Night Glow Signs / Glow-in-the-dark Prints
Make Your Message Visible, Even in Pitch Darkness
- Night glow prints for industries and commercial spaces
- Prints that could save lives by guiding people to safety in low-light conditions
- Ideal for fire exit signs and emergency evacuation signboards
- Specialised radium material which absorbs light during the day
- Emits light at night to make your message visible, even in complete darkness
- Our high-quality branded media glows for fully 1-2 hours in the absence of light
- Waterproof and scratch-resistant outdoor-grade prints with images generated from UV inks
- India-wide shipping available
- Pricing starts from ₹ 180 / square foot plus taxes
Shipping: Across India, MOQ applicable.
Pricing: Glow in the Dark Prints Pricing starts from ₹ 180 / square foot plus taxes
Glow-in-the-Dark Prints / Radium Night Glow Prints
During a fire, rooms quickly fill with dark smoke, greatly reducing visibility, and people become panicked and scared. It’s crucial to quickly guide everyone to the nearest escape route, but during a fire, power often cuts out, rendering electrical signboards useless in the dark.
Therefore, safety signs should be printed on special glow-in-the-dark material that shines brightly like a beacon in complete darkness. This ensures that safety messages, such as arrows pointing to emergency exits, remain visible at all times, guiding people safely.
Night Glow Safety Signs: Always Visible, Always Safe
Safety signs are designed to save lives, which is why their visibility is absolutely crucial, even in low-light conditions or during power outages. And our Glow-in-the-dark (night glow) prints are essential for this reason. These innovative signboards ensure that critical information remains visible and accessible when you need it most (even in complete darkness).
Think about your last visit to a movie theatre or hotel corridor. You’ll notice emergency exit or fire safety signboards or floor plan prints installed at strategic locations. During the day, these signs look like regular, everyday prints. But when darkness falls or if the power goes out, they start emitting a bright, greenish glow, instantly guiding people to the nearest exits and to safety.
In an emergency like a fire, the power supply is often one of the first things to fail, reducing visibility and making escape routes difficult to find. Electrically-lit signs become useless in the absence of power. And that’s why glow-in-the-dark prints that are immediately visible in the dark and that do not rely on electricity to function are vital.
Night glow prints are primarily used in environments such as factories, office complexes, commercial buildings, hotels, malls, movie theatres and anywhere where safety is a priority.
What makes night glow signs unique is their ability to shine without any electrical power. Coated with special photoluminescent materials, these prints absorb light during the day and automatically glow in dark conditions. This self-sustaining feature makes them invaluable in situations where communication must not fail, even in complete darkness.
Night glow prints are primarily used for emergency exit signs, fire escape routes, and assembly point boards, ensuring you can guide people to safety in a crisis, when every second counts.
So let’s take a look at the product variants for the same, available at our place.
How Do Night Glow Prints Work?
Let’s break down the brilliant science behind night glow prints—in a way that’s simple and makes sense
You may recall hearing about ‘phosphorescence’ from your school days. Phosphor is a special chemical, and the way it behaves in the dark is quite cool. When exposed to light during the day (such as from tube lights, sunlight, or even regular bulbs), phosphors absorb that energy, almost like charging a battery.
Then, when it gets dark or there’s a power cut, all that stored energy is slowly released as visible light—a soft, greenish glow that you can see even in pitch-dark conditions.
And this is exactly the magic that makes our glow-in-the-dark signs work. The print media has a photoluminescent coating that continuously absorbs light and recharges automatically whenever exposed to illumination.
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Acrylic glass frames are crafted using ultra-clear, premium-quality acrylic sheets, with the design printed on the back (hence the “reverse” technique). When you view the poster from the front, the artwork is magnified through the surface, creating a pristine, back-printed, glass-like effect that is both eye-catching and luxurious.
Simply put, these vibrant colored prints use high-resolution printing on a sheet of glass-like material (acrylic) to turn everyday spaces into works of art!
Acrylic photo prints are perfect for spaces that demand a premium look—boardrooms, retail shops, luxury homes, you name it! Plus, they make for standout directional signs and even artistic installations.
How Are Night Glow Prints Produced at Orchid Digitals?
Curious about how your glow-in-the-dark signs come to life here at Orchid Digitals in Pune? Let’s walk you through our step-by-step production process in simple terms.
Top-Grade Materials for Maximum Glow
We start with premium-quality, printable glow-in-the-dark (phosphorescent) media—these 4-foot-wide jumbo rolls are coated with special, light-absorbing phosphors. This unique media is what gives our prints that unmistakable, bright green glow when the lights go out.
Printing Your Design with Precision
Your artwork—whether it’s a safety message, emergency exit plan, or striking graphic. It is printed directly onto this special media using our state-of-the-art wide-format inkjet printers. We ensure every colour pops and each detail is razor-sharp. No pixelation, no blurring or fuzziness: just clear, professional signage that stands out.
V Ink: Tough & Long-Lasting
We use advanced UV inks for your night glow signs. What does this mean for you?
- Durability: UV inks are outdoor grade, meaning they’re made to withstand sun, rain, winds, and everything in between!
- Fade-Proof: UV inks resist fading even with prolonged exposure to sunlight or rain. The print colours remain vibrant even after years of exposure to the elements.
- Water & Scratch Resistance: UV inks are super durable and robust. They are dust-proof and scratch-resistant. Wipe them, wash them or place them in a dusty location—these prints can handle it all, making them perfect for demanding environments like factories, warehouses, offices, and public spaces.
Flexible Installation—Sticker or Sunboard
Once your sign is printed, we cut it to your exact requirements. The glow print features a strong adhesive backing, allowing you to simply peel and paste it onto any clean, smooth surface—walls, glass partitions, metal panels, and more.
But what if your installation surface is rough or uneven? No problem. We can mount the print on a robust 5-mm-thick Sunboard (also known as foamsheet). Made from lightweight yet solid PVC, the sunboard print is smooth, flat, and rigid, making it easy to drill or nail onto concrete walls or textured areas.
Built to Last
Our night glow signs are specially designed to withstand high-stress environments—think shop floors, industrial sheds, commercial complexes, and more. Thanks to the combination of high-quality phosphorescent media and UV inks, you get signage that remains clear, glowing, and effective for years and years.
The Problem with Low-Quality Night Glow Media
When it comes to glow-in-the-dark safety signs, not all prints are made equal. You might have noticed that some signboards just don’t glow the way they’re supposed to, right? Or prints that lose their glow and fade away in just 5 minutes in the dark. Here’s why.
Many printer shops and printing vendors in the market use low-cost, unbranded glow media. On paper, these cheap Chinese knockoffs promise you a “glow in the dark” effect. But in real life?
The glow is faint and underwhelming, barely lasting for FIVE minutes after the lights go out. Imagine relying on such a sign in an emergency. Not only is it disappointing, but it can also be downright dangerous.
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Why Cheap Night Glow Prints Let You Down
Many printer shops and printing vendors in the market use low-cost, unbranded glow media. On paper, these cheap Chinese knockoffs promise you a “glow in the dark” effect. But in real life?
The glow is faint and underwhelming, barely lasting for FIVE minutes after the lights go out. Imagine relying on such a sign in an emergency. Not only is it disappointing, but it can also be downright dangerous.
Why The Quality of The Material Matters
When you’re ordering night glow safety prints—especially for critical applications like fire exits or emergency directions—always check what media your print vendor is using. The right material is not just a luxury, it’s a necessity. Would you trust a safety sign that becomes unreadable in a matter of minutes?
At Orchid Digitals, we take your safety seriously.
What We Do Differently at Orchid Digitals
Premium Branded Media
At Orchid Digitals, all our prints are reproduced on media sourced from internationally renowned brands. For our non-glowing rolls of vinyl, we stock material from 3M, Avery, and Oracle. And for our night glow jobs, we use the DM 9200 series media made by Daoming.
Why do we insist on this branded media? Because the DM 9200 is tested and proven to deliver a STABLE, BRIGHT glow—sometimes up to two hours in darkness.
Superior Phosphor Coating
The “glow” in glow prints comes from a special phosphor coating. In cheap media, this coating is sub-standard, leading to weak and short-lived illumination. Our branded media utilises advanced phosphors, ensuring your signs remain visible, clear, and bright even after the power goes out.
The DM9200 series complies with the test standard DIN 67510-1
The DIN 67510-1 is an international standard that specifies the performance requirements for photoluminescent materials. And it lays down the parameters for testing the quality of the print media.
For example, in this test, the people in the laboratory expose the night glow material to a 150W xenon lamp, which shines at a brightness of 1000 lux, for a period of 5 minutes. At the end of those five minutes, the lights are switched off.
And the illuminance of the material is scientifically measured using a luxmeter connected to a computer. The luxmeter records the brightness/luminance of the material once every minute over a period of 2 hours.
And these are the recorded values of the luxmeter:
Sample material tested: DM9200 photoluminescent media
| Time in minutes | Luminance (mcd/m2)* |
|---|---|
| 2 minutes | 2573 |
| 10 minutes | 511 |
| 30 minutes | 146 |
| 60 minutes | 62.6 |
| 120 minutes | 26.9 |
Luminance (mcd/m2)* = a measure of brightness
The test report above shows that the night glow vinyl retains its brightness for up to 2 hours, or 120 minutes, in complete darkness. It is important to note that the glow’s brightness gradually decreases over time.
During the first 30 minutes after the lights go out, the glow remains reasonably strong, but it gradually diminishes as time passes. To restore its brightness, the print needs to be exposed to light again to recharge and shine brightly once more.
The key takeaway is that, according to international safety standards, the print provided by Orchid Digitals will glow brightly enough for up to 2 hours, guiding people to safety even in complete darkness. In contrast, our competitors’ materials do not glow for more than 5 minutes and can actually pose a risk during emergencies.
Consistent Performance When It Matters
What’s the use of a glow sign that can’t be seen when you need it most? It’s not just a safety issue—it’s a matter of reliability. That’s why we never compromise on quality.
How Long Will My Glow-in-the-Dark Print Actually Glow In Complete Darkness
Curious about how long your night glow signage will light up your space after the lights go out? Great question! Let’s break it down together—so you can plan and buy with full confidence.
Nightglow prints aren’t magic, but they definitely feel magical! During the day—or whenever they’re exposed to a good, strong light source like sunlight, fluorescent tubes, or incandescent bulbs—these prints soak up light just like a sponge. Once the area becomes dark, they slowly release this stored light, glowing cheerfully to keep you safe and informed.
The Real Factors That Influence “Glow Time” – 3 main things play a role in how long your glow-in-the-dark print will shine:
1. How Long Was It “Charged” With Light?
Before darkness falls, your print needs at least 10–15 minutes of exposure to a strong light source. In the lab test described in the previous section, you can see that the material was exposed to 1000 lumens of brightness for a period of 5 minutes.
These durations and light intensities were needed to fully charge the material. The longer it is charged, the brighter and longer it will glow after the lights go out. If the duration for which the print is exposed to light is insufficient, it will not fully charge, and this will impact the glow when it becomes dark.
2. Strength of the Light Source
A night glow print loves a strong light! Sunlight or a powerful lamp is perfect. Sorry, but candlelight is just not enough—so try to keep your signs close to bright lights or a window for best results. This will give the print a chance to absorb as much light as it can, and glow for a longer duration in the dark.
3. Quality of the Glow Media (Material Used)
This is where brands like Orchid Digitals shine (pun intended!). Cheap, unbranded glow media fades fast—think 5–10 minutes of weak, patchy glow. Our premium, branded media glows for 45–120 minutes (that’s up to 2 hours!).
That’s plenty of time to safely direct people in case of an emergency or keep your signage visible in the event of a power failure.
What Should You Expect?
- In real-world use, expect your print to remain glowing for anywhere between 45 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on how well it was charged and the material quality.
- Eventually, as the stored light runs out, the brightness dims and fades away—no tricks here, just the science behind photoluminescent materials. This means that you get a very bright glow immediately after the lights are switched off, but as time passes, the print will slowly fade and dim.
Recharging the Print is Easy!
Don’t worry—your glow sign will recharge itself whenever it’s exposed to light again.
- Outdoors? The sun does the job automatically.
- Indoors? Just ensure your sign is placed near a lamp, tube light or other strong source.
Applications of Night Glow Printing Signs
At Orchid Digitals, we believe that signage should not only look good—it should serve a real purpose, especially in situations where safety is at stake. So, let’s walk you through the most common (and some surprising!) applications of night glow prints.
Safety First: Where Night Glow Prints Shine Bright
Night glow prints are true lifesavers in places like buildings, office complexes, hotels, and factories. Why? Because when an emergency strikes—like a fire or a blackout—regular signs vanish in the darkness. That’s when night glow signs take centre stage by glowing like a beacon and guiding people to safety:
Fire evacuation maps
These maps help guests, clients, and staff quickly locate themselves in large commercial buildings. Furthermore, these maps indicate the quickest route to safety, helping people find their bearings and escape swiftly, even when they are on unfamiliar premises.
Fire Alarm and Safety Signs
Fire alarm signboards and safety signs are the perfect use case for night glow media. These prints quickly guide people to the location of alarms or safety equipment, even when the power has tripped and the building is dark.
Emergency Exit Signs
These signs clearly indicate the nearest exit doors, so in an emergency or panic situation, nobody needs to waste precious time searching for an escape route.
Floor Plans
Sometimes, knowing exactly where you are is the key to getting out safely. Floor plans printed on night glow media enhance the map’s usefulness because people can now refer to the map even in complete darkness.
Exit signs for dark areas
Whether it’s a movie theatre, a storeroom, or a basement—these exit arrow signs are always visible even in total darkness.
Assembly point signs
During an evacuation, it’s essential for everyone to gather at a designated, safe location. Glow-in-the-dark signs act like beacons even in smoke-filled rooms to ensure that nobody gets lost on the way.
Think of it this way: In the event of a fire, the power supply is often the first thing to go, leaving everyone in pitch black conditions. But our night glow signage continues to shine in this darkness, guiding people every step of the way until help arrives.
Night Glow vs. Night Reflective Media – What’s the Real Difference?
Many customers ask us, “Are night glow prints and night reflective prints the same thing?” It’s a very common confusion, but the answer is: No, they’re quite different! Understanding their basic differences will help you pick the perfect signage for your requirements.
1. Night Glow Prints: Shine in Total Darkness
Think of night glow prints as the “store-and-shine” type. This means that the print ‘stores’ light much like how the battery in your mobile phone stores power. This stored light is then emitted when it becomes dark, providing visibility to our printed image.
These special signs are coated with a photoluminescent material—a fancy way of saying they absorb light during the day (from the sun or nearby light bulbs) and then release it in darkness, glowing like magic when all the lights go off. No electricity required!
- Night Glow Signs are best suited for places where it can get pitch dark, such as stairwells, corridors, or during power outages.
- Common uses of this material: Emergency exit signs, fire safety info, evacuation maps, etc.
2. Night Reflective Prints Shine When Light Hits Them
Night reflective media, on the other hand, works differently. This specialised material has thousands of tiny prisms embedded on its surface. And these prisms act as mirrors to bounce back any light that hits them.
Both night glow and night reflective media function without requiring any power source or electricity. However, the main difference between these materials is that while night glow media emits light in complete darkness, night reflective media only reflects any light that falls on its surface.
Think of road signs and direction boards installed on the motorways. These signboards light up when the light from a car’s headlamps falls on them at night. The headlamp’s beam from approaching vehicles illuminates the print, making the message printed on night-reflective vinyl clearly visible. And when the car passes by, the reflective sign dims down.
Key Takeaway: Night reflective prints need some light to work—they won’t be visible in total darkness if there’s no direct light to reflect back.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Choose Night Glow if you want your sign to be visible even in complete darkness, such as inside a building during a power failure. Safety signs, fire escape and emergency exit boards are the prime applications for this material.
- Choose Night Reflective for outdoor use where light from vehicles, torches, or street lamps can illuminate the sign, such as on highways, parking lots, and public places. Signs that need to be installed on roadways, such as distance markers, arrow boards, and road direction signs, are the primary applications for this material.
Both options don’t use electricity, so they’re cost-effective and low-maintenance. Want to dive deeper? Please read our detailed post on reflective vinyl prints here.
Fun & Funky: Creative Uses of Glow-in-the-Dark Prints
Night glow prints are all about safety. However, there is also a fun element to this product. Remember those glow stickers that are installed in children’s rooms. The ones that are stuck on the walls or ceiling of the kids’ room, and start glowing once the lights are switched off?
Night glow prints are also perfect for adding a creative touch to your living space with funky, psychedelic stickers or posters that collect light during the day and burst into life at night—great for parties, kids’ rooms, theme restaurants, and special events. They’re real conversation starters and absolutely catch the eye!
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
Most of our competitors use unbranded or low grade films for printing.
These prints just tick the “glow-in-the-dark” box. But they do not really perform well. The prints typically fade within 15 to 20 minutes. And the intensity of their glow is also pretty low.
At Orchid Digitals, we do not compromise in matters of safety.
We only use high grade branded night media sourced from reputed companies like Avery™, 3M™ and Wyte™. This media keeps glowing in the dark for a significantly greater amount of time. And that too with greater intensity.
We use branded media from reputed companies like Avery™, 3M™ and Wyte™. And this media always outperforms unbranded stuff.
The spec sheets claim that this night glow media will glow upto 4 hours in complete darkness, with reducing intensity. But to be on the safe side, we tell our clients to expect the glow to last for anywhere between 45 – 90 minutes.
Please also remember that the intensity of the night glow print is influenced by two factors:
1. The duration for which the print has been exposed to light.
2. The intensity of the light it source that has charged the print.
This means that if the print has been exposed for just 3 – 5 minutes to a dim bulb in a dark room, it may not perform to Its peak capacity.
Yes.
They can. Our prints are UV printed. this makes them scratch resistant waterproof and fade-resistant. They are fully suited for outdoor applications.
Yes. We can supply these prints in a sticker form that can be rolled up for storage.
Yes. we can mount night glow prints on a rigid sheet of ACP (aluminium composite panel) or sunboard for you. You can then nail this plate to any pole or wall.
No. We do not have an in-house designer. And we do not provide designing services to our customers.
The artwork for the job generally comes in from the client’s end. We simply take the ready file and process the same on our machines.
In case you need designing support, do jump to this page which lists, DTP operators, graphic designers, advertisers, brand managers and other resources.
Any high resolution file format will work for us. You can send in .jpgs, .tiffs, .cdr, .eps, .pdf, or a .png.
The minimum size of print we can process is 3 feet X 4 feet. For sizes smaller than this the billing amount still remains the same as that of size 3 feet X 4 feet.
Yes. You can lay out multiple different designs or artworks in one print. As long as it matches our MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) we will be fine with processing the job.
Yes. Online payments are accepted at Orchid Digitals. In fact we try to finish the entire job online. All you need to do is mail us your artwork/design file along with the requisite dimensions, material specifications, copies needed, etc.
After evaluating/understanding your project requirement we send across an estimate for the same. This estimate (in the form of a Proforma Invoice) will also contain an online paylink encoded in a QR code.
Scan the QR code to make the payments.
Once the funds are transferred, we process the job and the ship the same across to you.
What Is the Cost of Night Glow Prints?
At Orchid Digitals, we provide glow-in-dark prints, in the form of stickers or as rigid signs made of sun board. Given below are costs for the same…
Night glow media print with a sticker back
Glow-in-the dark print in a sticker form
- High resolution photo print
- On smooth inkjet printed glow-in-the-dark media
- Greenish tinted media has photoluminescent coating
- Print will absorb light during the day or when any light falls on it
- Will emit light when the lights are switched off or when it becomes dark
- Intensity of the glow will slowly reduce as time goes by
- Avery™ / Wyte™ brand media
- Branded media ensures a stronger glow
- Branded media ensures glow over longer time duration – Minimum 45 minutes after being fully charged. Company specs claim 2 hours.
- UV inks print ensure long life by protecting from dust, scratches and water
- Print in a roll form
- Adhesive / sticker back for pasting on smooth surfaces
- Ideal for creating safety signs, emergency exit signs, fire exit signs, etc.
- Example Costing: ₹1440.00 for a print of 4 feet width X 3 feet height*
Night glow media print mounted on 5mm sunboard
Glow-in-the dark print on a rigid plastic plate
- High resolution photo print
- On smooth inkjet printed glow-in-the-dark media
- Greenish tinted media has photoluminescent coating
- Print will absorb light during the day or when any light falls on it
- Will emit light when the lights are switched off or when it becomes dark
- Intensity of the glow will slowly reduce as time goes by
- Avery™ / Wyte™ brand media
- Branded media ensures a stronger glow
- Branded media ensures glow over longer time duration – Minimum 45 minutes after being fully charged. Company specs claim 2 hours.
- UV inks print ensure long life by protecting from dust, scratches and water
- Mounted on 5mm thick sunboard
- lightweight, and rigid panel
- Can be drilled / bolted to walls on pasted on smooth surfaces using two-sided tape
- Ideal for creating safety signs, emergency exit signs, fire exit signs, etc.
- Example Costing: ₹2640.00 for a print of 4 feet width X 3 feet height*
Night glow media print mounted on 3mm ACP
Glow-in-the dark print on a rigid metallic sheet
- High resolution photo print
- On smooth inkjet printed glow-in-the-dark media
- Greenish tinted media has photoluminescent coating
- Print will absorb light during the day or when any light falls on it
- Will emit light when the lights are switched off or when it becomes dark
- Intensity of the glow will slowly reduce as time goes by
- Avery™ / Wyte™ brand media
- Branded media ensures a stronger glow
- Branded media ensures glow over longer time duration – Minimum 45 minutes after being fully charged. Company specs claim 2 hours.
- UV inks print ensure long life by protecting from dust, scratches and water
- Mounted on 3mm thick ACP – Aluminium Composite Panel
- lightweight, rigid and strong panel
- Can be drilled / bolted to walls and metal frames or direction poles
- Will not break or rust. Aluminium sheet can be installed in outdoor environments
- Ideal for creating safety signs, emergency exit signs, fire exit signs, etc.
- Example Costing: 3360.00 for a print of 4 feet width X 3 feet height*
* Please Note:
- The rates quoted above attract 18% GST
- The MOQ – Minimum order quantity for this product is 4 feet wide X 2 feet height (since the media is available in rolls having a width of four feet)
- Rates quoted above are per square foot. So for example, if your image is of size 4 feet width by 2 feet height, and you need a glow-in-dark print in a roll form, the cost for the print job is:
4 feet (width) X 2 feet (height) X ₹ 180 (rate per square foot) = ₹ 1440.00 + 18% GST
Shipping and Delivery
- Night Glow Signs can be delivered anywhere in India.
- Delivery charges are extra and will be communicated to you once we receive the delivery address.
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