Need some quick advice/referral

[thomasfxlt]

I've photographed and prepared a piece for my local High School and I need to produce a photographic quality banner for indoor use at 3' x 6' .

subject matter here: http://thomasfxlt.zenfolio.com/p443887950/...4d6a9#h3dc4d6a9

Suggestions on how I should produce this (vinyl substrates, printer etc...) and who might do a nice job for a fair price.

Tom

you can email if you prefer at tforsythe@me.com

[Unicaman]

Tom,
questions to ask yourself:
How long will it be up?
How far away from viewing?
What is lighting like?

A banner of this size is typically seen at a distance. Which means the distance can make even a poor
print look OK. If it will be seen close up, say 2-3 feet, then a good photobase product would be a
reasonable media. I would stick with satin.

If it will be seen from a short distance then many good poly products offer great quality at a much
lower price point.

Where do you live? I may have a referral for you.

[thomasfxlt]

Tom,
questions to ask yourself:
How long will it be up?
How far away from viewing?
What is lighting like?

A banner of this size is typically seen at a distance. Which means the distance can make even a poor
print look OK. If it will be seen close up, say 2-3 feet, then a good photobase product would be a
reasonable media. I would stick with satin.

If it will be seen from a short distance then many good poly products offer great quality at a much
lower price point.

Where do you live? I may have a referral for you.

Typical high school hallway setting. Florescent lighting. It might stay up for 4-6 months. I really wanted to a print on a satin photopaper, but it needs to be a durable banner that can be grommeted and hung. Viewing distance will vary, but I think a solvent produced print will be fine. I saw some output on matte vinyl yesterday in cmyk that was acceptable for the price point. Another local guy had an Roland inkjet and his vinyl samples were poor. What I'd like to find for the future is someone who is using a 9900 or equivalent to print on Tyvek or something that can really know the socks of what my competitor is doing. Most of these are used indoors just for the current season and a 6 month life is fine. When they need to go outside, I can go to the solvent based product.
Un-reinforced vinyls don't hand well I guess. The buckle and sag under stress and humidity. The vinyl I ended up using is a matte reinforced product. Is there anything like this that can run through the 9900?



I'm in Minnesota and thanks for your response.

[Randy Carone]

I'd recommend 15 mil Vinyl banner material that will image beautifully in your 9900. There is blockout banner made by IJ Technologies that will yield a good photographic image as long as you can send a file that is at least 180ppi at full size. The material grommets well and has excellent dimensional stability. You'll get a nice finished look if you buy 1" banner tape and fold over the top (or side) edge and place the grommets through two layers of banner. Most aqueous compatible banners are engineered for outdoor use so you should get very good longevity if used inside. This material can last quite a long time without protection, but if you want to extend the service life, the banner can be sprayed with a clear coat such as ClearJET. This will increase the scratch resistance of the inkjet coating and will add about a year to outdoor longevity. Let me know if you need more info on this.

[thomasfxlt]

I'd recommend 15 mil Vinyl banner material that will image beautifully in your 9900. There is blockout banner made by IJ Technologies that will yield a good photographic image as long as you can send a file that is at least 180ppi at full size. The material grommets well and has excellent dimensional stability. You'll get a nice finished look if you buy 1" banner tape and fold over the top (or side) edge and place the grommets through two layers of banner. Most aqueous compatible banners are engineered for outdoor use so you should get very good longevity if used inside. This material can last quite a long time without protection, but if you want to extend the service life, the banner can be sprayed with a clear coat such as ClearJET. This will increase the scratch resistance of the inkjet coating and will add about a year to outdoor longevity. Let me know if you need more info on this.

Randy,

Thank you very much!! I really appreciate your input. I'll email you for more info as needed.

Tom

[Unicaman]

Under those conditions you can get a great poly product that works well on all inkjet pritners.
We carry 2-products, one a polyester the other a polyethylene. These are matte surface and
will not curl over the 6-month time frame. They can be grommetted and Banner Ups is another
easy way to handle this type of material. They both are water resistant and scratch resistant.


There are good Eco Solvent printers these days. I know the Mutoh Valuejet can print great
quality on Vinyls and Poly materials. Ask the obvious question, are you color managed?
If you get a yes then they most likely know what they are doing.

Work in a full size file at 150dpi. This is safe way to get the quality output you are looking
for.

I agree with another post to your question about liquid laminate as another level of protection
for you final banner.

Ciao
Robert