Not All Vinyl Banners are Created Equal

by Rick Hendershot

Roughly speaking, a "banner" is a large flexible sign or poster that can be hung up and taken down without a lot of trouble. The most common material for banners these days is rugged, versatile, durable, and good looking PVC -- vinyl. A vinyl banner is usually portable and often used in a short term situation, like a convention or trade show, or as a temporary substitute for a more permanent sign which will come later.

The great advantage of banners is that they are flexible and lightweight. So they can be transported by being rolled up or folded. They are also quite inexpensive when compared to the alternatives.

In the not-so-distant past a banner could only be created by sticking letters down on a vinyl, paper, or fabric backing material, or by using a relatively complicated and graphically limited process like silk screening.

The "digital revolution" changed all that. Printing machines are now available that can print directly on both indoor and outdoor grade vinyl in stunningly beautiful FULL COLOR. That means when designing a vinyl banner a graphic designer can often take the same files she uses for her client's magazine ad or company brochure, blow them up -- as long as they have sufficient resolution for banner printing -- and print them directly on a very durable piece of vinyl.

The internet is probably your best source for vinyl banners. Why? Because you have a choice of many suppliers, many of whom specialize in this sort of product. Prices are usually very competitive from online vinyl banner suppliers, and they usually have the design, production, and delivery process down to a science.

All suppliers don't use the same process

But not all suppliers use the same process or the same equipment. Some use silk screening, some use low end ink jet printers, and some use higher end solvent digital printers. It is important to know the difference between these, and often you cannot tell by looking at the descriptions provided to you on supplier websites.

Silk screening is an older "low tech" process which still remains an important method of printing certain things that cannot be done "digitally". Silk screen is often used to print on odd ball materials, or wherever special inks are required -- like metallic colors, solid dense colors on a dark background, or colors that have to be closely matched (such as corporate logo colors). You can do process color ("4 color") using a silk screen process. But it is generally not the best choice. The cost of preparing the screens makes it prohibitive for doing small quantities.

Lower end ink jet printers are sometimes used to print on vinyl. The problem with this process is that the inks are usually "dye-based". The bottom line is that these inks are meant for indoor applications and short term outdoor use. Normally they are quickly faded by UV from the sun, and they are also susceptible to scratching and water will damage the image. Some suppliers try to overcome these problems by "UV-laminating" the vinyl after it is printed -- coating the vinyl with a clear laminate designed to protect the surface. This adds significantly to production costs, takes additional time, makes finishing more difficult, and is still an inferior product when compared to vinyl printed with legitimate solvent inks.

When you're ordering a vinyl banner for outdoor use, or one that you hope will last a couple of years, you're best bet is to go with a true solvent ink process. Especially when there is no significant price difference. If you don't, you will be disappointed. Non-solvent inks do not resist sunlight or moisture, and scratch easily.

Some equipment manufacturers (especially Roland) have marketed machines that use a "solvent-like" ink. They claim these solvent-light products have all the features of solvent ink without the drawbacks (solvent machines are more expensive and the inks harder to work with). But in our experience -- yes, we got burned with one of these over-priced machines -- the product just does not stand up. The surface is much too soft and therefore scratches easily.

Other manufacturers (e.g., HP, Epson, Colorspan) have tried for years to create water-based inks that have the durability of solvent. But, we have tried all of these systems, and our experience is that they just do not cut it.

So when you're ordering a vinyl banner for outdoor use, or one that you hope will last a couple of years, your best bet is to go with a true solvent ink process. Especially when there is no significant price difference.

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