Changebable dates on banners

[10sacer]

Yeah...

I just got a request for some 18' long banners that the customer wants to have the ability to change the date each year and their brilliant idea is to sew in a clear vinyl "pocket" and slide in the new dates with 2mm PVC each year. Banners only stay up for 10 days each year.

Trying to come up with a clever way to say, "Uhhhh... no" but they are sure this will work.

Anyone ever done something like this?

 

[wetgravy]

First, EWWW! Second, I wish you luck on that one. Mostly since clear vinyl yellows, tears and heavily wrinkles with age. If they want something that has a chance of lasting a while and still having a surface that won't eat it with age or removing graphics ... just talk to them about getting an alumicore sign blank instead. You can still grommet it if you drill the whole out, you have edge cap to seal and protect the edges while making it look good and I think more importantly ... the alumicore has an enamel finish.

 

[Mosh]

NNNOOOOO, just say no. do the dates in vinyl or what I do is have them put "this weekend" most crap like this is on the weekend or "This Saturday" Banners are only up the week before. Don't let customers talk you into something that is going to be crappy, cause next year when the banner looks like crud they will only remeber that YOU made the cappy looking banner.

 

[10sacer]

Banner

Yeah - this is an overhead street banner, so Alumacore isn't an option.

My other thought was to just sew in velcro strips and provide same vinyl banner material with new date and velcro on back. I am in NC and the are in FL, so using cut vinyl isn't an option.

I already explained that the clear vinyl is probably a bad idea due to yellowing or fogging

 

[Mosh]

Print the sign to say "BIG THING THIS WEEKEND" then they can just hang it up one week before the event each year. SIMPLE!
No one remembers dates, but will remember THIS WEEKEND!

 

[GB2]

For the most part, I do not encourage anyone to consider a changeable date on a banner however, on rare occassion I will do it. Usually I will use a removable adhesive vinyl for the date, whether the rest of the banner is printed or vinyl. If it is printed, just leave a white blank area to place the date. Even if you just print the date portion on a white background it's easy to place a new date over it in the future if it's printed on white vinyl, regardless of whether it's permanent or removable adhesive.

If you think about it, it really makes sense to the customer to try to change the dates and get more then just a couple of days out of each banner. If you can do that for them, they will appreciate it and at least they will keep coming back to you each year hopefully with more things than just their banner date change.

 

[Mosh]

I used to think that way when I liked my customers!

 

[iSign]

I used to think that way when I liked my customers!

yeah... back when they were "your" customers... :ROFLMAO:

I'll sell your customers chrome outlines all day long, AND I'll tell them how impressive their idea looks... hell, I even got $500 just to design some chrome lettering & then printed another $500 worth of decals on the Edge with chrome foils... it doesn't always look tacky if done with good design principals...

anyway, on the banner, I've went the same way GB2 described too, but say they want a 3' x 18' over the road banner... I would show them a 3' x 15' (or 16') layout with no date, & then a colorful, well designed sidebar style graphic, to fit 2' x 3', or 3' x 3'.. and make sure the grommets line up & can be joined to each other when installed.

 

[weaselboogie]

I use oracal 631 removable black for dates. If this is going to be an annual thing, I have the customer also figure up when it will be held in the upcoming years and cut those dates all at once.

 

[CentralSigns]

Don't print the date on the banner, leave space for it. Print on a separate piece of banner material and banner tape it in place. Then when they want the date changed they pull the banner tape and come see you. Best way I can see to do it. Then at least all the banner is printed and not vinyl. Use blockout material and it should be very hard to see the seam from any distance at all. Two posts almost the same here wasn't sure which was which. Are you also jkoch or what

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

Phototex.

 

[bayshorecreations]

Sell them an 18' dry erase board and call it a day...

But seriously, I agree with leaving the space for it and putting the date on a separate piece of banner but I would use velcro instead of banner tape.

 

[GAC05]

If it is going to display for a short amount of time each year - say a week up to a month or so don't even sweat it.
A good intermediate vinyl can be pulled off a banner without leaving glue or damage.
The trick is to get the customer to bring it back right after the event is done.
You can then pull the date, clean the whole banner & roll it back onto a scrap core for proper storage so that a year from now it will look as good as the day you produced it.

You sell it as part of the service and set yourself apart from the guy behind the counter at local quick copy.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[mikefine]

Print the banner -- not vinyl letters. That way you don't have removal and vinyl residue to worry about. Next year, you sell them a vinyl decal strip to cover the date. They can very easily overlay it themselves. You design it so the date is maybe white letters on a black rectangular background, so you don't have to worry about color matching. This strategy has worked for me many times in this situation.