Have a Banner Day!

In our studio, every day is a banner day! The familiar term "banner day" refers to a day being noteworthy or of hanging a banner of announcement, usually of good news.*

This is Part 3 of 3 on substrates:  Context is Everything 

We print banners for a range of settings including trade shows, to direct school traffic, announce auto sales, tout a blue-ribbon award, herald a Bronco’s win, for concerts and fairs, to hang in bars and on light poles and sign posts, and to publicly thank sponsors or participants. Again, it’s all about context. Do you want to hang a banner outdoors that will weather the elements for a year or even longer? Is there a one-time conference that commands custom pieces? We’ve got your solution!

The wide range of substrate options for banners includes:

Scrim:  Commonly used for outdoor signage since it is scratch- and water-resistant but can be penetrated for grommets for easy hanging. Scrim banners are made of vinyl and reinforced with polyester cording. The design is what gives it strength and durability. Its smooth, flat finish makes this surface ideal for large-format inkjet printing.

SoFlat®:   Described as scrim-less since this PVC substrate doesn’t have a scrim/base fabric. It is a non-curl substrate with a smooth, flat finish. It is typically used indoors because it is not scratch- or water-resistant. Commonly used for trade show, event and conference displays, it rolls up well. You see it use for many retractable banners.

Mesh:  Designed to let air blow through instead of flapping in the wind or tearing, this synthetic substrate can also be hemmed for a clean look and pierced to hold grommets. You see these on construction fences and at parks touting sporting and other events.

Canvas:  With a texture similar to a painting canvas, this substrates has a softer feel and is “natural” on the non-print side and painted white on the print side. While not as glossy as some other options, canvas is a common choice for setting that demand a more classic look; your bank or inside hotels.

Heavy Duty:   Ideal for fluttering flags that will go with the wind instead of fighting it, this vinyl substrate has high tear resistance due to the multi-layer design. Typically hemmed and with grommets, it is also ideal for prints that will be inserted into re-usable frames to announce the current sale or holiday specials.

Smooth:   Designed for indoor use, smooth banners are defined by their levelness that allows for pressure consistency in printing. That leads to crisp images—even when viewed very close up. Available in a matte finish and can be printed on both sides.

SpeedPro Denver designed, printed and installed this special recognition banner and building wrap at St. Mary's Academy in Littleton

SpeedPro Denver printed 400 banners for Coors!

We hope you have enjoyed our substrates series

Topic suggestions are always welcome!

303.426.4199

denver@speedprodenver.com

www.speedprodenver.net

*source: answers.com

SoFlat is a registered trademark of Soyang

Context is Everything Continues with Window, Wall and Floor Graphic Substrates

Enjoy Part 2 of our substrates series and as always, 
feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Window Graphics 

You see this substrate used in every size imaginable. It might be a basic circle a few inches in diameter or a large sheet covering an entire floor-to-ceiling glass window. You see it everywhere on retail windows and at entertainment venues promoting seasonal and even daily specials, the latest acts or movies, announcing new sales, closeouts, and as logos on any glass surface.

Glass Adhere™ is a choice option for window graphics. This newer product uses a technology more advanced than the familiar static clings. Glass Adhere has micro-suction cups on one side and can be used over and over since it is removable and reusable. It is also water resistant, fade resistant, cleanable (even with glass cleaners), and 99% bubble free. This evolution in window graphics also allows for full bleed printing--no need to design in that white border to save trimming costs. It is available in 1st (outside looking in) and 2nd (inside looking out) surface options. While it is a peel-and-place product, professional installation is typically suggested. Other window graphic materials include static clings in both clear and solid backed options, and static clings with perforated window film. 

Wall Graphics

You've see wall murals used extensively for decorative purposes (Thanks for your patronage) or to inform or distract (does the view from your dreaded dentist chair offer calming graphics on the ceiling?) but they also work to create advertising space that can engage and entertain (it’s impossible to ignore those ads on the sides of brick buildings isn't it?).

When considering a wall mural, the texture of the surface is the most important component to evaluate. Is it a smooth office hallway wall, a mall barrier or the outside of a brick building? Depending on the placement, you may have options for the finish to consider too:  do you want a low-glare matte, a high luster for maximum shine, or a fabric canvas-type rugged finish to add texture to a flat surface? Think of wall graphics as custom wallpaper. Your artwork can be printed on this substrate that goes edge-to-edge and floor-to-ceiling. Here are some of the material options:

Vinyl Film is the choice workhorse of many a print shop and can be produced as either a cast or calendered film. The basic ingredients are the same, but the manufacturing process and type of plasticizers used result in significant differences. Cast films are considered the industry premium whereas calendered film may be chosen for cost rather than durability. If you want your long-term signage to stand up to the elements, choose cast films. For the monthly special, calendared film will do the job.

Photo Tex™ is an indoor adhesive-backed fabric that sticks to any non-porous flat surface

creating seamless images. Available in rolls up to 54” wide x 100’, it is reusable and repositionable. Photo Tex works indoors or out, it will not

shrink, wrinkle or rip in any temperature or climate change. It easily wraps around corners and poles. You see it often in restaurants, retail settings and offices.

RoughRAP™ is a durable vinyl ideal for covering textured walls like brick, concrete, wood, wood paneling, and cinderblock. Textured walls, while more challenging to install graphics onto, often come across looking painted but are installed without the hassle of trying to evenly saturate a brick or cinderblock surface. And, the graphics are easier to remove than paint! RoughRAP can provide full coverage or be contour cut into any custom shape you want. It can also be used to add a special event announcement or logo to an existing mural.

Floor Graphics

Materials for floor graphics have evolved along with advances in print technology. Installation and removal times have sped up and demand has grown for this inexpensive but interesting branding option. “Floor” in this context includes concrete, asphalt, commercial grade carpets, laminated vinyl, wood, brick, and even some tile. Surfaces that can grip and maintain graphics are nearly endless.

Floor graphics are also popular as welcome mats (that no one will trip on) greeting customers with a logo and cheery message, at convention centers and event venues to provide directions and steer the flow of traffic, with retailers and restaurants to showcase seasonal specials, and they can entertain elevator riders by adding an interesting distraction or key messaging during the wait. Affordable for weddings and other special events, floor graphics are also popular with car dealerships. Shopping mall managers can use floor graphics to encourage and entertain their customers who are walking up a flight a stairs by telling a short story to keep them going! Every surface is an opportunity. 

Drytac Interlam™ is a high tac vinyl laminate and ideal for short-term outdoor applications. If you participate in any of the countless foot races around the country, you’ve seen graphics that went down that morning and were pulled up that night. The material used to print on was likely provided by Drytac. They offer a complete line of pressure-sensitive over-laminating films coated with an aqueous (water-based) adhesive--ideal for short-term outdoor applications. 

LexJet® offers a line of adhesive vinyl products designed for wide format printers to produce over-sized floor graphics that go down cleanly (with the right tools and training, of course) and come up without leaving a trace. 

G-Floor Graphics from Better Life Technology LLC offers custom-printable vinyl sheet materials including long-term flooring (visualize a high school gym or a dance studio floor that can take a pounding without showing wear—it may be a G-Floor Ultraflex graphic) and repositionable floors that can be custom-cut for your logo or promotional messages (imagine a trade show booth floor in place for the short-term but it’s reusable!).

Our next blog will cover the many options to consider when ordering BANNERS!

Don’t hesitate to contact us anytime with questions about these or other substrates you are considering at denver@speedprodenver.com, 303.426.4199 or www.speedprodenver.net. 

We always welcome your suggestions for topics and specific materials

to cover in future blogs as well.

Glass Adhere is a trademark of Pro-Graphics Network, LLC

Photo Tex is a trademark of the Photo Tex Group, Inc. 

RoughRAP is a trademark of Mactac

Interlam is a trademark of Drytac

Context is Everything

When we talk to our customers and future customers about print jobs, we tend to ask a lot of questions that sometimes may seem taxing but they all serve a purpose: to recommend the most appropriate substrate for the job.

As you probably know, the substrate is the underlying material, for example, foam core or metal, to be selected based on how a given printed piece will be used and where it will be placed.

So describe the context for us:  Will it be installed on the side of building, on a construction zone fence, on a box truck or in a small conference room, trade show booth or adhered to a jar or bottle? Do you want it to weather Colorado’s four seasons or will be it be used for one short event? Then we can talk about your substrate options.

We will be covering substrates over a couple of blogs; there are so many--and so many uses--we can’t do this topic justice in just one! This first blog will focus on some of the most widely used indoor and outdoor substrates:

Indoor:  Foam Core, ULTRA BOARD, Styrene and PVC

Foam Core (aka foam board) is a very strong, lightweight and easily cut material. It consists of three layers — an inner layer of polystyrene clad with outer facing of either a white clay coated paper or brown Kraft paper.* Available in approx. 1/8” and 3/16” thicknesses, a variety of colors and sizes up to 96" x 48", is it choice material for signage that will be used for a short time only such as periodic meetings, trade shows and special events.

ULTRA BOARD is idea for indoors. ULTRA BOARD is a lightweight structural panel consisting of a rigid polystyrene foam core faced on both sides by a smooth, moisture resistant sheet of solid polystyrene.** Available in a variety of thicknesses from 3/16” to 1”, it can be cut with a standard table saw into any custom shape and is an excellent choice for signage, photo mounting, exhibits, and point-of-purchase displays.

Styrene is plastic and suitable for indoor and outdoor short-term applications. It is sometimes called poster board and is considered one of the best surfaces for large format photography prints. This product is resistant to weather (but not long-term UV exposure), bumps, drops and scratches while being lightweight and flexible. It is delivered in large flat sheets and then custom cut into any shape. Available in a variety of thickness and sizes it can be printed on both sides. 

PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride) is a plastic durable and lightweight material available in a variety of colors, sizes and in rigid and flexible formats. This workhorse material can be shaped from 4’ x 8’ sheets into custom designs and is a good choice for short-term exterior uses. You see it everywhere as directional signage, at retail, in meeting rooms, and in grocery stores as shelf signs.

Outdoor:  Max-metal/Dibond and Coroplast

Max-metal and Dibond are used often for rugged environments (building and road construction sites) and for signs that will stay up and out for years (Don’t Feed the Animals, Joe's Bistro). Max-metal is two paper-thin sheets of aluminum with a black plastic core. Dibond is an aluminum composite material (ACM) of two pre-painted sheets of 0.012” aluminum with a solid polyethylene core. Indoor applications include retail cabinet signs, menu boards and an endless number of posters. You can get metal or aluminum signs printed in full color and in any size and shape you want!

Coroplast is a corrugated plastic similar in structure to corrugated cardboard and available in sheets up to 5’ x 10’. Produced to print on flatbed printers, coroplast is widely used for political signs, real estate signs, sport-themed cutouts, event signs and other shaped signs.





Our next blog will cover materials for walls, windows and floors. Don’t hesitate to contact us anytime with questions about these or other substrates you are considering at denver@speedprodenver.com, 303.426.4199 or www.speedprodenver.net. We also welcome your suggestions for topics and materials to cover.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foamcore

**http://www.ultraboard.com/ultraboard/specs
Coroplast is a registered trademark of Coroplast, LLC
Dibond is a registered trademark of 3A Composites USA