Wouldn’t you love to be able to get your name around town?  Well, now you can.  There are cheap banners which serve the purpose that they are intended for – getting your brand name and product knowledge into the public consciousness!

Don’t be shy in researching what types of cheap banners are out there.  Of course there are options – and why pay more when you don’t have to?  The result is exactly the same.  More importantly, inexpensive banners enable you to increase the number of banners that you would have ordinarily been able to invest in.

Cheap banners don’t mean that the banners aren’t any good.  With printing and production costs going down, it’s possible to advertise the way you want and still keep within your advertising budget parameters.

So what types of low-priced banners are out there, and what can you get for a relatively minimal investment?

Fortunately, since the advent of the digital printer, what used to be known as normal print quality on a dot matrix or laser jet printer is now labeled substandard.  Why?  Because technology keeps getting better and better, helping to drive production costs down.  Improved production techniques bump quality up another notch, which means production costs less than it used to and the final price keeps inching downwards.  This is great news for all advertisers and marketers – but an especially huge breakthrough for the sole business proprietor or entrepreneur trying to get started in a tough market.

Nowadays – cheap banners are a reality – and technology is a major reason. Great fabrics and printing techniques, like direct-to-fabric printing – also make a visible difference.  It seems that almost every year, new techniques are discovered, and utilized in a whole new way, making what was commonplace yesterday obsolete in a very short time.

In discussing the cost of a banner, particularly “cheap” banners – it pays to think about the cost of the cheap banner in aggregate.  You may be able to bargain a cost of .99 per square foot.  But then what?  Will the colors fade after the third day?  Is the fabric shoddy, unsuitable for sun or other outdoor factors?  When you buy a banner, the purpose is to have it ready to display at a moment’s notice.  It sours the proposition when the thing that you thought you had under control has disintegrated or ceased to be functional when you least expected it.  This is a boomerang effect at the worst – and to be avoided at all costs.

Instead, it’s recommended to those entry level business owners and marketers invest in a quality, low-priced banner – cheap banners if you will – but have a good nose for what they are actually getting for your money.  The market entry barrier is noticeably lessened.  Just about any Tom, Dick or Harry can afford to advertise his business at an undreamed of banner cost compared to the one that existed only ten to fifteen years ago.  But make sure that what you are buying is worthwhile, that it will serve you as long as you need to use it.

When you seek out some good quality, cheap banners – by all means shop around and try to get the best deal that you can for the money!  While you are out comparing prices, try to find out the BBB (Better Business Bureau) rating for the firm you’re thinking of doing business with.  Ratings can’t tell everything, but like a thermometer for a sick child, it can explain a lot of abnormalities.  It is always advisable to be forewarned and forearmed.  You may learn that the firm you are contemplating doing business with is an excellent provider, or perhaps the absolute opposite.

While getting something for less is a great goal and objective, the ancient caveat “buyer beware” is also important. Make sure that your economical banners won’t end up costing you more than if you had purchased a quality banner for a little bit more.  Try to take a long term approach and you’ll get the right answer every time.  Do a little homework and you will avoid this common pitfall.  Most experts recommend shooting for a mid level price with a reputable firm, one that is prepared to fix printing errors or defects if they occur – both cheerfully and promptly.  If you get all this and a cheap banner, you’re getting a lot for your money!

Birthday banners are an important part of any birthday celebration.  Not only do they add a lot of festivity and solidarity among the guests, they make you look good.  Birthday banners show that you’re thought of everything, in covering all your bases to make the birthday boy or girl a day they won’t soon forget.  Birthday banners inevitably become a sentimental party favor for the main guest – a take home prize to treasured, to remember the special event forever.

Birthday banners can be used for Job or Wedding Anniversaries, Retirees, Baby Showers, Congratulations Graduate, Happy Mother’s Day or Happy Father’s Day greetings, and so much more.  No one can deny that a celebration is so much better when birthday banners are part of the balloons and decor.

Birthday banners may be printed in long-lasting vinyl, fabric, or any other flexible material.  The main thing is that the name of the person is listed plainly and clearly and that the colors are bright and festive.  You can add pictures and designs, like balloons, flowers, suns and moons or whatever strikes your fancy.  They should be long enough to provide space for lots of well wishers to sign their names and express their devoted birthday greetings if they so wish.  It should not be too huge, but not too small either.  Ideally, birthday banners can be hung from the back of a bar area, somewhere long and deep that will be a good backdrop for the appropriate birthday banners dimensions.

A birthday banner doesn’t have to cost a lot.  Having one at your next party for a friend, family member or loved one shows you put some forethought into the planning of their successful birthday celebration.  More and more corporate party planners wouldn’t dream of celebrating a birthday without using birthday banners.  It has become something of a standard for those who like do it up right.

So what makes birthday banners attractive and festive?  Well, color and durability.  In the early days of computer programs, novelty birthday banners were printed on computer paper with a dot matrix printer.  At that time computer X’s would punch out a neat design, like a Teddy Bear or Happy Face images.  How far technology has come in only a few years’ time!  Nowadays, most birthday printers use digital printing and can provide a quality banner that was only a figment of someone’s imagination a decade or two ago.

Using dye sublimation or digital printing, the colors are printed with the latest print technology, with colors which are both strong and deep.  They are considered the best available on the market today, though a 100% guarantee for exact color matching can’t be made.

Like other banners, birthday banners can have pole pockets.  They can be printed up to be single or double sided, hung from a high place or stretched out on the horizontal.  They can be as complex or as simple as you prefer.  The main thing is that the name of the person and the Happy Birthday greeting is included in the message.  No one wants to be forgotten on their birthday!

If you are expecting to celebrate a birthday in the very near future, don’t wait till the last minute to order your birthday banners.  Like other products, time is of the essence.  Birthday banners in particular have an even more sensitive deadline, so allow the time necessary to place an order and get the design approved so that both you and your birthday baby will be pleasantly surprised and pleased at how well birthday banners convey heartfelt wishes!

Custom fabric banners are great for your business because they are one of a kind and can really be creative.  Fabric custom banners in particular are really “in” right now, because fabric looks biologically friendly and exudes a look of quality, authenticity and nostalgia for our non-plastic, non-synthetic loving era.

Beautiful custom fabric banners show that you are a firm of substance, quality and integrity.  This is the subliminal message associated with the fresh, fabric-based custom banners printed up in a lively colorful print motif and user friendly message.

When it comes to filling your custom banner needs, be sure to stick with a firm that’s been in the business long enough to get aBetter Business Bureaurating that you can be comfortable with.  If the firm you’ve commissioned with has a negative rap sheet, you are risking a lot.  You may get burned insofar as not getting your banners finished in time, missing an important promotional opportunity.  Or you may find that the quality you got for the money was not what you bargained for.

Any investment in your firm should be a worthwhile expenditure, designed to reflect your good name, good intentions and excellent reputation.  The custom banner that you choose should reflect your company’s ethics and customer service policy, reflecting that you are not a “fly by night” operation but one that plans to be around for a long, long time.

Vinyl banners have their place in the advertising world, too.  Some of the vinyl banners, although they have a choice of glossy or matte vinyl look, can be effective and practical in a majority of industries, especially in “hard” industries like building materials and chemicals.  Some “softer” industries require a sensitive and classier approach.  That is where the fabric custom banners come in.  They satisfy both you and your customer is showing the essence of your business style.

So what are the options in printing up an attractive and effective fabric custom banner?

First, You need to find out how much space you have to work with.  Even a small banner can do the job.

Second, Use Pantone color tones whenever possible.  Most advertisers know that color sells.

Third, Consider your physical options.  Do you want to use pole pockets? They can make a difference in providing your banner an insert for better hanging, giving an impressive and clean presentation.  Hems or grommets may add to the style and overall finishing of your handsome custom banner.

Fabric dye sublimation banner printing is a relatively new processing technique used by cutting edge marketers in the 21st century.  The subtle but effective dye sublimation printing methods brings printing to the next level.  It is suitable for photographic type graphics as well as text.  These polyester cloth banners are used for trade show displays, in-store product promotions, interior P.O.P. displays, backdrops for product displays and impressive wall displays.

The attractive and qualitative cloth fabric custom banner is lightweight to carry and use, which means that they are easy to transport to your next trade show or convention.  Weighing only 9 ounces per square yard of material, they are definitely user friendly.

Thanks to new technology, the subliminal printing process gets the effect that businesses have been looking for.  Photographic quality printing has a stunning effect, almost like a piece of art.  Production time is relatively fast.  With a three to five day processing turnaround time, if you call on Monday there is a pretty good chance that your custom banners will be ready by the weekend!

Vinyl banners made their debut in the last decades of the 20th century and really changed the advertising world. Shiny and strong, they are long-lasting and attractive to look at. The color used in vinyl banners is something to really appreciate, because it rarely fades or looks worn out for many years. This is good for your company image, with its unflappable upbeat message and day-in, day-out consistency. This can only be a shining, positive reflection on you and your business!

Now that vinyl banners can be printed out digitally, they really have a professional and respectable look about them. Another big plus is that they are inexpensive to produce, meaning even if you are a small producer or provider, you are able to look like you have the wherewithal to buy whatever kind of advertising that pleases you.  Modern technology has been a great leverage provider, especially for new entrants in today’s competitive market.

The vivid and vibrant professional color palette help you get color specific and get the great first impression that your firm deserves. By using the digital color printing process, the results are obviously superior and of first rate quality.  Pantone colors are available for color matching your logo or design, though a 100% exact color matching cannot always be guaranteed with digital printing.

Vinyl banners are great for indoor-outdoor displays where weather may need to be factored into the equation. They are designed to withstand normal weather conditions, be it heat, strong sunlight, normal wind conditions, drizzles and even a downpour or snow.

If you decide to hang your vinyl banners in a highly trafficked, visible location, why not invest a bit more in double-sided vinyl banners? You can theoretically double your brand name recognition with these big and beautiful colorful and informative banners with your company flagship logo and important information. Purchase hanging hardware that is compatible to your banner; this may be purchased with or without the vinyl banners. Banner installation is typically pretty fast.  The point of having a highly visible banner is that it is effectively placed and utilized for a maximum number of views, boosting brand name recognition – and traffic, which drives your company’s sales.

For an exclusively outdoor banner, use the perforated mesh variety which hangs like a curtain, minimizing the possibility that high winds will produce the undesirable sailboat effect. Mesh vinyl banners are nearly exclusively used for outdoor promotions, advertising, and outdoor events. They can be displayed between poles as an effective medium of getting your company’s website and catchy logo within public view. They are also ideal for advertising at sporting events  like tennis matches, rodeos and soccer matches, not to mention outdoor trade shows and conventions.  They can also be used in street event demonstrations, outdoor fundraisers, and community projects.  Mesh vinyl banners are lightweight, qualitative and functional.  Because they are so light, they are easy to use for transport and travel. They can be crushed down to a small and manageable size, without the fuss and trouble of a crew or set up team.  Once you arrive at your destination, they can be creatively utilized to become an instant billboard of information.  Their uses are truly multi-dimensional.

They have the other features of traditional vinyl banners: pole pockets, hem reinforcement and free setup on most banner printing jobs. Like other vinyl banner jobs, they don’t take a whole lot of time to complete. A normal work order may take only 3 to 5 business days, with special rushes and other handling features available as needed.

Name any type of business and then look at how and why they advertise. Whether it is a restaurant promoting Monday Night All You Can Eat, grocery stores advertising their in store sales, or a car dealership that wants to beat out the competition with overall new car sales for the month, you can see how important that promotional campaign really is. They need to spend a little to reap huge rewards. Choosing fabric & vinyl banners for their ad campaign will secure them a top quality product for a basic cost that includes some stunning graphics printed on the materials as well as an exciting and highly entertaining spiel chosen by either the business’s own brilliant minds or by choosing an ad person (someone well versed in choosing just the right phrases and verbs to make it an interesting read).

Promotion is the name of the game

Look around and you will see how very eye catching and captivating those digitally printed vinyl banners can be. They capture your attention because they stand out among the other boring, dull, colorless, and lifeless signage that seems to dominate the newspapers walls and billboards around town. Choose a few banners that “pop” and grab your attention then study them a bit to see just what it is about them that got you interested. It’s most likely going to be the brilliant colorful graphics that first catch the eye. Next you will notice the message printed on that bright banner and absorb what it is promoting.

Shopping malls and trade shows draw crowds of interested buyers

One of the best and most productive places to gain new customers and bring back returning clientele is found at the local trade show, convention halls, and even shopping malls. There you can find plenty of people looking for products to meet their specific needs. Go to a trade show that promotes springtime and growing fruits and vegetables and you’ll most likely find everything from tractors to hand held seeders. Put up some brightly colored vinyl banners and see how they flock to your stand to look at your assortment of seeds, planting tools, and perhaps even decide to buy that new model tractor you offer. For a small investment you can reap huge rewards when those fabric & vinyl banners bring them in!

The latest in signs is dye-sublimated polyester banners

Offering the best colors, vibrantly photographic and totally eye catching, dye-sublimated banners and displays are sure to attract attention and new customers will feel confident that your business will supply what they need. With a 100% satisfaction guarantee offered there is no reason not to try the type of sign with a winning appearance and absolute top quality graphics that work hard to make your business the success it deserves to be. If you are not totally satisfied, rest assured that your products will be done over until you are happy with them! That’s called a no hassle guarantee and in the world of high cost promotion finding a business that provides low cost high quality products with a top notch guarantee is not all that easy to find now days.

Advertising is among the high costs of running a business

An old adage of “it takes money to make money” has been proven to be true time and again and when it comes to the cost of advertising your business it can become expensive but necessary to promote with only a limited budget. Let these high quality fabric & vinyl banners do the work of attracting in new business while also bringing back return customers at a low cost that will please a business owner who has to be careful with that bottom line. Put your company name and logo on a bright and colorful banner sign attached to a light pole, store front, or trade show stand and see how effective it will be.

Until recent years, the average small business owner often found himself between a rock and a hard place.  With prohibitive printing costs, high overhead and cost/benefit issues, a small business owner’s ideal banner was only a pipe dream.  Brilliant or not, the average entrepreneur didn’t have the opportunity to compete with the big dogs.  Cheap banners were inaccessible.  Many start-ups were doomed at the outset, remaining second class in advertising potential.

Banner Printing Expense

Costs were highly prohibitive and production was very complicated.  Instead of today’s normal low cost per square foot, banner printing meant a screen-printing production process and outlandish set-up costs.   Only 20 years ago, quality cheap banners were nowhere nearly as cheap as today’s cheap banner prices.  In short, most beginners couldn’t afford to get his or her feet wet with such a high start up investment.

Digital Printing Capabilities

Nowadays, digital print technology enables just about anyone to have their normal or intricate logo beautifully printed up at a fraction of the original cost only 20 years ago. In addition to banner printing, you can use custom wall decals, vinyl signs and business or personalized signs that show your company’s logo in its best light.

How it Was

In the early 1990s, size limitations, color splicing and other difficulties made a quality but cheap banner nearly impossible.  Screen printing or offset printing was used which was both timely and inconvenient.  Few even considered digital printing as a feasible option.

4CP Digital Print Revolution

The digital printing revolution changed everything.   Overnight, in the early 2000s, full color printing became available and affordable, unlike a short ten years earlier.  This was due to large format printers and full color options, not just a color or two, in the 4CP full menu fashion.

Cheap banners….what do they really cost?

If a banner company quotes an ultra low production cost of less than a dollar per square foot, it should raise your eyebrows a bit.  What are you getting for your money?  The new one size fits all banner processing may not result in the type of quality which reflects your company’s strengths and assets.  In fact, it could cost you much more than meets the eye in customer perception and reputation.

Cloth Banner Basics

Fabric banners using a dye-subliminal effect are truly astoundingly attractive and qualitative.  Cheap fabric banners, while costing more than cheap vinyl banners, can result in a product that lasts and lasts, continually displaying your wares in the best possible light.

Cost effective dye sublimation banners

Even though the initial cost may seem more expensive at first, the result of your investment may surprise you.  They are, in fact, for what you are getting, a cheap printing option, and look a lot better than vinyl banners.

A little history

The vinyl plotter had revolutionized the printing industry in the late 20th century, but technology went even further onwards.  Instead of having to painstakingly print set customer banners as had always been traditionally done, the average Joe was now in a position to produce his own sign using one of a few computer software banner programs and a vinyl plotter.  This alone brought the cost of printing down, not nearly so expensive as they were before.  Wide format digital printing also made a huge difference in lowering the cost of producing a good quality, cheap banners.

How does Dye Sublimation Printing work?

The digital printing of banners using dye sublimation fuses fabric and dye together to make a photo-like image imprint upon your fabric background, utilizing ink dot technology for the lifelike image.

The fabric of choice

Heavy knit polyester fabric is used which creates an effective presentation.  The poly knit material may or may not have stretch properties, allowing the conformability to eliminate wrinkles and make your image as lifelike as possible.  These banners are often hung from the ceilings as larger than life displays at first class retail stores and at displays, conventions and fairs.

When to use them?

Dye Sublimation banners look classy, but because they are fabric based, need to be used in an environment where they will be kept relatively clean.  A warehouse or home improvement type display may be better off using a vinyl sign, although on a short term basis, fabric banners look great; they’re also washable.  Vinyl signs tend to look economical, which is often perceived as being of lesser quality.  If you are selling a quality product with a value added perception, Dye Sublimation processing for a win-win presentation could be the answer for you.

Bob is an average salesman from a company that sells printers and copy machines. Larry is also an average sales rep for a competing distributor of similar equipment. The printers and copiers the two companies sell and service are of excellent quality, and are, realistically, commoditized products. This week, Bob and Larry both loaded up their marketing kits, which include portable trade show booths, brochures, business cards, a multimedia kiosk, and a table top display and headed to a regional business technology tradeshow. Bob’s marketing director, however, purchased a couple new double sided banner stands. Larry’s marketing director sent him to the tradeshow with a couple pull up banner stands and an X-stand banner, all of which are attractive single-sided units.

Wouldn’t Double-Sided Banner Stands Be The Obvious Choice In Most Situations,? An X Stand Banner Or Single Sided Pull Up Banner Stands Would Have Less Exposure, Right?

That is a logically correct thought process. However, the outcome of this tradeshow may surprise you. All things being pretty much equal, Bob and Larry happen to be right across the aisle from each other in a good location in the convention center. Bob sets up his double sided banner stands at each end of his 20′ x 20′ booth, and Larry does the same. Bob’s double sided banner stands are place correctly, perpendicular to the aisle. Larry is at a disadvantage as he has to place his single-sided pull up banner stands at about a 30° angle at each end of his company’s 20′ x 20′ booth, and he places the X stand banner facing the aisle next to his multimedia kiosk.

Right now, Larry appears to be at a slight disadvantage: the score is Bob, 2, and Larry, 1 (they both get one point for showing up). It is now up to the sales reps to convert passersby into leads (in our experience, very few sales are actually closed at tradeshows, mostly afterwards). As people stream in, though, Larry’s booth, with his disadvantaged 30° angled positioning of his company’s single-sided telescopic banner stands at each end, appear to be out-pulling Bob’s superior double-sided pop up banner stands.

Analyzing Bob’s And Larry’s Sales Techniques: What Would Improve Bob’s Results Even Though His Double Sided Banner Stands Are Getting More Views. And What Larry’s Company Should Do With The X Banner Stand And The Single Sided Pull Up Banner Stands To Get More Leads.

OK, so we know that Bob’s double-sided roll up banner stands are getting more views because they’re positioned better than Larry’s. But we’ve also noted that Larry is getting twice as many booth visitors. Obviously, the medium, his single-sided display banner stands, are attracting more visitors even though they’re not as optimally positioned. Bob’s double-sided display banner stands are bringing in convention goers to his booth, but they’re just getting a business card and a brochure that shows printers and copiers and mentions the features and benefits of each unit.

Over at Larry’s booth, though, convention-goers are engaged in filling out a form entering them into a drawing for a FREE $1000 Fax/Copy Machine. The pop up display stand by the multimedia center offers FREE ink for the first year with the purchase of any printer or copier from Larry’s firm if purchased within 30 days of the end of the tradeshow. The banner and stands at either side of the booth are bringing prospective clients into Larry’s booth, too, by offering to let prospective clients use, with no obligation to purchase, any printer or copier free for 30 days, subject to a couple minor approvals.

At the end of the show Sunday, Larry has garnered 4,239 leads via the FREE drawing box, AND 377 leads indicating a possible 30-day placement of one of his company’s printers or copiers. Although Bob had a viewing advantage with his double sided banner stands, Larry’s single faced pull up banner stands and his X stand banner won the tradeshow marketing competition over Bob because the message out-pulled the medium. Bob had garnered 1288 business cards. But by the time his company’s sales team calls those leads, Larry’s company likely will have already placed a printer with these clients for a free 30-day trial.

One final point to be made, though, is that if Larry’s company would have utilized a couple of new double-sided banner stands, those could have potentially increased exposure as much as 20 to 30%, versus using angled pull up banner stands and the X banner stand. So, while Larry’s company had the right message, it could have been more effective had it gotten more views. Either way, the message is still the difference between Larry’s success and Bob’s mediocrity at this tradeshow.

There are lots of crazy ways sales people and companies use to try to get noticed. Why do some work, while most don’t? Better question – why can one company’s sales rep use a banner roll-up stand and get dozens of quality sales leads from it while another sales rep from a different company also uses roll up banner stands, but gets very few sales leads – at the same convention or tradeshow – right next to each other?

Of course, the obvious pat answerer will explain that surely Salesman A, using his roll up banners stands, was simply a better sales man than Salesman B. That, of course, is a quick way to dismiss the topic and move on to clothes shopping because the topic was potentially so dull that the answerer was moved to the wrong kind of tears. Hang in here with me though…I promise that this will be a very entertaining article – and it will also contain some amazingly brilliant golden nuggets of wisdom. The initial disinterested response in the beginning of this paragraph begs the question as to WHAT made Salesman A the better salesman? Let’s assume, for this discussion, that both Salesman A and Salesman B had similar marketing materials, booth backdrops, banner roll up signs, brochures, a multi-media presentation kiosk, and a lovely assistant. And they both sell business consulting services.

Are Tradeshows a Black Hole for Marketing Dollars? Do I Really Need the Fancy Booth, Multimedia Kiosk, Banner Roll Up Signs, and All That Expensive Stuff? Here’s How – and How NOT – to Use Great Sales Tools Like Roll Up Banner Stands That Could Enable You to Walk Away from Your Next Tradeshow With Dozens – or even Hundreds – of Leads!

Really, I am getting to those 3 reasons why you need a retractable banner stand that I promised you in the headline…I promise! Now, what were those 3 reasons I need retractable or pull-up banner stands? Ah yes, I am back on track! Let’s get rolling (pun intended)!

Reason #1 – Obviously, banner and stands combos work great because they’re portable. Most retractable banner stands come with a carry bag, and rarely do they weigh more than a dozen pounds. Whether you’re doing a seminar, promoting a product in a local store, or like the 2 salesmen above, selling services, it is an advantage to travel light. You need brochures, business cards, and maybe a small table, but if no one is “hooked” with a sign or banner that draws their attention your way, nothing else you brought is going to matter.

Reason #2 – While your display banner stands are important, it’s also important to have something that will draw attention to it. Market research by guys who have no life has discovered that a beautiful woman plays well on any advertising piece, so you could start with that, unless, of course, like Salesmen A and B, your business has little connection to sexy, scantily clad ladies – not that that stops some advertisers. But these guys want to promote a professional image, one that attracts the right type of customer, one who’s wallet would drag their Perry Ellis designer suit pants down to their Gucci’s if they weren’t wearing a rhinoceros hide belt. So, while you may have an attractive woman on your pop-up banner stand, she’ll likely be dressed in business attire and look quite smugly self-confident. That’s not a bad start. You can’t do that nearly so powerfully with a business card and a brochure. Unless, of course, you are a beautiful professional saleswoman handing out those cards and brochures. Sorry guys…beautiful and professional will win every time. Especially if they back it up with a banner roll up sign with yet another lovely businesswoman on it!

Reason #3 – Big words mean things. I’m not speaking of long words like “antidisestablishmentarianism,” rather, the actual height and width of the words. Big, important-looking words like “FREE” or “NAKED!” jump out and grab convention goers, tradeshow attendees, or shopper’s eyes. People do read things, albeit subconsciously at times, especially if they’re big, like a billboard when you’re driving about the town or down a freeway. However, they really read it if it’s got a good “hook.” Words like “NO MONEY DOWN” or “PAY NOTHING FOR FIVE YEARS AT WHICH POINT WE WILL OWN YOUR HOUSE, CARS, WIFE, AND CHILDREN” have worked to get people to try goods and services since the Serpent placed a roll up banner stand by the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden offering “Eternal Knowledge – FREE Apple w/Consulting Today.”

How to Know What Kind of Apple May – or May Not – Impress Potential Clients: An Apple-to-Apple Comparison of Salesman A’s Successful Use of His Banner Roll-up Sign Advertising – in Contrast to Salesman B’s Major FAIL with His Roll-up Banner Stands. And Why You Think His Lovely Assistant Looks Like Your Ex.

So, now let’s go back to the beginning and find out why salesman A kicked Salesman B’s proverbial backside at the tradeshow this weekend. Both had equivalent marketing pieces, at least as far as quality goes. Neither went to Cheap Junk Imported Marketing Materials R Us to purchase their collateral materials and roll up banner stands. And both had a lovely assistant. Salesman B’s assistant, though, while attracting the looks of many admiring men folk, had very few conversations with any of them, because they were looking at the banner roll up stands in the neighboring booth offering a FREE Seminar with a FREE Hour of One-on-One Consulting Guaranteed to Increase Your Business 100% or Your Money Back! And it had a picture of an attractively successful very rich businesswoman on it, ostensible making the offer.

Salesman B also had an offer with a hook on his banner roll up signs as well, offering FREE Apples. Unfortunately, those potential clients who did inquire at that booth, mistakenly believed they were going to get a FREE Apple Computer, but instead of getting a FREE Apple Computer, they found instead that they were getting…an actual apple. Suddenly, when their dream of a FREE Apple Computer burst into flames, they suddenly hated Salesman B, his company, his haircut, and his lovely assistant who now looked like their ex-wife. Sales Rule #7 states, if memory serves, “Never offer FREE items that could be mistaken for another item with the same or similar name, especially if you’re offering the cheaper version of whatever the two items are.” Of course, if you’re advertising on the roll up banner stands at your booth that you’re giving away FREE Apple Computers…where was your booth?!)

And there you have it. Nothing would’ve happened for either booth without that attention grabbing big-lettered banner roll up stand offering FREE stuff. And the lack of any substantial FREE stuff (a red, shiny apple just doesn’t cut it any more, not even for your kid’s teacher who wants a FREE Apple Computer) is why Salesman B’s roll up banner stands attracted, well, not as many people as his assistant!

Back in the early 1990′s when I went into the sign and banner printing business, all you needed was a vinyl plotter and you could open a banner printing shop. In fact, guys were making great money hanging out a banner for their banner printing shops.

One banner printing shop, as a matter of fact, was a significant reason my Dad and I decided to go into the sign and banner making business in 1991. One frigid January morning, my Dad went to pick up some cut vinyl from the banner printing shop he did a lot of business with. It was about 8:15 a.m., and so he walked up to the glass door, and the window sign said that they weren’t open until 8:30 a.m.

My Dad could see the owner of the banner printing shop through the window, so he knocked on the window and motioned to the owner who nodded back that he saw my Dad…but left him standing there in the cold winter air for 15 minutes until the clock read exactly 8:30 a.m. If you knew my Father, he despises poor customer service, and thrived in his businesses by customer satisfaction, no matter what the business was.

He was not happy…he said to me, “If this is the best customer service available in this business, let’s give clients better!” So we did. We opened our sign and banner printing shop later that year, in the fall of 1991, and our customers loved our customer service.

What makes one Banner Printing Shop Superior to Another?

So, what was it that they liked? If we were there, we were open, even if it was midnight (and sometimes it was). Our customers were treated like family…the door was always open in our sign and banner printing shop, the phone was always answered (or if it wasn’t we got back to them quickly), and we priced our products competitively.

In the late 90′s, though, the sign industry began to shift from the vinyl cutter-plotter to the digital inkjet printer. At first, only some of the bigger shops could afford them, but as the prices came down in the following decade, more and more banner printing shops were able to afford to purchase or lease these printers.

We were among the few banner printing shops who purchased digital printers initially about the end of the 20th century, and we quickly learned that our customers still valued our friendly service and completing projects on schedule more than any other aspect of who we were.

Is the Cheapest Banner Printing Shop Where You Should Purchase a Banner?

So, let’s say you go online to a banner printing shop to purchase a banner, whether vinyl or fabric, vinyl-lettered or digitally printed, solvent ink printed or dye-sublimation printed, who will you choose to purchase from and what goes into your decision to buy from a company. Cost, of course, is important. However, there are some very cheap suppliers that I ignore in favor of one with good value and great customer service.

I personally look for companies who stand behind their product as my top priority – pricing is important or I don’t remain competitive, but if there’s a problem, and there always could be, how will they react. I purchase some of our products pre-printed and re-sell them. I only use wholesalers who stand behind what they’ve sold me or my client. On one occasion, before we had a wide format printer, I outsourced 20 banners that were 20 feet long by 8 feet tall to a company that I had worked with for a short period of time. They shipped the banners directly to my client who was unhappy with the print quality. The banner printing shop that had printed them re-printed the entire lot at their cost, no questioned asked except “what can we do to make the banners acceptable this time?”

So, when you’re looking for a banner printing shop, look for a good price, certainly, but don’t forget to find out what kind of people are working for or running the company. The few dollars you saved on the front end could be a nightmare on the backend. Until next time, remember, the world knows where it’s going because of signs (and banners)!

First off, let me define what we mean when we say “display banner printing.” Don’t all banners display something? Yes, they do, but when I am defining “display banner printing” I am referring mainly to retail or tradeshow banner displays.

Definitions of Materials used for Display Banner Printing

Generally speaking there are two basic material used in display banner printing. The first and most common is vinyl banner material. Less common because of pricing is fabric banner material. There are many variations of both types though which I’ll attempt to explain over the next few hundred words.

Vinyl display banner printing can be accomplished with vinyl letters and logos, screen-printing, or digitally printing. Vinyl display banner printing is typically done in a gloss or matte finish. Short runs of banners are usually either vinyl-lettered or digitally printed, but as the quantities get into the hundreds, screen-printing is often a more cost-effective option for display banner printing. Another material option I didn’t mention, which is almost always screen-printed, is what is known in the industry as poly banners – short for polyvinyl banners. You’ll see these used frequently where the retailer has thousands of outlets, such as Burger King® or McDonalds®, for advertising the latest burger and fries sale or the like. Or at Lowes or Home Depot advertising a new product.

Vinyl display banner printing can be done on both sides if the material has a blockout layer. Typically, the double-sided banners are of a heavier weight of vinyl banner material such as an 18 to 22 oz. fabric. There are, though, for interior usage mainly, some 13 oz. banner materials that can be printed on both sides.

The most predominant vinyl display banner printing material is 13oz. gloss or matte. Typically printed on one side, it is great for low wind areas or installed on a wall where wind can push it into the wall, but not blow it like a sail, like it may if it were hung between a couple of poles. Since around 2000, outdoor display banner printing has been done using perforated banner material has also come to be used a lot in outdoor usages as it allows around 20% of the force of the wind to pass through the fabric. This has replaced the old, unsightly method of cutting wind pockets in the banners to allow some wind to pass through and is about 400% more effective than the wind pockets were.

If you plan to exhibit your product or services in this decade, you may want to consider dye sublimation printing for your display banner printing to stay ahead of the competition

Over the past decade, display banner printing has been done increasingly on cloth or fabric banners materials which come in several different styles, most of which are printed using a dye-sublimation print method. The dye-sublimation print method is used primarily on polyester fabrics because of their polymer content. In this method of display banner printing, a digital printer will print the dye onto a special paper, then utilized heat and pressure to transfer the image to the polyester material. Dye-sublimation printing will not work on cotton and some other fabrics because they don’t have polymers in them. Dye-sublimation, done correctly, should leave a brightly printed image that actually becomes part of the fabric.

Dye-sub display banner printing an cloth banners is superior for many reasons including that these banners can be folded, washed, ironed like any ordinary printed fabric (like a shirt), and if it is a good quality print it shouldn’t fade any time soon. Display banner printing of cloth and fabric banners has become very popular in higher end retail stores like Nordstrom or in tradeshows. Because of the bright lights in tradeshow arenas, many exhibitors prefer that their display banner printing is done on fabric banner materials as these fabrics don’t have the glare from the lights that vinyl banner do; and they can be used for various displays, booth back and side-walls, hanging displays, and in many other ways, too.

There are several popular polyester fabrics used in dye-sub display banner printing. One popular material is stretch poly banner material, which can be stretched over frames to create interesting displays. Because of it’s stretch-ability, it creates a wrinkle-free display that has visual interest and attracts client views.

Another material, poly flag banner fabric, was specifically designed as an outdoor fabric, but can be used for display banner printing both for outdoor events or indoor events. This material has a nylon appearance, but can be printed using dye-sublimation because it is a polyester material.

For standard display banner printing of cloth banners, one of the most popular fabrics is the heavy knit poly banner material. It is the most opaque of the polyester materials. Polyester display banner printing material cannot be printed on both sides, but it can be sewn together using a blockout layer between the fabric. It is not considered ideal for long term usage like pole banners would be, as it is lighter weight material than Sunbrella® or similar products.

Finally, Poly Satin is a sheer material that many clients prefer as it is an airy feeling banner and light can be seen through the graphics. It does have some color loss as well, but still has a nice presentation if it is a look you’re looking for. Poly Sheer display banner printing fabric is even more see through and used for the same type of purpose.