Banner finishing for print shops: why the hem decides how long a banner lasts

A printed banner gets judged on the artwork. It gets replaced because of the edge. Almost every banner that comes down early fails the same way: the wind works an eyelet, the eyelet tears out of a weak hem, and the next eyelet along takes double the load until the whole edge goes.

Most print shops print. Fewer have the welding gear to finish properly, and that is where we come in. Here is what good finishing does, where banners actually fail, and how print shops use our factory as their finishing line.

Where banners fail

• The eyelet. A stapled or pressed eyelet with no proper flange pulls straight through PVC under load. A rolled-flange brass eyelet set through a doubled hem holds.
• The hem. A single thickness of PVC with eyelets punched through it is the weakest version of a banner there is. A welded hem doubles the material exactly where the eyelets sit.
• The corners. Corners carry the most load and flap the hardest. Without reinforcement they are where the tear starts.
• The spacing. Too few eyelets and each one carries too much. The gaps between ties are where the wind gets in and starts the flapping that does the damage.

What good finishing looks like

• Welded hems, top and bottom. We heat-weld the hem rather than taping or stitching it, so the fold becomes one piece of material. The same welding goes into our own load tarps, vats, and ice baths.
• Brass eyelets with a rolled flange, at 500 mm standard spacing or to your spec. Brass or nickel, set properly through the doubled hem.
• Webbing at the stress points. Weld-on webbing at the corners and anywhere the banner will be pulled hard, so the load spreads into the banner rather than sitting on one hole.
• Pole pockets and rope channels where the banner hangs from a pole or a rope rather than ties.

Plan the finish before you print

The cheapest fix is the one made in the artwork file. A few things worth settling before the banner goes to print:

1. Ask for the hem allowance. A welded hem folds material back, so leave room at the edges for it and keep logos, phone numbers, and small text clear of the fold.
2. Decide how it will hang. Eyelets and ties, a pole pocket, or a rope channel each need different room at the edge.
3. Think about where it goes up. A banner on a fence on an open site works far harder than one on an indoor wall. Tell us where it is going and we will suggest the eyelet spacing and reinforcement.
4. Bring a sample if the material is unusual. We weld standard PVC banner and tarp material from 400 gsm up, plus most flexible plastics. If you are not sure, a test weld settles it.

How print shops work with us

You print, we finish. Bring in the rolls, tell us the finish, and we hem-weld, set the eyelets, add reinforcement, and box it for delivery. Most of our print-shop customers use us so they never have to buy welding gear or tie up their own staff on finishing.

• Priced per metre, with no minimum. We will eyelet a single small banner.
• Same-day turnaround on stock items under 10 m, and 24 to 72 hours for larger runs.
• Overflow capacity for event production deadlines.
• Material storage by arrangement for regular trade customers, so jobs can start faster.

Repairs, whoever finished it

A banner that has torn at an eyelet is often not finished. We repair banners and covers regardless of who made or finished them: re-hemming, new eyelets, and reinforcement where the old edge failed. It usually costs far less than a reprint. Our repair or replace guide covers how to judge it.

Get a quote

Send the banner sizes, the quantity, and the finish you need (hems, eyelet spacing, pockets, reinforcement) on WhatsApp 083 631 5329 and we will come back within 24 hours with a price and a turnaround. The full service list is on our welding, stitching and sewing page.