2-year warranty covers the new parts and our work; the existing cabinet and wiring are not covered. Damage from severe weather, accidents or vandalism is not covered.
Yes. For a complete new cabinet, installation is quoted separately (about CAD $100 per hour plus GST as a guide). For new lighting, a new face or new graphics in an existing cabinet, removal and reinstallation are included.
Yes. If the existing cabinet is sound, we replace the old face with new acrylic and fresh UV-printed graphics without building a new cabinet. The graphics are always replaced together with the face.
Yes. If the cabinet is sound but the light is dim, patchy or failing, we fit new LED modules and keep the face and graphics if they are in good condition. Removal and reinstallation are included.
Yes, if it is still in suitable condition. We check the structure and lighting on the free site visit and tell you which parts can stay.
LED modules rated for up to 50,000 hours with optical lenses, arranged to give bright, even light with minimal dark spots.
We handle all the sign permit paperwork: we prepare the drawings, specifications and documents and submit the application on your behalf. If you prefer to apply yourself, you get the complete package from us, ready to submit.
Usually about two weeks. The exact date is in your quote.