Printing on Fabric

For a long time many banners and prints used for indoor and outdoor presentations were done on vinyl or poly paper.  

The outdoors banner market has been dominated for years by vinyl. It was always perceived to be a durable, cheaper option. 

This situation has now changed as the choices today when you print on fabric are pretty compelling.

For a start fabric is so much easier to work with. You can finish it in so many different ways. Folded sewn edges and reinforced corners mean that the banners can be safely hung in high wind and exposed situations. Ropes and eyelets can be attached very easily. 

Probably the most important change is the durability of the process. Can you print on fabric and be confident the image will still look good in 12 months outdoors? 

Solvent inks and uv resistant inks have changed the printing process to make the life expectancy of printing on fabric much longer. 

In the indoor market many posters and hanging prints have been on poly paper with a lamination. This is a cheaper option, but paper creases easily and if you attach tape or stick it to a surface it is hard to remove and stay in good condition. So as the costs of production have narrowed the viable option to print on fabric rather than paper for your posters is increasing. By its very nature fabric can be folded, rolled, even scrunched up and then be laid out again and is ready to be hung as a poster. Attaching fabric to different surfaces is also a real advantage. Fabric can be sewn so choices like velcro and pins is available which can be used with paper posters. 

What about the costs, you might ask.... Well that is probably the big thing in the fabric printing story. They have come down quite a long way. The economics of digital printing or dye sublimation printing have been transformed over the last few years as new equipment and machinery has been released. short runs or long runs are economical. Lets face it, fabric just feels better quality and has a high perceived value.