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…

What it’s made of

Let’s look at what material is being used. Any banner that is to be used outdoors must be made of vinyl scrim if you want it to last more than a few hours. Anyone who is using any type of paper material for outdoors is just ripping you off.

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.

Never buy any banner for outdoors that is less than 13 ounces. Experience has shown that this is the minimum weight banner for long lasting outdoor use. You can probably move up to 13 ounces for an additional cost.

Banner hemming

Finishing the banner with a hem is very important. By folding under an inch of material and securing it by either sewing, welding or using banner tape, you get a banner that is significantly stronger and more durable. My preference is banner tape since it causes no damage to the graphic.

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.

A sewing machine can cause some marring of the image due to the claw tooth foot that moves the banner into the machine. This will cause marring of the image you are paying good money for. If your cheap banner doesn’t include hemming, expect to pay about $1 per linear foot, or slightly more than $20 for a 4×8 banner.

Banner finishing: Grommets

This is a simple one…everyone needs some way to hang the banners that they buy don’t they? Grommets are super cheap, about $0.10 each, and should be included in the price. You should have one in each corner and then one every two/three feet along all four sides. Those shops that charge extra usually bill you $1.00 for each grommet. That is $12.00 for a 4’x8′ 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.

Looking to find the best deal on Oregon Banner Printing, then visit oregonbannerprinting.com to find the best advice on banner printing for you.