When you have an important message to convey, consider a large-scale approach. Lightweight, durable and reusable, custom banners are so versatile and give designers the flexibility to attract attention in a big way. So before you hang up mesh or vinyl banners, take a look at the customization options available to you.
Custom Banners: Your Essential Guide to Printing and Hanging
High Versatility of Custom Banners
Lightweight, durable, and reusable, custom banners offer a powerful and flexible way to communicate your message. Whether you’re promoting products and businesses at corporate gatherings, at sporting events, or dressing up light poles down Main Street, understanding your options is key to making a big impact.
Banner Types for Every Need
You’ve likely seen custom banners everywhere – promoting businesses and products at corporate events, sporting competitions, announcing special occasions, or adorning street poles. However, the design and display possibilities of vinyl banners extend far beyond simple wall hangings.
Selecting the Right Vinyl Material for Your Needs
Attracting Attention with Various Banner Styles
From Hanging Banners and Retractable Banners to Step and Repeat Banners, The Bernard Group and our online division, Smartpress, offers an array of options for promoting and advertising a product or announcing personal events like birthdays, graduations or weddings.
Hint: Explore more banner types to elevate your promotional efforts! Read 6 Types of Banners for Your Business or Event.
Optimizing Banner Installation
Selecting the right large format vinyl banner for your application starts with defining how you intend it to be installed and displayed. It’s common to think of banners as hanging on a wall, fence, or other vertical surfaces.
But with the right finishing options, vinyl banners can be hung from the ceiling, mounted on poles, or installed on a stand. So look around your space and get creative to find the most attention-grabbing opportunity for your vinyl banner.
Choose the Right Banner Material
Understanding Vinyl Material Considerations for Durability
Selecting the appropriate material is crucial for the longevity and effectiveness of your custom banner, especially considering its intended environment. Different vinyl types offer distinct benefits.
Scrim Vinyl: The Economical Outdoor Choice
SCRIM VINYL is the most common material for vinyl banners. Among the most economical options, its 13-ounce weight makes it ideal for short-term outdoor applications, particularly when not exposed to severe weather. Suitable for one-sided printing, scrim vinyl has a matte finish but can take on a bit of shine when it’s printed with UV inks.
Mesh Vinyl: Ideal for Windy Environments
MESH VINYL is made for windy applications. The mesh material allows air to pass through it, so you don’t have to cut wind slits that wreck your design and weaken the structural integrity of your banner. Because of its mesh structure, it can only be printed on one side, and like the other vinyl options, mesh vinyl has a matte finish.
Smooth Vinyl: For Double-Sided Impact and Durability
SMOOTH VINYL has a tighter weave than scrim vinyl, which yields a smoother surface. Smooth vinyl can be printed on both sides, so it’s the material of choice if your sign hangs where it will be seen from different directions. Like scrim vinyl, smooth vinyl also has a matte surface that takes on a shine when it’s printed with UV inks. For indoor applications, 13 oz. is recommended for lightweight indoor use, while 15 oz. provides the necessary durability for heavy outdoor use.
Essential Banner Finishing Options and Hardware
Enhancing Your Banner’s Functionality and Presentation
Beyond material selection, finishing options and hardware play a vital role in how your vinyl banner is displayed and its ability to withstand its environment. Thoughtful planning elevates your banner’s presentation.
Pole Pockets: A Simple Solution for Pole or Dowel Mounting
Add pole pockets to your banner as an easy hanging option when installing onto a pole or dowel. Add a pocket on the bottom and insert a wood dowel to keep the banner straight and taught as it’s hung. Pole pockets can also be added to the left or right sides so you can slide the banner onto a stand. The trick with pole pockets is simple: choose a size that’s slightly larger than the pole so you can install it easily.
Grommets: Secure Hanging Points
Grommets are the other option for hanging your banner. These metal rings usually come in black, white, brass, or chrome and can be added to the corners of your banner. If your vinyl banner is larger than 72″ the grommets should be added every 24 inches to help keep your banner taut and crisp.
Combining Grommets and Pole Pockets for Maximum Flexibility
For ultimate flexibility, add both grommets and pole pockets. That way, if the placement for your banner changes, it’s still ready to hang. And sometimes a combination — grommets along the top with a pole pocket and dowel for weight at the bottom — are just what’s needed.
Ball Bungees: A Better Option for Windy Locations
If your banner will hang in a windy location, you’ve probably already chosen mesh vinyl as your material. But you should also consider using ball bungee cords to hang your banner — they’ll let it move a bit more freely than rope or zip ties — and will look better, too.
Hemstitching: Increasing Banner Longevity
Finally, be sure to add hemstitching to increase the longevity of your custom banners. You do not need hemstitching where you’ve added pole pockets, but it will add durability to the other sides.
Custom Banners: Perfect for Promotion and Events
Large format vinyl banners are an incredibly versatile item, and The Bernard Group can help you design, customize and print yours. Promoting a sale? There is a vinyl banner for that. Promote products, businesses, and events.
Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, quinceañeras, or any occasion can be cause for a banner. And when you understand the options available, your vinyl banner project will be a success.
Hint: Want more custom banner inspo? Get it here: