Banners are a powerful marketing tool, which delivers the necessary information and helps to get a response. They can be indoor and outdoor and thus, it’s possible to use them to your benefit everywhere. The outdoor banners must withstand all kinds of weather, including rain and wind, while there are fewer requirements to the indoor ones.
Banner prints can be used for different purposes, from business promotion to the birthday celebration. There are also several kinds of them and each has its advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, nowadays, it’s very easy to order banners as there are many companies, which offer such services. Besides the traditional way, you can also print banner online.
In this article, we’d like to help you to find out what types of banners exist, how they are used and how to get them.
The banners can be printed on different types of materials. They can be of various sizes and styles. Here are the basic types of banners, used both indoor and outdoor.
Paper Banner Printing
Paper prints are meant for indoor use only. The colors on them look really cool and they are amazing for the use at exhibitions or trade shows. However, in comparison with other types of banners, they aren’t resistant to external factors. The paper banners are also available in smaller sizes.
Vinyl Banner Printing
Vinyl banners are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. They are printed on 13 oz scrim vinyl. The vinyl banners can be up to 16 feet by 50 feet without seams. As a rule, hems and grommets are placed every 2-4 feet around the banner perimeter. There can be some additional options as well, for example, pole pockets or reinforced hems and corners.
Vinyl banners are lightweight, but, at the same time, they prove to be durable. They can be single sided as well as double sided. Moreover, to print banners on vinyl is one of the most affordable variants.
No Curl Vinyl Banners
No curl vinyl banners are printed on 14 oz vinyl material and are usually applied for high end and banner stands. Such prints don’t have hems, but the grommets can be added.
Mesh Banners
Mesh banners are digitally printed on 10 oz scrim vinyl, which has criss-crossed breathable fibers. Such posters are used outdoor and are resistant to wind. They have small holes, which allow the wind to pass through them so that the banner isn’t torn. They can be up to 16 feet by 50 feet without seams and have heat welded hems and grommets.
Canvas Banners
Canvas banners are used only indoor. Their texture makes them look like paintings. They are most often used for high end displays. The sewn hems and grommets are standard options for such a type of a banner.
Polyester Fabric Banners
Polyester fabric banners are printed for indoor and outdoor use, though the use of such prints outdoors is rare. They are printed with the help of a direct dye sublimation printing process, which makes the ink go through the fabric and not just stay on its surface. That makes the prints look very bright and dynamic.
The Basic Information about Vinyl Banners Printing
An Independence Day Banner
Vinyl banners are the most popular ones. They are made of polyester (scrim) and vinyl. While the polyester adds strength to the poster, the vinyl holds the image printed on the banner.
The material is measured in ounces, based on a square yard of material. Vinyl has from 8 oz per square foot up to 22 oz weight. The weight is chosen, taking into account the location it will be used at. Thus, the heavier material is used for windy places and when the banner is attached to the wall, the lighter one can be used.
The standard types of vinyl are 10, 13 and 14 oz. The 10 oz material is used for indoor banners printing. It’s not very durable and is good if the short term promotion is needed. The 13 oz value vinyl is tear resistant and can be used indoors and outdoors if there are no extreme weather conditions. The 14 oz vinyl is good for outdoor presentations. It’s strong, heavy and delivers the image brilliantly.
The vinyl may have different kinds of smoothness. The prints are available in glossy and matte finishes. The matte banner has the textured finish, which does not glare under lighting. And the glossy one is just the opposite. It has a smooth surface and glares heavily if it’s exposed to light.
The matte finish is more popular among vinyl banners buyers as it doesn’t look “too plastic” like the glossy one. Moreover, it looks better if it’s well-lit. However, matte banners get dirty quicker while the glossy prints don’t allow dust to penetrate.
If you are going to use the vinyl banner outdoors, it’s better to use the listed beneath techniques in order to make them more durable.
Web-reinforced hemming is sewing of a nylon stripping into the hem of the banner. This procedure makes the banner heavier and more resistant to the wind.
Pole pockets with reinforced hemming are good for windy locations. It means that a cable is extended through the top and bottom pole pockets of the banner.
Printing Banners for Different Aims
A Circus Banner
There are many spheres, in which a banner print can be used. The most frequently outdoor banner printing is meant for business, advertising, promotion and personal use. So, let’s consider the banners usage in more details.
Business
A Coffee Shop Banner
Printing a banner for business promotion is one of the most popular variants of attracting people’s attention to your products or services. The large banners really help to boost the sales and increase the company’s profit.
The main pluses of using banners for your business are that they aren’t expensive and can be used more than once. Moreover, it’s possible to make the prints in any design, style and size. They can be also printed both horizontally and vertically and that makes it possible to use them in different ways.
While creating the banner design for your business, take into account that it’s better to keep it simple and not to add unnecessary details. The text must be easy readable and be well-seen from the distance. If images are used, they must of high quality. Moreover, don’t forget to add your company’s logo to the banner.
The banner can be used not only to provide the general information about your business, but also for special events. Thus, if your shop offers discounts in November, tell people about that. Or, if your restaurant has some special offers, like cheap lunches, write about that on the banner to attract more customers.
The banners can be placed differently. For example, you can hang it on the building, so that all passers-by see it. However, it’s better to choose the places with a good traffic. It’s usually the centre of any city. The banners can be also placed near the big roads, where thousands of cars pass through the day.
One more way to use banner is to advertise your company on various kinds of social events like performances, music festivals, athletic competitions etc. As many people gather at such events, many people will get to know about your offers.
Advertising
An Advertising Banner
Color banner printing has been used for advertisements for several decades and continues to be one of the most efficient ways to advertise products and services. The ads may aim to attract new clients to a certain shop, beauty salon or café. They are concentrated on the company they advertise, its products or services as well as special offers.
A banner can advertise a specific product, telling about its characteristics and how it can help the one, who will buy it. Every product can be advertised, from a smartphone to a new kind of ice-cream. And, of course, the ads are made to tell about specials, sales and discounts, offered by certain companies.
Whether you choose premium or cheap banner printing, the most important is the content. Don’t make the message too long as usually it’s easier to attract attention by short catchy phrases. Your potential clients can be rather busy and so, a few of them will stop to read what is written on the banner. At the same time, the short messages can be read in motion.
Besides text, it’s also good to use some graphics and pictures. They must be of professional quality. The background of the banner must be of the contrast color with the text. According to the studies of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, the most eye-catching combinations are black on yellow, yellow on black, black on white and white on blue.
Public Organizations and Social Projects
A Stop Cancer Banner
Sign and banner printing is also used for non-commercial purposes. The banners can be printed for churches, schools, fairs and many other places. For example, the banners for churches can become a decoration for the church and, at the same time, spread the word about the church activities to other citizens of your location.
There can be some propaganda and promotional prints, which call for action. We are sure that you have seen the banners, dedicated to cancer, animals’ protection or the bad influence of smoking. They don’t aim to gather money, but aim to make people aware of certain issues.
However, there can also be fundraising and charity banners, which ask you to help someone and donate money to a certain fund or individual.
Events
A Party Banner
The banners may serve to tell about certain events like parties, fairs, trade shows, holiday celebrations, concerts, sports events etc.
For example, if an important basketball match of your local team is taking place, there can be banners, which call to come to the match and support the athletes. Or, if a certain club organizes a huge Halloween party, there will always be advertisements for it, including the one, made on a huge print banner.
The banner printing is suitable if you organize a certain event and want to have many visitors. However, it can be used for more private events as well.
Personal Use
A Happy Birthday Banner
You are free to print a banner for your personal use. It can be a text or photo banner printing and, in fact, such prints can be designed just as you wish as there are no strict rules as for business and advertising posters.
The banners are frequently printed for birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions and weddings. They are a great way to congratulate a close person with the holiday and express your feelings. Banners can be used for various types of celebrations, from a restaurant reception to a picnic.
Banner Printing Services
A Super Sale Banner
There are many companies, which have to do with large banner printing, including brick-and-mortar and online ones. The majority of people prefer to order banner printing online as it’s more convenient and, frequently, less expensive.
If you order the custom printed banners online, we recommend to check the reviews for the company you choose so that not to get disappointed with the results. All the rest is usually very safe.
When you order custom banner printing, you may wonder in what format it’s better to send the ready design. The best variants are .eps (encapsulated postscript), .ai (Adobe Illustrator) and .pdf (portable document file). However, you can clarify all the details with the representatives of the company you choose.
There are also sites, which offer not only to print banners online, but also allow the users to create designs online. If your design isn’t still ready and you don’t know what to start with, you may try to do that on one of such sites.
So, now you know what types of banners are used for indoor and outdoor purposes and what the differences between them are. In addition, you see that a printed banner can be used for a great number of purposes though our list isn’t exhaustive.
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