Those that used a technology which was more akin to a thermal transfer procedure printing cloth/fabric, although the sublimation printers were not inkjets.
They were great little printing apparatus for signs and short run decals, but with the introduction of press, they became too costly to be aggressive, although I know quite a few of sign shops that still use them. Sometimes it’s just cheaper to keep the machine running than go into debt for the technology. But it’s not.
How Dye Sublimation Inkjet Printers and Printing is Done and What Methods are Used
These were among the end improvements graphic industry in the past two decades, as I’ve written about a couple of times earlier. Where graphics are seen up close fabric has been the option for classier events like trade shows, but the costs could be astronomical. In 2001 and 2002 we did a huge applique banner project at an astronomical price tag for booster of a state university. We were happy for the job, but had it happened a couple years after, we would have used dye sub printer, and might have been able to perform the project for about half the cost it did previously.
Why and how Inkjets are Simply Better
When it comes to printing fabric, dye sublimation inkjet printers are unparalleled in efficacy, cost-savings, and in producing a beautiful product. There is no other one on the market that could do a print of a picture with results. There are other methods, but these types work.
Being a chemist, I do not know exactly why this is, so we would be enlightened by maybe one of our readers that can clarify polymers in layman’s terms. While natural fibers such as cotton don’t other materials like nylon do have polymers in them. However, they generally work best on polyester fabrics.
One is that color is exhibited by the fabrics in a constant tone like a photograph, whereas inkjet printers on vinyl employ a dithering process which sprays on the CYMK ink down in dots patterns that resemble a photograph. The finished product looks more real while no gap may be picked up by the eye at a distance of five feet, when you put them side by side.
How Cheap is the Print Method? I Do Not Have a Huge Corporate Advertising Budget
Of course, while vinyl are cheaper than polyester fabric banners printed by inkjet printers, they are still vinyl banners… kind of like vinyl car seats versus leather car seats… they seem cheap.
They’re great for some things, such as announcing a new tool or a new kind of work boot or a sale on hamburgers at Burger King, but if you have an upscale service or product, consider that if your display looks cheap, potential clients may view your service or product the same way.
They might think that your customer service will not be great because your vinyl banner looks made; surely, if the company skimps on images, it might skimp on customer service also. Perception becomes reality in the mind of the beholder, if it’s not accurate.
We’re currently finding that, especially in trade shows and conventions, but also in retail, poly knit and poly stretch fabrics have become immensely popular for lots of the reasons. If you dismiss it, in presenting your organization in a trade show or seminar to new eyes, your first impression may be your last.
As with several kinds of advertising, you’ve got less than 10 seconds to grab your prospective client’s attention. Fabric banners work well in this environment, and so do many of our clients.
Barry Brown has been for over 20 years at the Sign, Banner, Decal and Screen Business. He says that he knows too much to do anything else, although it isn’t what he thought he’d do with his life!
He’s been promoting these products online since 1998, and the company was the first sign company to be listed on Yahoo! Captain Ellis, He’s our Hero, Gonna Take Pollution down to ZERO!