There are a lot of ways you can use banners profitably in your business. Let's take a look at a few ways you can accomplish what you need to do with banners.
2 Types of Banners
Before I start, though, I will mention that there are two major types of banners that are used in most businesses - vinyl (PVC) and cloth, or fabric, usually polyester.
1. Vinyl Banners
Vinyl banners are typically printed digitally or screen printed. As digital printers have gotten larger and faster, printing of vinyl banners is now done, in a majority of cases, with digital printers. Up until recently, vinyl banners were the favorite material to use for out-of-door banners, but that is starting to change.
Long runs of vinyl banners are still less expensive to print using screen printing, but most companies need a few or hundreds, not thousands of banners. The digital printing age has also ushered in personalization of banners to various locations or branches of a chain of stores that was not available 15 years ago.
2. Fabric Banners
Polyester fabric banners are printed using a dye sublimation process, which is about as close to photo-reprographics as you can get in the large format print industry. The printers are either "direct-to-substrate" dye sublimation or heat transfer. The direct printers are gaining popularity because they are easier and quicker to operate. The heat transfer dye sublimation process is done utilizing several steps, whereas direct dye sub printing is a single step process.
That's the basic primer on printing banners and what's available for use to advertise your product, business, or service. Now, on to effective and profitable uses for your banners, whichever type you prefer.
Making Profits Out of Your Banners
When using outdoor banners, you may choose between vinyl and cloth banners, and though most companies opt for vinyl as it's still marginally less costly, outdoor fabric banners are becoming more common as the dye sub process makes the ink virtually indestructible, and quite frankly, fabric just looks better.
But if you're driving by a 100 foot by 8 foot banner, it's unlikely that the quality of print is going to be a significant factor in what the banner says, so most clients are still opting for vinyl banners for this usage.
If you have a sale, for instance, on breakfast cereal, that you need to feature to passing motorists, you may not need a 100 foot long banner, but a 4 foot by 12 foot banner might fit the bill if traffic is passing your grocery store at 35 MPH.
Or, if you have a new business selling computer repair services, and traffic whizzes by your location at 50 MPH, you might want to consider a larger banner, say 5 feet by 20 feet, to let potential clients know you're in business.
Inside your store, I would almost insist that fabric banners or posters will lend a much classier look to your store, which should, in turn, give your potential clients a sense that you care about how your store looks and how you are going to look over their computer.
These in-store banners may announce specials, new services offered, or anything else you want to feature that will tell your store's customers what you're up to and how it can help them out of their bind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Barry K. Brown has been in the Sign, Banner, Decal and Display Business for over 20 years. It isn't what he thought he'd do with his life, but he says he knows too much now to do anything else!
He has been marketing these products online since 1998, and the company he was general manager of in 1998 was the first sign company to be listed on Yahoo!
He invites you to check out his blog online to read more of his postings on graphic printing of banners, trade displays, stickers, decals, signs, and more.
