Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

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p.1 #1 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

I have a request for a 2.5 x 6 ft banner for a baseball team in a couple of months. I checked and the printer I normally use charges 90 for regular print and 145 for laminated. I would appreciate any input on other printers, any pitfalls I need to watch out for, and input on how much to quote for the job, bearing in mind this is a very small town.
I have done sports, and posters so am not concerned so much with doing the design and shoot, just printing and things I may not have considered. I do recall a friend doing one of these a few years ago and having trouble getting the file to the printer due to size. I haven't yet been able to get hold of her to ask about what happened on that part.

Any help would be appreciated.

Kathy

Jan 24, 2013 at 02:17 AM

Peter Figen
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p.1 #2 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

How is this banner going to be used? A lot of banners are printed on vinyl and have grommets in the corners for hanging. Or, as you mentioned, a laminated print that may or may not have grommets. It should not be any sort of issue sending a high res file to any printer that is capable of this print. The price of your local printer seems reasonable to me.

Jan 24, 2013 at 05:30 AM

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p.1 #3 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

Yes, Thanks, I have been researching and found that they can be printed on Vinyl. I think that would be preferable. It is to take with them as a traveling baseball team. I assume to hang at the games. So I am now looking at outdoor Vinyl. Staples does it, but they offer plastic hangers. Has anyone used them? I am thinking the metal grommets sound better.

Jan 24, 2013 at 05:42 AM

Peter Figen
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p.1 #4 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

You can get a grommet kit for a few dollars and do it yourself if your printer doesn't offer that service.

Jan 24, 2013 at 06:12 AM

Peter Figen
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p.1 #5 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

Last year I did a big project that I printed entirely on vinyl banner material on my Epson 9900. The prints were copies of old Russian paintings that were going to be displayed outdoors in downtown L.A. I was quite surprised at how well they looked, how much detail the vinyl held and how vivid the color was. There were people walking up to these vinyl "canvases" and feeling them, thinking they were real, then asking how much to buy. Vinyl is the perfect material for your project. Make sure the prints get sprayed with protective spray like Print Shield. They'll roll up and travel very well with the team.

Jan 24, 2013 at 08:18 AM

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p.1 #6 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

Vistaprint is pretty reasonable.

Rob

Jan 24, 2013 at 09:45 AM

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p.1 #7 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

Thanks for all the responses. I am definately going with vinyl. Right now Staples has a special for 19.00 but only for a few more days. I am going to get something printed as a trial, just to see the quality and how it prints, etc. before the price goes back to normal. Normally 45 or 55, forget which, and for 10.00 more it is protected for outdoors. From a pic I found online, I think it does have the metal grommets, so I won't have to do them myself. They also offer a stand for 40.00.

I will also check out the Vistaprint.

Thanks again,

Kathy

Jan 24, 2013 at 04:01 PM

cgardner
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p.1 #8 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

Something more related to design / layout vs. photography is how vector mapped objects scale differently than bitmaps. Bitmaps like photos get pixelated when enlarged. Vector type layers and vector art such as logos created with vector "paths" don't.

In PS you'll want to keep the file layered with type as vector layers when you enlarge it, then flatten the layers (which converts the type to bitmap format).

Creating vector artwork in PS or Illustrator has a steep learning curve (steering the handles which create the Benzier curves) but there are shortcuts such as making selection on parts of a bitmap image and converting them into paths. The advantage of the extra work is being able to scale the logo without any pixelation like as seen when enlarging bitmap art.

Creating vector art elements may not be needed/ practical / cost effective for your job here, but something to keep in mind in the future. Often companies have vector files for their logos available.

Jan 24, 2013 at 04:50 PM

Peter Figen
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p.1 #9 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

As long as you build the file at final rez, none of the vector vs. bitmap stuff will matter at all. What Chuck is talking about ONLY matters if you're on a real printing press where an imagesetter is involved. With inkjet printing, everything is resolved at the same resolution regardless, so just build your file at the final output size at whatever rez the printer requests and don't worry about it.

Jan 24, 2013 at 05:11 PM

hugowolf
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p.1 #10 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

Peter Figen wrote:
Last year I did a big project that I printed entirely on vinyl banner material on my Epson 9900. The prints were copies of old Russian paintings that were going to be displayed outdoors in downtown L.A. I was quite surprised at how well they looked, how much detail the vinyl held and how vivid the color was. There were people walking up to these vinyl "canvases" and feeling them, thinking they were real, then asking how much to buy. Vinyl is the perfect material for your project. Make sure the prints get sprayed with protective spray like Print Shield. They'll roll up and travel very well with the team.
Peter, what vinyl material did you use with the 9900?

Brian A

Jan 24, 2013 at 05:13 PM

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p.1 #11 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

Peter Figen wrote:
As long as you build the file at final rez, none of the vector vs. bitmap stuff will matter at all. What Chuck is talking about ONLY matters if you're on a real printing press where an imagesetter is involved. With inkjet printing, everything is resolved at the same resolution regardless, so just build your file at the final output size at whatever rez the printer requests and don't worry about it.

Thanks, because I was researching this and I don't have Illustrator just PS. I do have a copy of Genuine Fractuals loaded on my old PS5.

Jan 24, 2013 at 05:35 PM

kdphotography
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p.1 #12 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

And to throw something a little different into the mix---I print banners for clients using canvas rather than vinyl, printed on an Epson 9900. For my canvas prints, I use BC's Lyve, but for banners BC's 800M works great. HVLP coating works well against the elements. I use a grommet-less hanger system which is actually stronger than typical metal grommets.

Both pigmented inkjet and solvent printers offer more options for banners/signage than you'd expect!

Jan 24, 2013 at 05:44 PM

Peter Figen
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p.1 #13 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

I used Lexjet Toughcoat Thrifty Banner and after I profiled it, it was really fantastic. Canvas is certainly an option, but most likely a much more expensive option.

Jan 24, 2013 at 07:02 PM

cgardner
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p.1 #14 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

If she gets a small photo bitmap file of a logo and must resize it for the full size banner layout it would matter Peter.

We regularly made banners on ink jet printers at our publishing center and my designers used scalable vector graphics for agency logos and similar art. Once created it was able to be used on a letterhead or 3x30 foot banner.

Jan 24, 2013 at 08:21 PM

kdphotography
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p.1 #15 · Need input on a 6' Baseball Banner Request

For business logos it is not difficult to have a client's logo "re-worked" as a vector based graphic if needed (I have it done for my clients regularly), though many businesses will already have those graphic files ready for you in pdf or eps formats. For larger scale banners i.e, 44" by 96" it does make layout easier.

All part of the fun!

Jan 24, 2013 at 08:54 PM

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