Are all retail light boxes created equal? New developments in retail light box technology and demands for more sophisticated and energy efficient merchandising and display products may be signaling the demise of standard light box technology.
所有的灯箱式标识都是一个样子的吗?零售商店灯箱式标识技术的新发展，能够让灯箱更加节能，满足人们的需求，这也可能预示着传统灯箱技术的消亡。
So, what does this new technology bring to the table?
那么，这项新技术到底带来了什么呢?
Dramatic reductions in energy consumption that translate in dramatic dollar savings
大幅降低能源消耗，从而节省资金
Significant reductions in the hidden and ongoing costs of maintenance and upkeep 
显著降低维护和保养的成本
Thinner light boxes that save space and enhance consumer experience 
灯箱更加的薄，能够有效节省空间，增强消费者体验
Improvements in the effect of advertising through brighter and more even illumination 
照明光线更加的明亮和柔和，提强广告效果
Meeting consumer and regulatory demands for environmentally friendly retailing 
满足消费者和监管部门对环保方面的需求

Who's being left behind?
传统灯箱式标识落后在哪里？
Traditional retail or shop light boxes have been effective for decades. They are simple constructions that really are no more complicated than the name suggests: a box, illuminated from with in. Typically they are 200mm (8 inches) in thickness and fabricated in aluminum. Inside a number of fluorescent tubes are mounted to the fabrication and illuminate a graphic applied to an acrylic face on one or both sides of the light box. These traditional-type light boxes are still commonly used today and are as effective as they have ever been. The problem is that the world and consumer expectations has moved on, leaving this old technology falling short in a number of areas.
传统的零售或商店使用的灯箱式标识几十年来一直很有效。它们的结构比较简单，由一个外面的盒子和一个内部照明组成。通常它们由铝材料制成，厚度为200mm(8英寸)。安装许多荧光灯管，来照亮灯箱一侧或两侧的丙烯酸表面的图形。这些传统类型的灯箱至今仍被广泛使用，而且也一样的有效。问题在于，世界形势和消费者的预期已经发生了变化，这种灯箱在许多领域都存在不足。

First, these traditional store light boxes really chewed through the power. A large light box of 6m x 3m (approx 20 x 10 foot) requires 45 x 58 watt fluorescent tubes to effectively illuminate. Such a light box, running for just 12 hours a day, uses around 12,000 kW of power per annum and that equates to an electricity bill of well in excess of US$1000 for just one light box!
首先，这些传统的灯箱式标识比较耗电。一个6米x 3米(约20 x 10英尺)的大型灯箱需要45 x 58瓦的荧光灯才能有效照明，这样一个灯箱，按照每天运行12个小时计算，每年使用约12000千瓦的电力，一个灯箱的电费远远超过1000美元!

Maintenance is also an issue that seems to be problematic for business owners using these traditional style light boxes. Just one faulty tube in your light box can make it look… well… average at best. And clearly the likelihood of a fault at any given time, when you have 45 fluorescent tubes or more illuminating a single light box, is rather high. Flickering or broken tubes quickly become a considerable ongoing cost and as a result it is common to see this type of light box with dull patches or shadows across the surface. This flawed presentation has a negative impact on consumer perception of your brand, not to mention a significant decrease in the impact of your signage or advertising - it's not professional and it's not bright.
对于使用这些传统灯箱标识的商家来说，维护也是一个问题。灯箱里只要有一根有毛病的灯管，那么它看起来就会非常的一般，光照不匀称。当你的灯箱里面有45个荧光灯管或更多灯管，那么这个灯箱发生故障的可能性是相当高的。有毛病的灯管很快就会成为一个相当大的成本浪费，因此，经常看到这种类型的灯箱表面有暗斑或阴影。这种缺陷会让消费者对你的品牌产生负面的影响，更不用说你的招牌或广告的影响力会显著下降——毕竟它看起来既不明亮也不高级。

New technology! But, buyer beware
商家要购买灯箱式标识要谨慎
The new player in the light box display market is edge-lit or slimline technology. These terms refer to light boxes which operate by means of a light source applied directly to the edge of an internal acrylic panel, the front surface of which illuminates due to a matrix pattern printed on that surface.
现在灯箱式标识市场的新宠是边缘光灯箱和细线条灯箱，他们直接应用于内部丙烯酸面板边缘的光源，并且在面板的前表面印刷矩阵图案，因而能够发光。

These matrix patterns are the crucial element in the effectiveness of slimline light boxes. The light that is introduced into to acrylic panel is reflected by the pattern and exits the panel via the front face, thus illuminating any poster or graphics placed on that face. Effective light patterns operate using algorithms that have been calculated to distribute the light evenly across the panel. In essence these patterns reflect less light near the edge of the acrylic panel, where the light source is applied and light levels are at their highest, and more light at the centre of the panel where levels are at their lowest. Without an effective diffusion pattern the perimeters of the acrylic panel would be brightest, whilst the centre would be dim.
这些印刷的矩阵图案是细线条灯箱的关键。光线先通过丙烯酸面板，然后在图案上进行反射，从而照亮放置在该面板上的任何海报或图形。这种发光的方式可以用算法来进行计算，然后在面板上进行均匀布光。实际上，这些图案反射的光线较少，且多作用在亚克力面板的边缘，而光源的应用和水平的最高的地方是面板的中心，那里的反射的光是最多的。如果没有有效的光反射，亚克力板的边缘将是最亮的，而中心将是暗淡的。

And let me take this chance to warn you: there are plenty of cheap slimline light boxes on the market using sub-standard light patterns which produce exactly this result. Be sure that your supplier understands the workings of matrix patterns in slimline light boxes and can assure you that the product you are purchasing uses a legitimate pattern.
我也借此机会告诫商户:市场上有很多廉价的细线条灯箱使用的是不符合标准的光模式，而这样的灯箱的效果并不是很好。确保您的供应商了解矩阵图案在细线条灯箱的优势，帮助您购买到标准光的灯箱产品。

Saving money and keeping up appearances
节省成本的同时，外观更加漂亮
After all, the uniform diffusion of the light source across the face of the light box is one of the major triumphs of slimline light box technology, as it eliminates the hot spots or cold spots that are visible in varying degrees in all older forms of light box signage. These terms refer to a visible variation in light intensity causing some areas of the illuminated face to be clearly brighter or duller than other areas. By contrast, slimline light boxes produce a smooth and even illumination across the face of the panel. But there are also a number of other benefits which have dramatically increased demand for this relatively new technology.
老式灯箱标识中不同程度可见的斑斑点点，因为随着光强度的变化，被照表面的某些区域明显比其他区域更亮或更暗。而细线条灯箱的主要优势就是光源能够在灯箱表面均匀扩散，它能在面板表面产生光滑和均匀的照明。额外的好处是，这些优势极大地增加了商家对这种技术的需求。

As mentioned above, electricity consumption and maintenance are significant operational costs associated with traditional back-lit light boxes. These costs are in fact two sides of the same coin, in that they are a direct result of the number of fluorescent tubes required to effectively illuminate any given light box. A high tube count clearly equates to higher power usage, but this number also dictates the regularity of maintenance procedures by multiplying the probability of faults. Slimline light boxes reduce the tube count by 50 - 70% thus reducing maintenance cost by a comparable percentage. The exact figure varies dependent upon the size and proportions of the light box in question, but if we take the example given above of the 6m x 3m light box using 45 fluorescent tubes, a slimline light box of the same dimensions would achieve equal illuminance using only 12 tubes - a reduction in tube count of over 70%.
如上所述，电力消耗和维护是传统背光灯箱主要运营成本。这些成本实际上应该从正反两个方面进行看待，因为它们在消耗成本的同时，的确能够有效照亮灯箱标识。管数越多，电力的消耗越多，出现故障的概率也越多。细线条灯箱减少了50 - 70%的灯管，从而降低维修成本。节省的具体数额依赖于灯箱的尺寸和比例，以我们上面给出的6 m x 3 m灯箱为例，使用的是45荧光管, 同样尺寸的细灯箱仅使用12个灯管就可以达到相同的照明效果-减少试管数超过70%。

The term slimline is also an indicator of another major advantage offered by this type of illuminated signage. Slimline light boxes can be as little as 20mm (13/16") thick - just one-tenth that of a traditional light box. Creating a brightly illuminated panel just 20mm thick is a significant technical achievement, but don't expect too many shoppers to comment on your fantastic technically advanced light boxes. It's the refinement these slimline panels lend to a retail environment that makes the difference. They help to create a modern aesthetic that surely does impact on the consumers' overall perception of the environment and of your products and brand - that's why slimline light boxes are now favored by most architects and interior designers.
顾名思义，细线条灯箱标识的另一个主要优势薄而细。纤细的灯箱可以只有20毫米(13/16”)厚——只有传统灯箱的十分之一。创建出只有20毫米厚的灯箱标识是一个重大的技术成就，虽然大部分的购物者认同你的技术先进的灯箱。正是这些细线条面板的改进给零售标识带来变化。它们有助于创造一种现代美学，影响消费者对环境、产品和品牌的整体认知，这就是为什么现在大多数商家都青睐轻薄的灯箱的原因。

The future is clear
前景明朗
So it's clear, not all light boxes are created equal, and the major benefits of slimline light boxes are undisputed. As for all those smaller advantages, it all comes down to detail, but it's often said, "retail is detail" and light box advertising is one detail on which you can't afford to fall behind.
所以很明显，并不是所有灯箱的照明效果都是一样的，而细线条灯箱的优势显而易见，所有这些优势，都归结于细节，但人们常说，“零售就是细节”，而灯箱广告是一个你不能落后的细节。