Lowly Vinyl Banners
by Rick Hendershot
In the
hierarchy of advertising and promotional media, the lowly Vinyl Banner has to be
one of the most under-rated of them all. Often viewed as a temporary substitute
for a real sign, or a cheap backdrop when you can't afford something better,
vinyl banners rarely gets their due.
As with most things, changes in technology have had a big impact on the vinyl
banner. Just four or five years ago if you wanted a durable and
weather-resistant banner, the production guy had two choices. He could either
print them one color at a time using a silk screen process, or he could generate
self-adhesive letters and manually stick them down
on the vinyl backing. The limitations of both these processes are pretty
obvious. They are both time-consuming, amateurish, and usually too expensive.
Including company logos, photographs, or special typefaces could only be done
with much work and considerable expense.
Until recently graphic designers and advertising people -- the creative types
who like pretty pictures and exciting graphics -- these people have been
effectively shut out from producing economical vinyl banners for their clients.
Digital Revolution has brought changes
The "digital revolution" has changed all that. Printing machines are now
available that can print directly on outdoor (and indoor) grade vinyl in
stunningly beautiful full color. That means a graphic designer can take the same
files she uses for her client's magazine ad or company brochure, blow them up,
and print them directly on a piece of vinyl.
As a result, the catalog of available vinyl materials that can be printed on has
exploded in the last three or four years, and the printing process has been
perfected to the point where you can now print an beautiful full color image on
a piece of virtually non-tearable vinyl with durable inks that will not weather
or fade for many years.
This opens up many possibilities for marketers, designers, trade show
exhibitors, retailers, special speakers, and event planners. Vinyl banners have
several distinct advantages over almost any other advertising medium.
First, they are FLEXIBLE, and very durable. That means you can carry your
backdrop to an open house, trade show, or outdoor event. Just hang it over a
table, or from readily available hanging hardware. Or if it is an outdoor event
like a golf or slo-pitch tournament, attach it to the side of a building or an
outfield fence. When the event is over, just take it down, roll it up, and
you're ready for the next event.
Second, they are CHEAP. If you find the right supplier, you can produce a banner
for much less than any other suitable alternative.
Third, they are BIG. An image can be stretched across several segments, and
these can be stitched together. A banner does not have to be long and skinny. It
can just as easily be big and square. There is virtually no limit to the size
you can produce a vinyl banner.
Finally, they are EASY. Anybody with a little bit of graphic design experience
can design a banner. And even if you have NO experience, the best online sources
of vinyl banners provide you with
instructions and design templates to make the process extremely simple.
The next time you want to make a big, bold statement for very little money,
consider doing it with a vinyl banner.
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