# Offer a backlight on metal cut-out signs Add LED backlight colours to a Metal Cut-Out customiser so customers can pick a glow colour or no backlight. - Source URL: https://www.signcustomiser.com/help/features/17591697-offer-a-backlight-on-metal-cut-out-signs/ - Markdown URL: https://www.signcustomiser.com/help/features/17591697-offer-a-backlight-on-metal-cut-out-signs.md - Category: Features - Last updated: 2026-10-13 ## Article A backlight is an LED glow behind a metal cut-out sign. The light shows around the edge of the panel and through the cut-out shapes. Add a **Backlight** step to your customiser. The customer selects a colour or no backlight. The preview shows the glow. The order has the choice and its price. Backlights work only on **Metal Cut-Out** customisers. Stencil customisers do not have backlights. ## Before you start You need a Metal Cut-Out customiser. For an overview of the Sign Components menu, see [Sign Components Overview](../../features/14428865-sign-components-overview/). ## Set up the backlight options 1. Go to **Customisers** and open your Metal Cut-Out customiser. 2. In the sidebar, open **Sign Components** and select **Backlights**. On a screen narrower than 799 px, select **Menu** first. 3. In the **Backlight options** section, set the options for the customer: - Turn on **Allow no backlight** to add a **None** choice before the colours. - Turn on **Default to none** to start the customiser with no backlight selected. This option works only when **Allow no backlight** is on. - Type a **Label for no backlight** to replace the word "None". Leave the field empty to keep "None". 4. Select **Save**. If **Allow no backlight** is off, the customiser starts with the first colour in your list selected. ## Add a backlight colour 1. On the **Backlights** page, select **Add Backlight Colour**. 2. Type a **Label**. The customer sees this name, for example "Warm white". The label is required. 3. Optional: type a **Description**. The limit is 255 characters. 4. Choose a **Colour effect**: - **Single colour**: one colour. Use **Select a colour**. - **Multiple colours**: a group of colours. Select **Add Colour** to add a colour. The limit is 8 colours. - **Flow**: the light moves between colours. A flow needs at least 2 colours. 5. Optional: set a **Minimum Size**. Type a **Minimum Width**, a **Minimum Height**, or both. Then choose a **Rule**: - **Disable until one of the minimum values is reached.** - **Disable until both minimum values are reached.** If you set only one minimum, choose **Disable until both minimum values are reached.** With **Disable until one of the minimum values is reached.**, the customiser never disables the colour when the other minimum is 0. 6. Optional: upload a **Preview Image**. It replaces the colour swatch on the option button. The recommended size is 120 px by 120 px. 7. Optional: upload a **Popup Image**. The customer sees it when the customer asks for more details about the colour. The recommended size is 1000 px by 1000 px. 8. Optional: add an extra price. In **Additional Pricing**, choose **None**, **Base Price** or **Price Multiplier**. - For **Base Price**, type the extra cost. - For **Price Multiplier**, type the multiplier. Then choose a **Price Multiplier Target**: **Letter Price Only** or **Final Price (includes additional costs from other options)**. 9. Select **Save**. Each image has a limit of 2 MB and 3840 px by 3840 px. To change the order of the colours, drag the rows in the **Backlights** table. To change a colour, select its row. To remove a colour, open the colour and select **Delete**. ## What the customer sees The customiser shows a **Backlight** step with one swatch for each colour. When **Allow no backlight** is on, the first swatch is **None**. The name of the selected colour shows above the swatches. A swatch for a group of colours or a flow shows all of its colours. ![The Backlight step in the customiser with the None swatch first, then Orange (selected), Red, Yellow and other colour swatches.](/help/intercom-docs/help-centre-images/811bc67269d7add1e42a347ed6a6592832bd9ea6edd0bdf15b1c35550652d5ff.png) The customer selects a colour. The preview then shows a glow around the edge of the panel and inside the cut-out shapes. A light bulb button on the preview turns the glow on and off. ![A metal cut-out sign reading Start Typing with an orange backlight glow around the panel edge and inside the letters.](/help/intercom-docs/help-centre-images/e77ab417a5866dec0ebe294133091e7ae81d9d300cdc828b055b5e6947872d12.png) When the customer selects **None**, the preview shows no glow. Your minimum size can block a colour. The customer cannot select that colour while the sign size does not meet your **Rule**. The customiser shows this message: "The selected backlight is only available for larger sizes." The customer must select a larger size or a different colour. The price of the backlight is part of the live price. When **Enable review screen** is on, the review screen of the customiser shows the selected backlight. ## Limits - The **Glow Switch** setting in **General Settings** controls the glow in the preview. With **Display Glow Switch**, the customer can turn the light on and off. With **Glow Only**, the glow is always on, except when the customer selects **None**. With **No Glow**, the preview has no glow. The product image always shows the glow, except when the customer selects **None**. - In the preview, **Multiple colours** and **Flow** move between colours. The product image shows the colours without movement. - If you delete every backlight colour, the **Backlight** step does not show in the customiser. - The **Backlights** menu item does not show for other sign types. ## Backlight in the order The order stores the backlight colour. The manufacturer email can include the colour. Use this variable. ``` {{backlight}} ``` The variable is empty when the order has no backlight colour, for example when the customer selects **None**. ## Related articles - [Sign Components Overview](../../features/14428865-sign-components-overview/)