You’ve seen it before—a perfectly good looking banner that was designed well but executed poorly—sagging from a fence post, looking frayed and forgotten. It’s not that it’s a bad sign, it just wasn’t finished well. Follow through is everything, so once your sign is finished it’s important to make sure it’s hung up properly. You want it safe, secure, and speaking right to your target audience! Because what you say on your sign is only half of the picture—it’s how it’s hung that completes the entire effect.
Related: 12 Signage Hardware Types that Event Planners Need in Their Trunk.
Location, Location, Location
Let’s start with an important consideration. As the real estate adage promises, where you hang your banner matters. If you’re hanging it in the street, it requires a different installation technique than if you were hanging it in the store. No matter where you hang your custom vinyl banner, always measure accurately before you start the installation. As you install it, make sure to pull all four corners tight to avoid rippling or billowing. Do you have your banner and your measuring tape? Let’s get started!
Inside Installations
If your banner will be posted inside on a wall, you won’t need to worry about using weather resistant hanging tools. Anchors like screws or hooks work well. Here are the best ways to hang a custom vinyl banner indoors:
Banner Stands: This is a smart way to install a sign and ensure that it stands upright, no hanging required!
Velcro Strips: We’ve all used these before for school projects or other jobs around the house. They’re simple to install and simple to remove. Plus you can hang grommet-less banners and swap out banners easily. Make sure you decide where you’re going to hang your banner first and then mark on the banner where you plan to velcro. Then stick the strips directly to the banner, peel off the back, and stick your custom vinyl banner to the wall. Easy peasy!
Suction Cups: For lighter banners that will adhere to a flat surface like glass, suction cups work well. You can wet them before adhering to give them extra stick. Simply hang the banner on the hooks using the grommets.
Cables and Hooks: When you want your custom vinyl banner to stay indefinitely, you can use cables that attach to hanging hooks on the ceiling or walls.
Magnets: With a smooth metallic surface, strong magnets will hold your banner!
Outside Installations
When hanging banners outside, you’ll need to account for several factors that inside conditions don’t require. Your attachments need to be durable and weather resistant. Anchors like screws or hooks work well. You’ll also need to consider any objects like trees and buildings that can impede the views of passersby.
Bungee Cords: The duct tape of the hanging world, bungee cords are incredibly versatile and perfect for outdoor hanging. They’re also weather resistant, strong, inexpensive, and easy to tie. Since they come in varying sizes and can even be wrapped together, there are a number of ways they can secure your banner. Just pull the bungee cord through each grommet and loop it with the hook on your anchor, which is usually a hook on the wall.
Rope: Just like bungee cords, you can use nylon rope by threading it through the grommet or pole pockets. Make sure to weave the rope through the grommets to evenly distribute the tension. Then tie to your anchor. All set!
Carabiners: These hanging clips work like bungee cords too. Clip through the grommet to your anchor. They’re especially good for chain link fences.
Zip Ties: Grommeted banners can be affixed to a pole, fence, or cable with simple zip ties. They hold tight in the weather and can be cut with scissors when you need to take the banner down. They’re also long-lasting, unobtrusive, inexpensive, and strong—perfect for outdoor events, grand openings, sporting events, and more. Loop zip ties through the grommet, attach to your anchor, and pull tight!
Banner Stands: Place a banner stand outside if it’s built for the weather with a weighted stand and weather resistant materials. Many are freestanding, and some need to be affixed with a pole or stake at the bottom. The latter are more stable than the freestanding models. Just find a soft spot to stake them.
Related: Large Format Printing: How to Get Your Outdoor Signage Set Up.
Finish Strong
If you’re handling a tricky installation, or it’s too high or in a highly trafficked area, let the experts at Ironmark help you hang your banner quickly and reliably! For more information on large format signs, call our team.We’ve partnered with customers to design, print, and finish their signs for over 60 years, and we’d be happy to help you hang yours.
