Vinyl Banners Versus Dye Sublimation Printed Fabric banners – Which is Better?
Question: Can you explain why you think vinyl banners are better than cloth banners?
Answer: Yes, and no. Both are superior in certain applications, but both are inferior for other purposes. It would be similar to asking whether a car is better than a pickup truck. The answer would be identical. Yes. No.
Pickup trucks are great for hauling a bed, a couch, a dresser, or a fridge. However, they are not ideal for driving cross-country to work or to go on a date. A car isn’t very good on a muddy road in winter and knobby tires make it difficult to drive down the Interstate. I could go on and on about cars versus trucks, but that’s not what you asked.
Vinyl banners are a great temporary sign solution that is inexpensive, even though fabric isn’t much more expensive. Vinyl looks great from a distance and exterior banners are almost always made of vinyl. However, this too is still in flux. Vinyl banners are durable and will last for at least 2 years. I have seen them last 10 years.
Dye sublimation printed fabric banners are extremely durable. The dye impregnates the cells in the polyester or other Olefin based fabrics used in the dye subprint process. These banners can also last indoors for 20+ years under fluorescent lighting with very little color fade.
Dye sublimation printing has been able to compete with other types printed fabrics over the years. For example, pole banners were once the exclusive domain of screen-printed acrylic fabrics or vinyl.
Personally, because I’ve been in this industry well over 20 years and have seen many products come along (and a few have come and gone during that time period as well), as any of you know who’ve read my blog know, I am a dyed-in-the-polyester (wool won’t work – it’s a natural fiber) fan of dye sublimation printing. I think digital “direct-to-substrate” (DTS or DTF) is great, but the look is just a bit less fabulous than dye sub printing which, because of the dye being converted to gas, creates a fabulous photograph-like continuous tone print, which is especially impressive on finer threaded fabrics like poly-silk or poly-satin.
I am not yet going to throw the vinyl banner in the trash. I believe it will be a long time before the vinyl banner goes extinct. The vinyl banner is a classic and can be printed fast, cheaply, and in full color. This allows any business to promote products, events, and services without having to spend a lot.
Dye sublimation fabric printing is becoming more affordable. In volume, there is little difference between the two. For a better looking banner, dye sub fabrics are definitely the way forward.
Source: Barry K. Brown