The Anatomy of Vinyl Banners

Vinyl Banners 101

Vinyl banners are a form of advertising.
Banners are printed with your own artwork for business or personal use.
Most banners are now digitally printed on large format inkjet printers, which are capable of printing a full color outdoor billboard on a single piece of material.

Most common material:

Heavy weight vinyl technically known as PVC.
Recommended materials:
High density 13oz. - Durable and Economic
High density 16oz.
Recommended for outdoor usage.
Stronger quality
More durable.
Mesh
- Great for outdoor usage.
- Used for really large banners that cover a whole building.
- The special mesh material allows the wind and sound to pass by.
- Great for concerts and really windy places.
Weights of banner substrates:
- Range from 9 ounces to 22 ounces per square yard.
- May be double- or single-sided.
Grommets:
- Nickel holes that enable the banner to be hung on: Fence posts are for: Walls and Side of buildings
- FACT: In windy conditions, if Grommets are not fastened into the hem of a vinyl banner, these grommet holes will easily tear out of the banner.
- May be added in order to facilitate hanging the banner.
Banner hem tapes:
- Usually used to prevent delamination and lifting of vinyl hems.
- Also used as a decorative trim.
- Quality vinyl banners will also used an outside hem to ensure that Grommets are secured properly.
Matte Vinyl vs. Gloss Vinyl
- Matte: Looks better and Allows message to be shown from afar and all types of lighting.
  o Gloss - Reflects sunlight preventing message to come through correctly.
  o FACT - Shiny is not better when it comes to vinyl banners!

There are several types of vinyl banners and they’re useful time ranges from 3 to 5 years.

Digitally printed banners - Usually Printed with: Different types of inks:
Aqueous (water based)
Eco-solvent
Solvent based
UV-curable inkjet - Large format inkjet printers usually from:
- HP
- EFi Vutek
- Mimaki
- Roland
- Mutoh
- Other Chinese or Korean manufacturer.
Very large banners may be produced using:
- Grand format inkjet printers" of > 2.5m width.
- Computer-controlled airbrush devices, which print the ink directly onto the banner material.
FACT - Some of the fastest wide and grand format inkjet printers are capable of printing up to 3,000 square feet (280 m2) per hour.
Vinyl lettered banners - Are produced by applying individual elements cut from self-adhesive vinyl by a computer-driven vinyl cutter.
Screen-printed banners are produced using screen-printing:
- Different colors are laid down one at a time using screens comprising an imaged stencil through which the screen printing ink passes.
- Screen-printing may be done on - Hand benches, Single or dual color machines and High-performance multi-color screen presses.
- FACT - These presses can print at about 1,000 m2 per hour plus.

2 Foot Banners

Smallest size most printers carry.
Perfect for displaying banner ads:
- Under tables
- Used as a textual border on store windows.
Can be as long as 12 feet in width for even an outdoor sign hung across a pathway or small road!
Their thin height makes them more apt to not tear in wind and, therefore do not require windslits.

3 Foot Banners

High enough for graphical displays and text only banners.
Most popular size
Preferred choice among business owners who are looking for an effective banner to attract attention to:
- Product promotions
- Announcements
- Business specials

4 Foot Banners

Largest banners in terms of height most printers offer.
Great for outdoor displays.
Great choice for ensuring that your printed message gets the attention you need whether its:
- Mounted on an exterior building wall.
- Hung over the road.
- Hung on a fence.

Vinyl Banners are best suited for outdoor use but can also be used indoors. The most often used applications for vinyl banners are:

Vinyl banners can be seen anywhere due to its very flexible and portable material. Most commonly seen as: