Like Elvis, they’re everywhere. Their applications are seemingly limitless. Small ones can advertise that a restaurant has just opened, while others measuring 5 ft. wide and 50 ft. tall tout the availability of luxury apartments or condominiums. They are banners.
According to ST’s 2001 CAS/Commercial State of the Industry Report (see ST, August 2002, page 84), approximately 89% of commercial signshops sell banners. In last year’s banner usage survey (see ST, December 2001, page 68), 73% of respondents noted they fabricate vinyl banners more than three-fourths of the time. Other common substrates include polyethylene, nylon, polyester and vinyl laminates.
When creating banners, signshops will take one of three approaches: They can purchase raw fabric to hem together and decorate themselves; buy pre-hemmed, banner blanks and apply their own graphics; or buy fully decorated, wholesale banners and sell them at a retail price. Each type of manufacturer is categorized separately in the following list.
We’re also including a list of companies that manufacture such banner accessories as stands, grommets and mounting hardware.