Frequently Asked Questions

• How do you hang a banner? Will the banner sag in the middle?

• I am installing my banner in a windy location, and it will not be against a wall, so it will be exposed. I am worried about the wind ripping the banner or blowing it away. What do you recommend?

• What is more common – a vertical or a horizontal banner?

• Can I use tape to hang a banner?

• How big should our banner be? And can I have it printed on both sides?

• How long will a banner last? I want to install this banner outside, above the front door. How durable will it be? It rains, and is very sunny. There is not much wind, but there is some (the door is not sheltered).

• My banner seems to get lost in the rafters. The room is just too large. Should I order an even larger banner? Or should I try several smaller ones? What has worked for your other customers in the past?

• Can you print any color banner?

How do you hang a banner? Will the banner sag in the middle?

Our banners come with rust-free brass grommets to make installation easy. See the graphic below to determine how many grommets your banner will have (they vary by size). Banners come standard with ropes for mounting – you simply tie the rope off to fix the banner to the wall. For installation on an interior or sheltered wall, using ropes on the top two corners should be sufficient to stretch the banner out and make it look great. Longer banners have grommets in the middle, so if the banner sags you can use rope, or a nail or hook, to tighten the material up.

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Some other alternatives for mounting are available, should you need to install your banner in a higher-stress location. The first option is to use ropes (or hooks/nails) on the bottom corners as well as the top. Bungee cords provide more tension than ropes, and are often worth the additional expense. We offer several sizes of bungee cords for outdoor or exposed banner installation. We also offer the option of pole pouches on the sides. This gives you a fabric sheath two ends of the banner, which you can then use to mount the banner on poles attached to a fixed or movable base. One drawback to this option is that you lose several inches of banner because the fabric is folded over at the ends.

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I am installing my banner in a windy location, and it will not be against a wall, so it will be exposed. I am worried about the wind ripping the banner or blowing it away. What do you recommend?

While most banners are installed against a wall or indoors, sometimes people do need to hang a banner outdoors in the open. For example, we commonly see this above a street or between two driveways. In these situations, we recommend that you ask us to cut wind slits into the banner. For no extra charge, we will cut slits into the center of the banner, giving air a passageway through the material and providing stress relief for the fabric. In most situations smaller banners do not need this, because they don’t catch enough wind. But a larger banner might.

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What is more common – a vertical or a horizontal banner?

Horizontal banners are generally more popular, because it is so much easier to fit text onto them. And, they fit more comfortably into most spaces as far as mounting is concerned. Vertical banners are great for tight spaces, where you do not have the room to hang a wide banner. A vertical banner is good for short, quick messages where there is no long heading. But when you need a central impact word, a horizontal banner allows you to show off your headline – there are fewer breaks in the text.

Can I use tape to hang a banner?

We do not recommend using tape to hang your banner. Adhesive can damage walls and removal can be problematic. Also, tape can damage the ink on the banner by breaking the bond between the ink and the fabric. Tape also, frankly, just does not look great. It is distracting to look at and draws attention away from the message and colors of the banner. In situation where poles, ropes, bungee cords, or hooks and nails will not work, we recommend using an adhesive from 3M®, which is easily removable and will not damage walls or the banner. It will mount behind the banner and so will not be a visual distraction.

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How big should our banner be? And can I have it printed on both sides?

To answer you second question first, because it is so simple, the answer is yes. The only difference will be in the material we print it on – we will use a more opaque white, because it will provide better color visibility on both sides of the banner. Another option is to put two banners back-to-back. We will even sew them together for you if you would like! Just let us know. The advantage of the back-to-back method is that you get the less opaque white material, and you could separate the two sides if you ever felt like it.

As far as size goes, the size of the text is much more important than the size of the banner. See the size chart for text visibility. But a general “rule of thumb” is that every inch of text can be seen 25 feet away. In short, your banner size will depend mostly on how much text you want to have on it. Another often overlooked but critical factor in determining visibility is the color contrast. Make sure that text stands out from the background, and it will be much easier to read.

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How long will a banner last? I want to install this banner outside, above the front door. How durable will it be? It rains, and is very sunny. There is not much wind, but there is some (the door is not sheltered).

Our banners outlast the sun and the rain. They are printed on extremely high-quality material, which will probably last for about two years in the setting you describe. Indoors, our banners will last as long as you will want to use them! In reality, the lifetime will be very long, probably 10 years or so. Remember that a banner is designed to serve a different purpose than a rigid, fixed sign. Banners are made to have an impact, and to be rotated. Even if the banner lasted for a hundred years, it would start to lose effectiveness as people got used to seeing it. The message and image have to be kept fresh to get attention. Banners lose effect when they are there for too long – a good banner program will have consistent rotation.

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My banner seems to get lost in the rafters. The room is just too large. Should I order an even larger banner? Or should I try several smaller ones? What has worked for your other customers in the past?

A series of smaller banners that are placed in more visible locations is a great idea. Bring the banner down from the rafters –put it along a wall or above a door. Another tactic which we have had a lot of success with is using a large floor mat with a printed message on it. It is hard to ignore a message that you have to walk on every day! (LINK to Mind-A-Mats) Many of the same designs that we offer as banners are also available as floor mats. Or, you can always get custom designs. Combining the two strategies is even more effective, we have found!

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Can you print any color banner?

Yes-if you can think of it we can make it. We do have some problems with metallic and fluorescent colors. But there is no limit to the number of colors you can put on your banner! Be sure to call us if you have any questions about your custom banner.

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