If the lease bars fixing anything to walls or ceilings, the screen stands on the floor or the counter instead. A fixed floor stand rated for 13-50 inch screens and 44 lb carries a small signage panel placed for a 12 to 15 ft reading distance. Size the text with the 20 ft per inch rule, feed it from the nearest outlet, and skip the holographic fan for anything people must read.
When a lease bars fixing anything to the walls or ceiling, the sign still has to reach people. It moves to the floor or the counter on its own base. A build like that is three decisions: the stand that carries the panel, the panel size that matches how far people read from, and the outlet that feeds it. Each decision has a number behind it, and this page runs them all: the letter-height rule, the load ratings, a worked lobby example at 12 ft, and a straight answer on the holographic fan, which is the first idea in these projects and the wrong one whenever the sign must be read.
What decides the setup
The lease decides the mount: no fixing to walls or ceilings means the screen rides on a base that stands on the floor or sits on the counter. Three inputs decide the rest.
- Who reads it, from how far. Distance sets capital height. The planning figure is 30 ft of viewing distance per inch of capital height, from FHWA letter-height work, and 20 ft per inch is the safer choice for fast reading. That planning work, line counting included, is the subject of the screen size and viewing distance guide.
- How heavy the panel is. The stand's printed load rating has to sit above the panel's weight, and its size range has to cover the diagonal.
- Where power comes from. A freestanding screen feeds from a wall outlet, a floor box or a counter outlet. No outlet in reach turns it into a battery sizing job, and the battery powered signage arithmetic article walks that before anything is bought.
The stand options, with ratings
These are the classes sold today. The loads below are printed ratings taken from stand spec sheets in each class.
| Option | Screen sizes in the class | Rated load | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counter stand, weighted base | one small panel | printed per model | readers stand within 6 ft |
| Fixed floor stand | 13-50 inch | 44 lb, VESA up to 200 × 200 mm | one spot, nothing moves |
| Rolling TV cart | 23-65 inch | 88 lb | one screen serves several spots |
| Heavy rolling cart | 60-100 inch | 220 lb | a large panel or a long reading distance |
| Holographic fan | decorative image only | n/a | never for text people must read |
Match the numbers in this order: the stand's size range covers the panel's diagonal, its load rating sits above the panel's quoted weight, and its VESA list includes the panel's pattern. Stands in the 13-50 inch class list a 200 × 200 mm VESA maximum, so confirm the pattern on the quote before ordering. We do not publish a net weight. Ask for the weight with the quote and keep it below the rating. If the stand rolls, lock two castors once it is placed.
The cart classes usually carry a consumer TV, and a TV needs its own player; the streaming stick or dedicated player comparison is the short version of that choice. A freestanding lobby screen is a normal request, and our lobby displays page shows the placement patterns that work with no wall behind them.
Worked example: sizing a four-line lobby sign read from 12 ft
Inputs. The case: a leased lobby where the main readers stand 12 ft away, and the content is one heading plus three message lines, four lines in total. The legibility figures are the catalog planning numbers: 30 ft of viewing distance per inch of capital height as the bare minimum, 20 ft per inch for fast reading, line spacing at 1.7 × capital height. The geometry figure is general: a 16:9 panel's image height is 9 ÷ √(16² + 9²) = 0.490 of its diagonal.
Rule in words. Divide the distance by 20 to get capital height in inches for fast reading. Multiply by 1.7 for the line pitch. Multiply the pitch by the line count for the image height needed. Divide that by 0.490 for the smallest 16:9 diagonal that carries the block.
Arithmetic. Capitals: 12 ft ÷ 20 = 0.6 in (the minimum at 12 ÷ 30 = 0.4 in; build to 0.6). Line pitch: 1.7 × 0.6 in = 1.02 in. Image height for four lines: 4 × 1.02 in = 4.08 in. Diagonal: 4.08 ÷ 0.490 = 8.3 in. For comparison, a 13.3-inch panel carries 13.3 × 0.490 = 6.5 in of image height, which is 6.5 ÷ 1.02 = 6.4 lines at this distance.
Result. Any 16:9 panel of 8.3 in diagonal or more displays the four-line block at 0.6 in capitals from 12 ft, and the 13.3-inch class carries six lines.
Decision. Pick the panel-mount class from 13 to 23.8 inches: it clears the text block with margin on every size. Match it to the 13-50 inch floor stand class from the table, with the quoted weight checked against the 44 lb rating and the VESA pattern against 200 × 200 mm. Below 8.3 in of diagonal the block drops to three lines or falls back to the 0.4 in bare-minimum capitals. Above 50 inches of diagonal, the same panel moves up to the rolling cart class and its 88 lb rating.
Where the holographic fan fits
A holographic fan spins LED blades and leaves a floating persistence-of-vision image. It is a graphic, not a screen: each blade carries a short line of bright LEDs, so the readable content is a logo or a few large words, it washes out in lobby daylight, and it loses the little readability it has past a few feet. The blades also spin fast at hand height, which is a real object next to people's arms and coats. For a sign people must read, skip it. If the client wants the effect, put it behind the counter as décor and let the floor stand carry the actual message.
Power, cords and where it stands
The screen feeds from the nearest outlet. Our panel-mount units run from a low-voltage DC feed, and the AC power adapter that turns wall power into that feed is sold separately, so it goes on the order with the screen.
One safety note covers the whole install: dress the cord along the floor edge or under the base, never across a walkway, and lock the castors on a cart once it is placed. Keep the stand out of the exit route too.
Light is the other placement factor. A lobby window wall puts far more light on the panel than a ceiling fixture does, so set the brightness for the room's light and check the screen at the brightest hour the spot sees.
When a stand is the wrong answer
The landlord allows fixing after all. A wall or ceiling mount beats a base on every count: no floor space used, no cord at ground level, no tip-over. Get the allowance in writing first, because the lease decided this, not the installer.
Readers stand far away. Distance runs the rule upward fast. A 23.8-inch 16:9 panel carries 23.8 × 0.490 = 11.7 in of image height. Three fast-read lines at 45 ft need 3 × 1.7 × (45 ÷ 20) = 11.5 in, so 45 ft is the far edge of a three-line block on the largest panel-mount size. Beyond 50 ft this becomes a large LED sign board question.
The audience is outside the glass. A sidewalk reader sits beyond the window, and these units are not rated for outdoor use. A window-facing sign also needs a fixing the lease may bar, so it goes back to the landlord question first.
The sign plays to a queue of one or two. A small counter stand does that job at the right scale; a full-size panel on a floor base is more machine than the moment needs.
What to ask for
Send this list with the quote request and the answer comes back complete.
- Screen: diagonal, quoted weight, VESA pattern, brightness standard, and how content loads. Our panel-mount series, 10.1 to 23.8 inches, plays images and video from a microSD card or USB stick with no subscription and no account.
- Stand: size range, load rating, VESA maximum, base footprint, and brakes if it rolls.
- Site: the outlet position, the cord route, the exit routes to keep clear, and the brightest hour the spot sees.
- Content: who updates the files and how often, since card and stick swaps are the update path.
What the rest of the spec sheet means is its own read; the digital signage displays guide walks each line of it.
The decision
Recommendation: For a leased lobby, cafe or shop floor with no wall or ceiling fixing, order a panel-mount unit from the 13 to 23.8 inch class on a fixed floor stand rated for 13-50 inch screens and 44 lb, check the quoted weight and the VESA pattern against the stand's printed numbers, place it for a 12 to 15 ft reading distance, and feed it from the nearest outlet with the cord dressed along the base. Take a rolling cart when one screen has to serve several spots, a weighted counter stand when readers come within 6 ft, and skip the holographic fan unless the sign is décor first and message second.
Questions
Does a no-walling clause also bar the window glass?
Usually the clause bars fixing to anything that is part of the premises, and glass counts, but the wording decides. Ask the landlord in writing before buying any suction or clamp mount. If glass is barred too, the freestanding floor stand in this article needs no fixing at all and the plan does not change.
Will a freestanding sign pass a fire and access check?
Treat the stand as furniture. Keep it out of exit routes and off the path of travel, lock the castors once placed, and keep the cord off the walking surface. The deeper the base, the steadier the screen. If a fire marshal would call the spot an obstruction, the spot is wrong, not the stand.
How does the content get updated on a screen with no subscription?
Copy the images and video onto a microSD card or USB stick at a desk, power the screen down, swap the media, and power it back up. Our panel-mount units are built to play from microSD or USB with no subscription and no account. A consumer TV on a cart needs a player of its own instead.
Planning information, not legal or engineering advice. Rules differ by place: check codes and permits with your local authority and your licensed trades.