Ask About an Interior or Outdoor Banner

At Kalamazoo Banner Works, we offer you the best options and services to create the perfect interior or outdoor banner. Whether it’s a unique, custom-printed banner, or one of our premade designs, your banner can grab the attention of passerby’s and add color to your town, business, campus, and more. If you would like more information about a flag banner or would like to get straight into ordering a banner, submit a general inquiry or reach out and request a catalog.

We hereby acknowledge that Winds Slits in banners are generally detrimental

We are often asked for recommendations on the topic of wind holes or slits in banners meant to allow wind to pass
through banners, hopefully to reduce total banner wind load. In both of our full-size wind tunnel tests, in 1984 and 2002,
we tested banners with wind slits on our BannerFlex hardware as well as non-vented banners. In both cases, it was
visually obvious wind holes became, in fact, detrimental to the banners due to vibration and fabric stress within the
banner and they tended to increase the wind load rather than reduce it.

 

How can they increase load?

The holes allowed the fabric to ripple and catch more wind increasing the drag factor. The
fiberglass arms deflected more rather than less indicating more force on the system with the holes than without. Also,
the banners vibrated considerably more at 60 mph to 100 mph with the slits than without.
The typical slit pattern, requested by unknowing customers, to cut into the banners and
seen on many non-KBW banners, do not allow enough wind relief to make a difference
regardless of the rippling effect. For example, three (3) 6”diameter “half-moons” cut into
a 30” x 94” banner represent 1.5% of the surface area. Twice that number of holes, more
than normally seen, is only 3% of the surface area. Therefore, with our BannerFlex®
fiberglass arm system, we do not recommend wind holes or slits to our customers.
For maximum wind reduction, specify the KBW BannerFlex® Airow® banner bracket.

Please visit the Guidebook to learn more about KBW

Visit Guidebook HERE

Caring for your Digitally Printed Vinyl and Textile Banners

We suggest the following when storing your KBW banners for the season. KBW inks will not crack or peel but we caution against folding and creasing banners simply from an appearance standpoint.

• Always roll banners to prevent creasing. Do not fold.
• Make sure banners are clean and dry before rolling up.
• Very Important: Avoid crushing the banners. Do not store other items on top of them.

Cleaning your banners
1) Lay banners on clean surface such as concrete or asphalt driveway with slope to drain.
2) Use a garden hose with moderate velocity spray and rinse banners. Lukewarm water works best, but cold water is acceptable.
3) For digitally printed textile banners, use a soft bristle brush and a small amount of mild soap (such as liquid dish soap). For digitally printed vinyl banners, use a sponge. Always test a portion of ink before cleaning the entire banner.
4) Rinse and allow to dry.
Note: Do not dry clean banners. Avoid machine washing as agitator may rub and damage ink. Do not use a commercial dryer to dry

We offer three different stock sizes: 30″ x 94″, 30″ x 60″, and 18″ x 36″. We can do custom sizes as well so please inquire if interested.

Choosing the banner all depends on the size and strength of light poles, the physical proportions of the street in the area, and budgetary considerations. Our representatives can guide you to the correct solution.

For Light pole banners we use either Sunbrella® or Sunfield® marine acrylic, in selected colors, or 22oz white block-out vinyl and we digitally print on both of those products. We do not print double-sided pole banners using white or light colored Sunbrella/Sunfield as the images tend to “shadow” from one side to the other in the sunlight. For white and lighter colored background colors we suggest the 22oz block-out vinyl. Lighter weight vinyls, such as 13oz, are suggested for interior projects.

If cost is your biggest concern, vinyl is the way to go. If a “richer look” is a priority, we suggest marine acrylic, although we do not recommend printing on white or light-colored marine acrylic for street banners. This is because sunlight will create shadows of printed images from one side to the other. The darker marine acrylic fabrics will avoid that issue. If you require a white or light background, choose our vinyl media, which has a “block-out” liner to prevent shadowing. Which is more durable and long-lasting in the weather? Advancements in ink technology make both marine acrylic and vinyl good choices, although we prefer marine acrylic as the best value for the longer term.

The structural capabilities of your light poles as well as budget are two issues to keep in mind when considering how many banners per light pole.

Once a formal order is placed, normal lead time for our stock seasonal banners is 10-15 business days. Custom banners normally require 15-20 business days once final art has been approved. Larger orders may require additional lead time for production. Under certain conditions, an order may be expedited. Rush charges may apply.

Prices vary depending on the size of the banner, and, the number of banners. For examples of pole banner pricing visit: Shop RTP Banners

There is a four-banner minimum order for RTP (Ready to Print) stock seasonal banners. There is no minimum for custom banner orders.

Yes, but the life expectancy is such that there is no warranty on banners for exterior KBW banners fabricated with 22oz vinyl material or marine acrylic textiles for which the banner is allowed to flap in the wind. With applications such as “flags” or applications for which banners are not installed on quality banner brackets that stretch the banner with top and bottom brackets, these is no warranty. Banners which “whip” or “flutter” in the wind are not installed properly and will result in damage to the material and inks. If a banner “loosens”, it must be tightened immediately.

 

The banner shown here was not installed or maintained according to our installation instructions and was loose and allowed to “flap” in the wind, thereby damaging the ink.

 

The most important component of a “street banner” installation, is the hardware. We developed BannerFlex® hardware in 1984 to help insure the longest life for banner installations, when installed according to our written instructions. Be sure to visit Bannerflex.com to learn about all the offerings, including our newest “Airow®” and “RoundPro™” fiberglass arms.

Please note that for exterior installations of both marine acrylic and vinyl banners, the banners should not be allowed to flap in the wind, with such as “flag” applications or applications for which banners are not installed on quality banner brackets that stretch the banner with top and bottom brackets. Banners which “whip” or “flutter” in the wind are not installed properly and will result in damage to the material and inks. Also, if a banner “loosens”, it must be tightened immediately.