There are many materials and processes available today for banners. Please do not spec fabric graphics as "fabric scrim". Scrim is a theatrical term that refers to a type of backdrop material that you can see through when it is lit a certain way. Please provide a product name and weight or ask to see swatches.

The amount of time a banner is exposed to the elements either indoors or out should determine the process used to produce it and the material it is printed on. Any of the processes are good for short term. Some fabrics tend to fray or fade or even bleed if exposed to rain, wind and sun. Vinyls (printed or cut) work well for exterior use as do the various applique type banner cloths.

All fabrics print differently in varying degrees of color saturation. You will want to view samples. Materials range from sheer nylon meshes to vinyl coated meshes, a translucent backlit vinyl to reinforced vinyls in many face textures and weights with or without lightblocking layers, fabrics from poplin to cotton duck, and several kinds of paper.

Proofs should be requested. A piece of the banner printed at full magnification will give you a better idea how the colors will read and what the resolution will look like than the entire banner printed at reduced scale. Colors tend to saturate when reduced making images appear dark. In some processes, the CMYK dots are more obvious, especially as the color approaches white. Always remember your viewing distance when proofing. Certain artifacts and occasional hand touch up are considered industry standard as long as the touch up is skilled. Again, remember your viewing distance when presented with such a fault.

Proofs should be checked for "banding", sometimes called head marks or tracking marks. This is a regular pattern of lighter color lines that corresponds to the passing of the print head. Sometimes banding can be corrected using multipass or doublestrike. There are some colors that show banding more than others depending on the machine being used. There are some machines more prone to banding than others. Once again, viewing distance should be taken into consideration.

Some fabrics and all mesh graphics placed in backlit situations (in an interior window for example) will lose image quality, sometimes completely, during daylight hours. If a mesh banner is hung outside over windows, the image will not be viewable at night if lights are on inside the building. Mesh graphics need to be front lit to be viewable.

Things that need to be considered before choosing a print process:

• Banner size and acceptability of seams
• Interior or exterior
• Viewing distance
• Single or double sided
• How long the banner will be hanging
• Wind load (and permitting)
• Hanging system

There are still some Flag and Banner shops that will do custom sewn applique banners. A large assortment of fabric colors are available and the pricing is fairly moderate due in large part to the grande format print industry. You see small versions of these as the holiday banners people hang from flagpoles on their porches. Some Banner shops will do extremely large work (like a U.S. flag that was 50 feet wide). They will ask that your file be set up as vector art, usually sent to them as an .ai or .eps. From these they plot paper patterns.

Many sign shops can provide custom cut-vinyl banners from vector files. Color choices are open to a large assortment of prefab banner blanks and vinyl colors. This would be about the only way metallic or reflective colors are available, though it would not be unheard of to want vinyl lettering applied to a printed vinyl banner. However, do not attempt to have the printed banner register perfectly with any cut letters or shapes. Printing on vinyl and fabric is not an exact science. Material stretches as it goes thru the machine or more often the feed may not be perfect and the image may actually grow or shrink slightly in the length dimension.

Cut vinyl files must be Vector. There are some interesting print/cut possibilities with the Edge system and some of the newer printing plotters.

Printed banners can be vector, raster or a combination of both. They are being used today for everything from simple booth banners for tradeshows, to custom drapery, billboards and theatrical scenery.

When doing printed banners, after determining the media on which you would like to print, it is always wise to ask the vendor for the printable width of the material. Depending on the printer, the printable width can be as much as 2" smaller than the machine or the fabric. A 60" inkjet can only image to 59" and the fabric you want may only come in a 48" width printable to 47".

The following also need to be considered when determining layout on material printable width:

• Some bleed is always required. Bleed and crops must fit within the printable width. How much bleed depends on the size of the banner. Hot-knifed edges can have as little as 1/4" of bleed. Hemming usually 1" to 2". Up to a foot may be required for pipe pockets, and 4" to 6" all around for billboard wraps.
  
  
• Fabric materials have to be finished, either hot-knifed or hemmed to bind the edges. There is a linear foot charge for this. Vinyls are usually just trimmed.
  
  
• Pipe pockets require extra bleed to wrap the image to the back (amount depends on the pipe being wrapped). You don't want your image to stop at the top of the pipe. Fabric can stretch a bit over time and white will show if you don't wrap color to the back. Banners with pipe pockets can only be so big before the top pipe begins to "smile". If the banner is over 15' in width, cable-tying to a flown batten should be considered. Chain weights can be used in the bottom pocket instead of pipe for draperies or drops.
  
  
• Grommets require extra fabric bleed to wrap the reinforcement webbing (you need to spec the webbing if you want it). There is a linear foot charge for the webbing and an each charge for the grommets. There are some weldable vinyl reinforcement webbings that require only the minimum 1" or 2" trim bleed.
  
  
• Specialized tapes can be used on the vinyl materials for hemming, seaming and pockets. Do not allow tape to be used if the banner is going to be rolled perpendicular to the tape application. It will tunnel and create creases.
  
  
• Velcro is also an option for hanging. Velcro should be stitched on, not adhered, unless the banner is very short term.
  
  
• Thread color can be spec'd, including clear nylon.
  
  
• If doing two fabric images back to back, a block-out liner may be required at additional cost.
  
  
• Some print vendors can print images back to back on vinyl material (not mesh). Be sure to spec vinyl with a built in block out liner to avoid image light ghosting through the vinyl. Image registration front to back is not guaranteed.

Indicate locations of seams in your file with tick marks or lines on a separate layer sent to the back. The printer will determine the overlap he needs to stitch the seam. Try to avoid having seams interact with text or important image areas.

When spec'ing pipe pockets, tell the vendor the banner face dimension and whether the pipe pockets are part of that dimension or added to it. Tell him the diameter of the pipe being used. Keep text and important image areas away from the stitching zone if pockets are being stitched. This is less important if the pockets are being taped.

Indicate grommet location on a scaleable hard copy. Try to keep the grommet placement evenly spaced to the nearest inch and spec as "on center". While grommets can be marked on a separate layer in the file, it is usually not a good idea to actually print your grommet locations.

Be aware of signage bylaws, and permitting issues when doing exterior banners. Sometimes an engineering permit is required showing wind load tests on the fabric of choice.

Also be aware of local fire regulations. They have tightened considerably. Request NFPR certificates from your print vendor and check if printed samples need to be submitted to the fire marshall for testing.

When doing street banners, permitting is usually required. If vinyl or fabric banners are being produced, wind slits will need to be made to reduce the wind load on the cabling system. Take the slits into account when laying out text. Vinyl meshes are not usually legible unless placed up against a wall or in a position where they can be front lit. Be aware of text point size on mesh as a lot of ink falls thru the holes. On meshes, text smaller than 5/8" n-height starts to become unreadable. Beware of serif text.

Aqueous inkjet print processes, even pigment based, are ok for very short term use. I'm not a fan of using them outdoors at all. Usually not more than 2 to 6 months exterior depending on climate and materials. Most of these printers are 60" wide, printable to 58" or 59". If using pigment based inkjets, be sure to spec UV pigmented inks. Non-UV inks are available but don't expect the banner to last more than a week in sunlight or a couple months indoors away from sunlight.

Transfer processes like the 3M systems also have about a 6 month exterior lifespan. Possibly up to a year. Again these printers are 48" or 60" machines with wider ones making an appearance here and there.

Solvent based products such as the Vutek and Nur printers will see from 2 to 3 years exterior in full sun exposure on the heavier vinyls. You see these most often as images stretched to billboards. They can be seamless to 16 feet wide by almost any length and seam-welded to be even bigger.

Dye sublimation is an excellent choice for decorative interior, long-term banners and draperies. They aren't recommended for outdoor use. This process actually sublimates or transfers the inks into the fabric using heat producing richer colors than inkjets. These are washable and long-wearing. Because this is a high heat process, only certain fabrics are available and color matching will be close, not exact. Banners printed at a later date may not match existing banners. Fabrics available range from ultrasheer to cotton canvas in widths from 48" to 120" seamless. Not all fabrics are available in wide widths.

When creating banners, as with all large format graphic projects, it is best to contact the print vendor regarding the print specification you need to follow, especially concerning image resolution. Always include a scaleable hard copy with PMS colors called out with your order. As always, don't be afraid to ask questions.