- Marcus
- Business Signs
Top 5 Reasons To Use Outdoor Banners to Advertise Your Local Business
Vinyl banners have forever changed signage printing. It has allowed signage that was previously impossible. Take car wraps as an example. Using a type of vinyl called cast, signmakers are able to mould signs around the dynamic shapes of modern day vehicles. The results are incredible. PVC is also used for stickers and wallpaper. It is now hard to imagine a world without stickers – all made possible by advances in self adhesive vinyl.As a banner material vinyl has also had widespread applications. From billboards to backdrops vinyl is used everywhere for business signage. We explore the reasons why vinyl banners are so useful for businesses.
VINYL DELIVERS OUTSTANDING PRINT RESULTS
The main reason why advertisers choose to use vinyl banners is overwhelmingly the print result it delivers. Vinyl banner printing incomparable. Photos and digitally created graphics are represented true to their original form. Colours are perfectly displayed and best of all vinyl is waterproof so there is never any damage from water.
Prior to the adaptation of soft PVC banners, billboards were made by either hand painting (signwriting) or with paper. Paper billboards had a very short lifespan and took time to install. Signwritten billboards were incredibly durable but took a lot of time and expense.
Vinyl printing solved those problems and was an automatic choice for marketers of products and services. Billboard companies were able to change the face of a billboard quickly and cheaply (most popular sites rotate every 4-8 weeks). The digitally created print was always perfect. Designers can rest assured that the way they designed the billboard is the way it looks when on the frame.
VINYL DELIVERS GREAT VALUE FOR MONEYPrinted vinyl signs are incredible value for money. For reasons we will outline below their durabilty and longevity mean that vinyl banners look very good for long periods of time even when subjected to weather extremes.Soft vinyl print stock comes in rolls from 1.3m to 5m wide to fit on the largest of printing presses. Vinyl can also be welded together to create enormous banners and because it is so strong it will not rip or break.Take a small builder as an example. They are able to make a portable vinyl sign that can with them from job to job. The cost of a vinyl banner might be less than $50 but that sign can be seen by thousands of people. His little sign can go with him from job to job, and be installed on fences endless times in front of properties he is working on. Our builder exposes his business to thousands of potential clients over the life of the banner. He is advertising in the locale where he plies his trade and he is letting potential clients know he can do their work too. A vinyl banner might last 5 years. That small $50 investment could result in millions of dollars worth of work. Now imagine not having the banner and the opportunity cost the builder could have missed.
Vinyl signs also deliver great presales messages. Consider a building development. Without vinyl hoarding banners, thousands of potential customers that already live in the area would have no idea that the building might actually be perfect for their needs. Printed vinyl is able to deliver that message in a way that no other material can and it does it cheaper than any other material could.
VINYL BANNERS ARE VERY VERSATILE
- Vinyl comes in many styles. From cast for vehicle wraps, self adhesive material for stickers and decals to truck curtains. It can be used for so many things.
- Front lit vinyl: standard vinyl banner used for signs and billboards.
- Blockout vinyl: used when it is better if no light comes from behind.
- Backlit vinyl banner: used for lightboxes.
- Double sided vinyl: used for street pole signs, cafe barriers and hanging banners for trade shows.
- Heavy duty vinyl: used for industrial applications and truck sides.
- Vinyl is waterproof and does not fade quickly so it has huge applications for signage – vinyl printing has changed signage forever.
VINYL BANNERS ARE DURABLE
We have already talked about how vinyl is waterproof but it is also very hard to tear. Frontlit material is made from a polyester scrim layer coated with printable PVC. The result provides a substrate that absorbs digital inks beautifully. Good quality inks will last a minimum of two years on quality vinyl. The life of a banner can be extended by up to 5 years with the application of a laminate.
Banners made from vinyl can last in the harshest of environments.
VINYL BANNERS HAVE A POST-USE LIFE
If there is a downside to vinyl it is that it is very difficult to recycle. The combination of polyester and PVC along with plasticisers to keep the material supple mean it is hard to form into separate constituents and harder to reconstitute.
Spent banners do however have a life after advertising. Consider some of the uses for old banners:
- Covers for boats and stockpiles of materials
- Repurposed as luggage or accessories
- Providing shade on fences and gardens
- Compost covers
- Trailer load covers
PVC does deteriorate over time so it is a good idea to retire your repurposed banner before it degrades to the point of creating micro plastics.
THE FUTURE OF VINYL BANNER PRINTING
The short term future for vinyl banners is absolutely clear. Because of all the reasons mentioned above, it will continue to remain the material of choice for most outdoor advertising. There is a concerted effort in the EU to ban PVC as an advertising material because of the damage plasticisers do. As this movement gathers momentum we can expect new, green products to replace vinyl. Already banners are being made from polypropylene but the print quality is not as good as vinyl, and their post-use path to recycling non less clearer. For now vinyl banners are here to stay
