Who hasn’t seen ads online for really cheap banners. Ads touting 4′X8′ banners as low as $50-60. Sounds like a great deal, but there has to be a catch? Before you buy, take a hard look at the details of those banners…

Material

Let’s examine the banner material that they are using. If you want to use the banner outdoors, it must be 13 ounce vinyl scrim if it is going to hold up. Never be fooled by anyone selling you any banner made of paper, they won’t last outside at all.

Vinyl weight

This will be the one spec that might be hard to figure out. Chances are that if the advertisement doesn’t specify what the banner weight is, they have something to hide.

Try to avoid any banners that are less than 13 ounces. The industry has determined that this is the minimum weight for outdoor durability. These ads probably offer an upgrade for additional money.

Banner finishing: Hems

This is the process of folding over one inch of the material and securing it with either tape or stitching. This process will increase the strength of the banner dramatically and should be a FREE option on all banners you order. I prefer using banner tape as you get a clean edge that doesn’t damage the face of the banner.

Many printers like sewing as it is very fast to do, but it has several drawbacks in my opinion. The primary one is that sewing makes the edges pucker, which can distort the image on the banner.

The second drawback is that sewing machines use a claw tooth foot to pull the banner into the machine and this can cause visible scuffing of the image. These shops will charge something around $0.90 per linear foot to hem. For a 4′x8′ banner (24 linear ft) that amounts to $21.60 in extra charges.

Banner finishing: Grommets

What good is a banner without grommets to hang it. At the very least, you should get one grommet in each corner included in the price. A better option is to have an additional grommet every 2 to 3 feet along all edges of the banner. Since grommets are so cheap, they should be included in the price. If not, look to pay about $12 for a 4×8 banner.

In conclusion

Vinyl banners are a super tool to promote your business or events. Banners offer the best return-on-investment of all advertising. Be careful when you see those ads for cheap banners, that might be just what you get.

Tags: Banner Ads

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