Buyer’s guide + throw calculator
Gobo projectors that put your logo on any wall, floor or building
A gobo projector is a spotlight with a stencil inside. Aim it at a sidewalk, a dance floor or the side of your building and your logo appears, sharp and bright. There’s nothing to print and nothing to hang. The hard part is matching the projector to the distance and the light, so we built a calculator for exactly that.
What a gobo projector is, and why businesses use one
Strip one down and you’ll find three parts: a bright light source, a small disc called a gobo, and a lens. The disc is a stencil, cut from steel or etched onto glass. Light passes through the open parts and the lens focuses that pattern onto whatever you aim at.
Theaters have used gobos for decades to throw window shadows and leaves across a stage. The name’s origin is murky. “Goes before optics” is the popular explanation, but nobody can prove it. What changed recently is the light source. Old gobo lights ran hot halogen lamps that needed replacing every few hundred hours. A modern LED gobo projector like our G10 is rated for 30,000 hours. Switched on for eight hours every night, that’s over ten years.
For a business, that turns a stage tool into signage. Your logo on the sidewalk outside the door. Your name across the front of the building after dark. A monogram on the dance floor. It’s the same machine, and only the disc changes.
A gobo shows one fixed image per disc. If you want moving video, that’s a video projector or a hologram fan. If you want your logo lit up every night for years with zero fuss, a gobo is hard to beat.
Gobo projector throw calculator
Tell us how far the projector sits from the surface and how dark it gets there. We’ll show how big your logo lands and whether the 60 W or 110 W G10 will keep it crisp.
Full-dark and city-night reach come from the G10 spec sheet (60 W: 16 m dark / 8 m normal; 110 W: 25 m dark / 12 m normal). The lights-on figure is our own conservative rule of thumb, half the normal range. Logo size uses the G10 lens ratio, roughly one-third of the throw distance.
Choosing a gobo light projector: the five specs that matter
Spec sheets for these things are full of numbers borrowed from video projectors. Ignore most of them. These five decide whether you’re happy in a month.
Power, matched to distance
Lumen claims on these projectors are often inflated, so wattage is the steadier guide to brightness. More watts buys you distance and a crisper edge in ambient light. Use the calculator above rather than guessing, because a logo that looks great at 4 m can turn to mush at 12 m on the wrong model.
The gobo itself
Steel gobos are cheap, tough and one color, and they need small “bridges” to hold the middle of letters like O and A in place. Glass gobos carry fine detail and full color with no bridges. Our custom gobo guide shows exactly how your logo will look in each.
Weather rating
Outdoors, look for IP65 at minimum. The G10 is IP67. The 6 means dust-tight, and the 7 means it survives temporary immersion, so rain and snow aren’t a problem. It’s rated to run from -20 °C to 40 °C (-4 °F to 104 °F).
Focus and zoom
Focus is essential. Zoom is a nice-to-have. The G10 focuses by hand at the lens and sets image size by distance, so plan the mounting spot around the logo size you want. The calculator does that math for you.
Mounting and aim
Aim as close to square-on as you can. The steeper the angle, the more your logo stretches into an oval. A small tilt is fine. A floor projection from a low wall bracket will look long and thin, so mount it higher or closer to the spot.
Indoor vs outdoor gobo projectors
The machine is the same idea either way. The environment changes what you need from it.
Swipe to compare →
| Indoor | Outdoor | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Lobby floors, reception walls, dance floors, retail aisles | Sidewalks, building faces, parking entrances, patios |
| Weather rating | Not needed | IP65 or better; IP67 for exposed spots |
| Brightness | Room lights compete. Go closer or brighter | Night is your friend. Reach roughly doubles in full dark |
| Throw distance | Usually 2–6 m | Often 5–20 m |
| Mounting | Ceiling, truss or wall bracket | Wall bracket or pole, angled down |
| G10 pick | 60 W covers most rooms | 60 W to about 8 m on a lit street (16 m in full dark); 110 W beyond that |
Where a gobo projector earns its keep
- The sidewalk outside your door. People look down while they walk. A logo at their feet is hard to miss, and it reads as “we’re open” without a single neon tube. See the logo projector guide for placement ideas.
- The face of the building. One G10 on a pole across the lot turns a dark wall into a sign you can see from the road.
- Restaurants and bars. Entrance floors, feature walls, the bar front. It’s subtle branding with nothing on the wall to clean.
- Weddings and events. Monograms on the dance floor, sponsor logos on a stage wall. We cover this in the wedding monogram light guide.
- Warehouses and parking lots. Projected walkway markers and “stop here” signs can’t be scuffed off by forklifts.
The INNAYA G10, in plain numbers
Two versions, same body. Pick by distance. Both ship with a remote and one custom-engraved lens made from the logo you upload on the product page.
Swipe to compare →
| G10 60 W | G10 110 W | |
|---|---|---|
| Price today | See product | See product |
| Throw, normal light | 1–8 m (3–26 ft) | 1–12 m (3–39 ft) |
| Throw, dark | 1–16 m (3–52 ft) | 2–25 m (7–82 ft) |
| Power draw | About 70 W | About 130 W |
| Light source life | 30,000 hours (LED) | |
| Weather rating | IP67, -20 °C to 40 °C (-4 °F to 104 °F) | |
| Power input | AC 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz | |
| Size & weight | 20 × 24 × 12 cm (8 × 9.5 × 4.7 in), about 3 kg (6.6 lb) | |
| In the box | Projector, remote, 1 custom lens with your artwork. Extra lenses quoted on request. | |
Upload your logo as a PDF on the product page. It’s engraved onto your lens before it ships.
Installing it in an afternoon
No electrician needed for a plug-in unit. Here’s the order we’d do it in.
Test before you drill
After dark, hold the projector where you plan to mount it and switch it on. Check the size and angle on the real surface before a single hole goes in.
Mount high and fairly square-on
Higher mounts keep the beam out of people’s eyes and out of reach. Aim as close to perpendicular as the site allows to avoid a stretched logo.
Focus at the real distance
Turn the focus ring until the thinnest line in your logo is sharp. Do it at night, because daylight hides soft edges.
Put it on a timer
A plug-in outdoor timer or smart plug switches it on at dusk and off at close. At about 70 W, a four-hour night costs pennies.
Check local rules for public spaces
Projecting onto your own property is usually straightforward. Projecting onto public sidewalks, roads or someone else’s building can fall under local sign or light rules. A quick call to your city saves a headache.
Gobo projector questions
What is a gobo projector used for?
Projecting a fixed image, usually a logo, pattern or monogram, onto a wall, floor, ceiling or building. Businesses use them for storefront branding, wayfinding and events. Theaters and wedding planners use them for decoration.
How far can a gobo projector throw?
It depends on wattage and darkness. The 60 W G10 is rated to 8 m in normal light and 16 m in the dark. The 110 W version reaches 12 m and 25 m. Our throw calculator above shows the logo size at any distance.
Do gobo projectors work in daylight?
Not outdoors in direct daylight. A gobo is projected light, and the sun is far brighter. Indoors with the lights on they work at shorter distances. Outdoor gobo projectors really shine from dusk onward.
Can I use my own logo?
Yes. Every G10 includes one custom lens made from your artwork. Upload a PDF on the product page. If you need more designs later, email orders@innaya.store for a lens quote.
Is an LED gobo projector hot or expensive to run?
No. The G10 draws about 70 W (60 W model) or 130 W (110 W model), less than an old halogen floodlight, and its LED source is rated for 30,000 hours.
Can a gobo projector be left outside all year?
An IP67 unit like the G10 is built for it, and it’s rated from -20 °C to 40 °C (-4 °F to 104 °F). Use an outdoor-rated plug or junction box for the power connection. Wipe the lens now and then, because dust softens the image.
Should I rent or buy a gobo projector?
For one event, renting is reasonable. National rental services typically charge about $110 for a basic rental and around $250 with a custom gobo. If you’ll use it more than once, or want it on your building every night, owning one works out cheaper.
Keep reading
Your logo, lit every night
Upload your logo. We’ll engrave the lens.
Pick 60 W or 110 W, attach your artwork as a PDF, and your G10 ships with a lens made from it. Free global shipping included.