Some Helpful Information
EricsBanners.com Banners ‘n Stuff to make your event special
Tips
© Eric H. Force 2020
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It’s All in the paper When printing banners, the type of paper you use can make a huge difference in your banner’s final appearance. Normal 20lb bond, while usable, will generally result in your banner having more of a pastel (light/faded) appearance. Unless you are planning to use a photograph (see my custom banner page), my paper of choice is 24lb, 96 bright, bond which will yield a nice looking banner with minimal ink usage - just select “plain white paper” (usually the default for most printers) as your paper type. For an even brighter print out, a MATTE, SEMI-GLOSS or GLOSS type paper designed for photos will yield REALLY nice print outs. Of course, the cost of the paper and ink used will also increase. Using photo paper (and a “text with photo” setting) will result in a beautiful banner that really “pops”. Do NOT be tempted to use a “photo” setting (to make the printout darker/brighter) for normal 20 or 24LB bond paper as you will most likely just waste ink AND probably saturate your printout as well. A “photo” setting will generally use about twice as much ink and requires “photo” type paper for best results. Your Work Surface makes a difference When assembling your banner, try to use a non-textured, flat & hard surface to work on to help insure that you’ll be able to firmly seal the panel edges. Your work surface can be protected from excess glue by covering it with a newspaper sheet or scrap paper sheets. Are you “Left-Handed”? Since I’m right-handed, all of my DIY banners are created in a way that makes it easy for a someone who is RIGHT- Handed to assemble. (i.e. assembling from LEFT to RIGHT). If you’re LEFT-Handed then, after you’ve trimmed all of the panels, just turn them upside down and assemble from RIGHT to LEFT using the same sequence of panels: 1, 2, 3, 4 … etc. “Duct” Tape - One of the Wonders of Science … but It would be hard to describe all the uses of Duct Tape … and many people (including myself) use it to temporarily “hang” banners by using small strips folded over on itself and then attached to the back of the banner. While it DOES do an excellent job in that regard, one of the downsides is that, because it IS so tacky/sticky, one could damage a wall surface if not careful when removing it. If you DO use Duct Tape just be careful to NOT use “Gorrila” brand tape (while probably the best duct tape around, it’s just TOO sticky for this purpose) or PULL the banner off the wall in a sudden and directly “outwardly from the wall” motion. If the paint or wall paper is fresh (or very old) there’s a good chance that you’ll pull some of the paint or paper away at the same time. The best method I’ve found is to simply PEEL the banner (where it’s taped) SLOWLY away from the wall. Duct tape, as a paper reinforcement, also works well for those times when you want to “hang” your banner using string or yarn. Just cut small squares of the tape and afffix one square to each corner and to the top & bottom center (on the back of the banner), then use a paper punch to punch a hole for the string or yarn to go through. Of course, you could also just tape the string or yarn to the back of the banner if that would work for you..