What is a backlit art panel?
A backlit art panel is a framed print with a light source behind it. The artwork is printed on translucent film instead of paper, and an LED strip inside the frame lights it from the edge, so the image glows from within rather than being lit by a lamp pointed at it.
That is the whole idea. Everything else - the glass, the frame, whether the print comes out, what it costs to run - is where the products on the market differ, and it is where most of them are vague. This page explains what the parts actually do, so you can tell one apart from another.
How the light works
The LEDs are not behind the picture. They run around the inside edge of the frame and fire inwards across a diffuser, which spreads the light evenly behind the print. That is called edge-lit, and it is why a panel can be thin instead of a box.
Edge-lit has one visible failure mode: a bright line along the border where the strip sits. On a Halo that is handled by the glass. Around the border runs a band of black ceramic dots - the same frit treatment you will find on a car windshield, where it distributes heat across the edge of the glass. Here it does that and one more thing: it hides the LED strip, so what you see is the glow and not the hardware.
Glass or acrylic
Most lit panels use acrylic, because it is cheaper and lighter. Acrylic scuffs, and over years it yellows, which on a backlit panel is worse than on a normal frame - every mark is lit from behind.
A Halo front is tempered glass. It does not scuff the way plastic does, it does not yellow with age, and it holds the print flat right into the corners. It is heavier, and that is the trade: an A1 panel is about 6 kg on its own.
Why the print is film, not paper
A paper poster blocks light. Put one in front of an LED and you get a dim, grey version of the image with the light leaking around the edges.
Backlit prints are made on translucent film so light passes through them. It changes how the artwork has to be made, too - flat colour goes muddy when it is lit from behind, and fine line work disappears. Work that reads well on a wall does not automatically read well lit.
This is also why a backlit panel and a normal poster frame are not interchangeable. A standard poster put inside a Halo will not glow.
Can you change the print?
On most panels, no - the print is sealed in during assembly, so the artwork you buy is the artwork you have.
On a Halo the print slides out from the top edge. You use the tweezers that come in the welcome kit, and there is no dismantling the frame. Swap the poster anytime you like. Replacement prints are ₹895 to ₹1,495 depending on size, and every panel ships with a second print of your choice, free, in the same size.
If you only buy one panel in your life, this is the feature that decides whether the wall stays interesting after a year. More on how the swap actually works.
Sizes, and the thing to check
Halo panels are A-series, which means the printable area has the same proportions at every size - one artwork file fits all three with no re-crop.
| Size | Panel | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 24 × 34 in | about 6 kg |
| A2 | 17 × 24 in | about 3 kg |
| A3 | 12 × 17 in | about 1.5 kg |
Worth knowing when you compare: a lot of listings call an A1 panel "24 x 36 in". A real A1 is not 36 inches tall. If you measure a 36-inch gap on your wall and the panel arrives at 34, it reads as a mistake. Check the inches, not the letter.
Power and mounting
A Halo runs off a round-pin AC/DC adapter made for Indian sockets, with a 2 m cable leaving the bottom edge of the frame. The cable is visible unless you plan for it - decide where the socket is before you decide where the panel goes.
There are two ways to put one up:
- On the wall. Screw the C-clamps onto the frame with the 8 mm screws, mark the wall, drill, plug, hang. Wall mounting means drilling. DO NOT USE STICK-ON HOOKS - the panel is glass and it is heavy.
- Resting. Rest a Halo against the wall on any flat surface - a shelf, a console, the floor. No tools, no holes. A3 panels also ship with metal rods for floor mounting.
C-clamps, 8 mm screws and wall plugs are in every box.
What to check before you buy any backlit panel
- Glass or acrylic? If the listing does not say, it is acrylic.
- Can the print be changed, and how? "Interchangeable" sometimes means the whole frame comes apart. Ask how.
- What is the print made of? Translucent film, not paper. If a seller calls it a poster, check.
- What plug does it use? Imported panels often ship with a two-pin adapter that does not fit an Indian socket properly.
- Is there a warranty on the LED? The LED is the part that fails. A Halo carries one year against defects in the LED and hardware.
- Real measurements, in inches. See above.
- Who made the artwork? Most lit panels use stock graphics. If the artist is not named, there probably isn't one.
What Odditty makes
Halo is an LED-backlit art panel: tempered glass front, aluminium frame in silver or black, edge-lit LEDs, and a print on translucent film that slides out from the top edge so you can change it. Artwork is made by artists we work with directly and credited by name. A1, A2 or A3.
Free shipping across India. Dispatched within 3-5 business days, delivered within 7-14 days, with a tracking link when it ships. Prepaid only - UPI, Cards, Net-banking, Wallets. Panels can be returned within 14 days.
See the panels