All shapes and sizes of vinyl banners have been around for ages. Vinyl banners are one of the most popular types of signs out there. They offer the most value when promoting your business, school or organization to people of all ages. Banner signage has come along way over the past few years making it more economical to print full color banners instead of plain, one color vinyl banners. It is also cheaper and easier to print much larger custom banners.
Vinyl banner signs open the door to make a lasting impression on your potential clients. Pretend you are walking through a shopping center. Most shopping centers have a wide variety of shops, packaging centers, restaurants, etc. You are not there for any specific reason just browsing through…
What would you notice first?
1. The packaging store with a few small “Ship Here” signs at their entrance
2. The coffee shop with the “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” mocha special decal on their window
3. The full color vinyl banner that fills the store front at the travel agency promoting a cruise special they are offering to the Caribbean
I can almost smell the ocean and feel the sand under my feet just looking at that full color banner in the window! The agency’s custom banner grabbed my attention even though I was far from shopping for a cruise package.
But why choose custom banners over other kinds signage?
Vinyl banners are offered in a many different sizes, have simple installation and require very little assembly. Vinyl banners are great for both indoor and outdoor use. They can be mounted to buildings, hung across streets, attached to light poles or simply mounted to the inside of a travel agents window. Vinyl banners can be made single or double sided depending on your needs.
They are great for temporary promotions, community events, grand openings and so much more. They roll up so they are easy to store, are economical to ship, yet still offer the WOW factor!
You wouldn’t want to replace your roadside sign or backlit store front sign every time the weeks special changed or you had a sale. You do not want to have to purchase a new wood sign every time you have a fundraiser in your town. And you surely don’t want your back room to be crammed full all year with your Holiday Specials Signs because you needed to make a BIG impression last holiday season, and can’t roll your signs up and tuck them away!
In lots of cases, custom banners are the most logical and economical decision. They offer limitless options to give you a BIG impact no matter what your message is or who you are reaching out to. Vinyl banners help you leave a lasting impression without paying an arm and a leg or taking up all of your storage space.
Are all vinyl banners created the same?
Not exactly. Vinyl banners can be made on many different weights of vinyl material ranging from 10 ounce to 16 ounce. The standard weight for most uses is 13 ounce vinyl banner material. This is the most readily used banner material out there. It is a nice, heavyweight material that is great for indoor or outdoor use. Vinyl banners can still be made the old fashioned way on manufactured banner material with vinyl letters and graphics applied to the surface of the banner, but most sign companies digitally print all banners whether it is one color or full color. This way everything is printed directly from the computerized file and there is less room for manual error. The other advantage is that there isn’t any vinyl for random passersby to mess with or remove, causing damage to your banner sign.
There are several ways to finish your vinyl banner, from the way they are hemmed to the way they are to be mounted. Most sign shops offer taped hem or heat sealed edges. You can have sewn hems done or choose to have no finishing at all. No finishing is okay for one time or occasional use. Taped hem or heat sealed edges offer a finished look with durability for long term use. Sewn hems are highly recommended for street banners and other larger exterior banners that will be under more wear and tear.
Other finishing for vinyl banners are determined by how it’ll be used or installed. The most popular are grommets, also known as eyelets - they are typically applied to every 2 feet of banner so you can install your vinyl banner with rope, zip ties, suction cups, etc. depending on where it is being installed. Other mounting finishes include pole pockets, sewn in rope, D-rings, wind slits and webbing.
All serve different purposes, have different uses and range in cost, depending on the size of your custom banner.
So how to I get started with the creation of a custom business banner?
1. Choose a main message - Don’t overdo it - keep it simple but BOLD!
2. Figure out how far away it needs to be visible from - Will your audience be walking by, driving by, or seeing it from across the street?
3. Is there a color scheme you want to go with?
4. Any logos or specific graphics you would like to use?
5. Where do you plan to put it?
By getting a head start with these key points, you will have a good idea of what you are expecting. This way your sign company will be able to design a vinyl banner to not only make the statement you want, but meet your needs for how you plan to use it. By knowing how far it needs to be visible from your sign company can design your banner sign to insure it will make the biggest impact possible on your audience.
Next time your customers are walking through your shopping center, who would you rather be?
The packaging store, the coffee shop or the travel agent?
All bets are on the trip to the Bahamas…