Question: What do you think is superior about vinyl banners versus cloth banners?
Answer: Both yes and no. They’re both superior in certain areas, but they’re equally inferior in other. It would be similar to asking whether a car or pickup truck is better. It would be the same answer. Yes. Yes.
Pickup trucks are great for hauling a bed, a couch, a dresser, or a refrigerator. However they’re not ideal for driving cross-country to work or to go on a date. The car won’t be able to handle muddy roads in winter and knobby tires don’t make for a fun drive on the Interstate. I could go on and on about cars versus trucks, but that’s not what you were asking.
Vinyl banners make a great, inexpensive temporary sign solution. However, fabric is no more expensive. Vinyl is attractive from afar, and exterior banners made of vinyl are in constant flux. Vinyl banners can weather well and last for 2-3 years. However, I have seen them last 10 years and they still look good.
These banners are dye sublimation printed and have a great life span. The dye impregnates the fabrics of the polyester and other olefin-based fabrics, which makes them extremely durable. They can also last indoors up to 20+ years with fluorescent lighting, with very little color fading.
Dye sublimation printing has been able to compete with other types printed fabrics over the years. For example, pole banners were once the exclusive domain of screen-printed acrylic or vinyl fabrics.
Personally, because I’ve been in this industry well over 20 years and have seen many products come along (and a few have come and gone during that time period as well), as any of you know who’ve read my blog know, I am a dyed-in-the-polyester (wool won’t work – it’s a natural fiber) fan of dye sublimation printing. I think digital “direct-to-substrate” (DTS or DTF) is great, but the look is just a bit less fabulous than dye sub printing which, because of the dye being converted to gas, creates a fabulous photograph-like continuous tone print, which is especially impressive on finer threaded fabrics like poly-silk or poly-satin.
But I’m not going to throw the vinyl banner in the bin with the other signs. It won’t be long before the vinyl banner is gone. Vinyl banners have been around for decades. They can be printed quickly and cheaply in full color. Businesses can also use them to promote their products and services without spending a lot of money.
The dye sublimation printing price is dropping again, and in quantity there is not much cost difference between them. If you want a banner that looks better, dye sub fabrics will be the best choice.
