By Cassandra Balentine
Part 2 of 2
From billboards to event signage and point of purchase, banners are utilized in countless environments. Tried and true vinyl banner material is still used frequently due to its availability, cost, and durability.
While more eco-conscious materials enter the playing field, vinyl banner substrates also advance, offering added durability, lighter weights, and larger roll sizes.
There are no shortage of solutions, so here are some highlights of various materials on the market today.
CAAR
CARR PVC offers premium coated PVC, specifically designed for New Zealand’s billboards. According to the company, its media offers an ultra-smooth print surface designed for superior printing, increased life for multiple applications, as well as being soft and easy to install. The gray back coating acts like a blockout and white back is available for short-term backlit applications.
Cooley Group
Cooley Print Media Solutions develops, manufactures, and distributes high-performance, cost-effective PVC and PVC-free billboard, banner, poster, and bulletin solutions for indoor and outdoor advertising, retail, and point of purchase signage. While Cooley services large and mid-size printers and distributors with a diversity of solutions, the company’s most popular solution is a fully recyclable PVC-free material that it takes back from customers at the end of its useful life and repurposes into new Cooley solutions.
GBC/SEAL
GBC/SEAL’s banner offering continues to evolve based upon customer needs, which are to support wrinkle-resistant media, compatible across multiple print engines. “Our customers want the ability to display without curl, for indoor and outdoor use and support latex, UV-curable, aqueous, and dye-sublimation water-based inks in sizes ranging from 30 to 98 inches and up to 164 feet,” notes Aarona Tesch, product marketing manager, GBC, ACCO Brands.
Grimco
Grimco is a leading supplier and distributor of digital banner materials, offering single- and double-sided digital media banners for a variety of applications, including backlit, frontlit, flexface, PVC film, and vinyl mesh.
GSG
GSG’s StarPrint High Tenacity 13 oz. frontlit banner combines high-tenacity 840 denier polyester yarn, woven into scrim fabric and encapsulated in PVC film—front and back. It features a smooth print face with a slight scrim pattern and is natural white in color. The offering is printable by solvent, eco-solvent, UV, latex, and screen printing methods.
Herculite Products Inc.
Herculite offers Bantex digital media. The product is engineered specifically for digital inkjet printers. It features ColorSure Technology, which the company says ensures exceptionally rich color and image clarity.
HEYtex
HEYtex’s HEYsign is a hard-wearing banner series finished with a high-quality PVC coating for outdoor use. The product conveys messages on flags, billboards, trucks, scaffolding and façade covers, exhibition stands, or banners.
Hop Industries
Hop Industries Hop-Syn is a synthetic paper constructed from polypropylene (PP) resins. According to the company, the PP resin gives the product extra durability over traditional pulp-based papers. Hop-Syn enables users to print high-quality graphics via offset lithography, UV offset, flexography, screen, UV inkjet, or thermal transfer equipment.
IJ Technologies
IJ Technologies offers DuraGraphix, a water-resistant inkjet coating on white calendared vinyl with permanent adhesive on a 78 lb. liner.
IT Supplies
IT Supplies offers banner and display media for wide format inkjet printers. All of its banner materials are designed for specific display applications. IT Supplies has a variety of choices from removable wall fabric to traditional vinyl material and adhesive-backed materials.
Mississippi Polymers
Mississippi Polymers is a family owned and operated plastic film manufacturer, primarily of vinyl and polyolefin.
NuConCept
NuConCept is a master distributor for off-shore manufacturers of wide format print media and substrates. It is the preferred private label supplier to a growing number of merchants and sign supplies wholesalers.
Permalite Inc.
According to the company, Permalite is known for setting the global quality standard for printable substrates in the inkjet printing industry and produces a range of printable films and papers including vinyl/banner materials.
Piedmont Plastics
Piedmont’s SupraFLEX line of banner materials comes in four types—Horizon, a frontlit solution for a versatile single-sided print for interior and exterior applications; Curl Free scrimless material designed for roll-up or pop-up displays; Eclipse blockout material for high resolution, durable double-sided printing; and Breeze, a mesh option for exterior or high wind load applications.
Regional Supply
Regional Supply’s banner vinyl for digital printing comes in many different sizes and weights. It offers banner material for frontlit and blockout applications as well as mesh banner.
Ultraflex Systems, Inc.
Ultraflex’s ProFlex is a 13 oz. frontlit banner material designed to be the economical alternative to Normandy Pro and JetFlex. ProFlex was formulated for enhanced latex printability and has a bright white point. The material is compatible for use with solvent, eco-solvent, UV, and latex ink.
Walki
Walki large format banners are typically used for outdoor signage and advertising as well as for indoor use in public areas such as school, trade fairs, and shopping centers. For advertisers, sustainability has long been a priority, and Walki answers to this need with its Walki Print Media XXL portfolio featuring a range of PVC-free billboard and banner solutions for use both indoors and outdoors.
Xcel Products, Inc.
Xcel offers a variety of blockout and frontlit banners from 54 to 126 inches in width and maintains full inventory in master rolls. The company also offers the capabilities to convert to custom roll lengths or sheets if beneficial. “Our most popular product is a blockout banner called EcoMedia. EcoMedia is indoor and outdoor durable while made with recycled content and is recyclable with other polypropylene (#5) products,” says Brian Ebenger, VP, business development, Xcel.
Betting on Banners
There are endless options of banner materials from traditional vinyl to PVC-free solutions. No matter the weight, durability, or size required, there is a product to meet your need.
Jan23, Digital Output
