Vinyl Banners: Stitch, weld, what?

[Chazgraphics]

I am producing about 10 to 15 vinyl scrim banners that range from 36" x 252" to 48" x 300" for a campaign. I have a stitching partner that I am not confident in. I want to bring this in-house and do this myself. I need recommendations for the least expensive entry to get the job done, as this is a brand new segment in my company.

 

[rjssigns]

We have our sub do large projects. Especially the size you are talking about. Royal PITA to sling a banner of that size. and when moving it around to hem you have to be mindful of scratching/creases. There is no way I can do them in house for less considering the volume discounts they get on material.(two train cars of banner per week)

 

[JgS]

I sub out banner orders. With a lot of these companies charging less tan $1 a foot it's just not worth the headache of making them in house.

 

[MrSalumi]

I sub out banner orders. With a lot of these companies charging less tan $1 a foot it's just not worth the headache of making them in house.

I print the smaller banners up to 10-12ft and sub out the enormous stuff. To answer your question though, I use welding tape on all the banners I produce except flagpole banners which I use 18oz block out and have a local upholstery guy double stitch them. If you aren't confident in your partner, get a new one.

 

[Biker Scout]

I sub out banner orders. With a lot of these companies charging less tan $1 a foot it's just not worth the headache of making them in house.

Right, this is a huge aggravation to me. I can take the same image that goes on a banner, but print it to some vinyl the mount that vinyl to a signboard and be able to charge, say $12 sq. ft. It took the same amount of time, usually less, since there isn't any hemming and grommeting involved. Even way less time if I could direct to print to the board! Banners are a huge money pit now, when other shops are eagerly scrapping away at that market for $1 sq. ft. I say let them do it, I'm going out for brunch, maybe a matinee. And I'm still ahead vs. time I wasted creating the banner in-house. It's all about time management and your hourly labor costs.

Seriously, unless you have at least a 3.2m wide printer, and say a weldmaster dual sided hemming machine, with in-line grommet punch... it's not worth it to be in the banner game. BTW, when you order scrim banner material that wide, you can get the rolls for $100, and full solvent ink is like $40 a liter!

 

[TammieH]

Yeah, we get ours sewn up for a dollar per square ft here in the NW...I know we used to get our banners in Cincinnati, I can't remember the name of the place, possibly Queen City Awning or something like that, but I am sure there is someone in Dayton as well...
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