PVC banner printing – advertising, fence and scaffold banners

A PVC banner – known in Switzerland as a «Blache» – is the most affordable way to cover a large outdoor area with advertising or information. Typical uses:

• Construction fence banners: the client, architect and trades involved on the site, a rendering of the new building, «12 new flats coming soon».
• Scaffold banners: advertising for the painter, façade builder or roofer for the duration of the works.
• Clubs and festivals: gymnastics festival, village fête, Swiss wrestling festival, anniversary, sponsor banner, perimeter advertising at the sports ground.
• Businesses and farms: farm shop, opening, closing-down sale, directions to the car park.
• Events and trade fairs: stage backdrop, tent branding, photo wall.

Order a fence banner slightly smaller than the fence panel so there is room all round for fixing it. In the designer you enter any size between 40 × 30 cm and 500 × 250 cm in millimetres.

Eyelets all round are included with every banner, roughly every 50 cm. You thread cable ties, bungee cords or rope through the eyelets. For fences, scaffolding and walls this is the standard solution.

Pole pockets top and bottom (+CHF 18) are sewn-in tunnels into which you slide a pole or batten. They suit banners hanging between two posts, stage backdrops and banners that need to be pulled taut at the top and bottom.

Fitting tip: fix the banner at every eyelet, not just along the top. A banner hung only at the top flaps, slaps against the fence in the wind and eventually tears out at the eyelets. Bungee cords give a little in gusts and so protect the material.

A solid PVC banner acts like a sail in the wind. On construction fences and scaffolding that stand exposed to the wind, the following is therefore important:

• The construction fence must be adequately weighted or braced – check this with the contractor or fence hire company.
• On scaffolding, the scaffolder is responsible: ask before fitting whether and where a banner may be attached.
• Better several smaller banners than one huge one if the location is very exposed.
• If a storm is forecast, take down short-term banners (festival, promotion) as a precaution.

A banner is read in passing, often in two to three seconds. So stick to just a few elements:

1. One main line or your company name – as large as possible.
2. Logo and at most one extra line, such as what you do.
3. One contact: website or phone number, not both in small print.

For large formats a photo needs less resolution than for a small sticker, because it is viewed from a distance: around 100 dpi at final size is enough, so roughly 8000 pixels wide for a 2 m banner. Logos as SVG stay sharp at any size. In the designer you can also add a QR code with one click – on a construction fence banner, a link to the flats on offer works well.

A banner can be reused several times, for example every year at the club festival. Let it dry completely before storing, clean it with water and a mild detergent if needed, and store it rolled, with the print facing outwards, rather than folded. That way you avoid creases in the print.