Frequently
Asked Questions
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How
are banners of different heights made? |
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What
is the "Repeat Length"? |
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What
is the difference between 4 mil and 6 mil banners? |
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Are
the banners suitable for outdoor use? |
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Can
I use the banner as separate images rather than one continuous roll? |
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How
do I specify the colors in my logo? |
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Why
can't I get my banner printed on yellow, red, black, pink or blue polyethylene
film? |
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Who
owns the plates once they have been made? |
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What
happens to the plates after the job has been printed? |
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How
long are the plates good for? |
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What
determines the plate/graphics cost? |
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My
budget doesn't allow spending that much on plates, what other choices do
I have? |
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What
format is best for the artwork required to make the plates? |
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How
do I approve the order before you make the plates and run the banners? |
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What
is the print over/under run policy? |
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Can
I order quantities less than the minimum runs? |
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| Q: |
How
are banners of different heights made? |
| A: |
36"
height banners are printed 1 up on a 36" wide roll
24" height banners are printed 1 up on a 24" wide roll
18" height banners are printed 2 up on a 36" wide roll and slit
in half
12" height banners are printed 2 up on a 24" wide roll and slit
in half |
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| Q: |
What
is the "Repeat Length"? |
| A: |
This
is the distance from the beginning of one logo impression to the next, measured
along the length of the roll. Currently the maximum Repeat Length is 36". |
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| Q: |
What
is the difference between 4 mil and 6 mil banners? |
| A: |
6 mil banners have
the following benefits:
- Because they are
thicker they are more opaque, so print projects better and colors are
sharper
- 6 mil banners
are more durable and will be reusable more times
- They are more
resistant to tears and punctures
- Ideal for prolonged
outdoor use (more than a few hours) or high wind conditions
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| Q: |
Are
the banners suitable for outdoor use? |
| A: |
Our
roll banners are completely waterproof, unlike printed paper or corrugated
products which lose their strength in moist or humid conditions and may
allow ink to run when wet. |
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| Q: |
Can
I use the banner as separate images rather than one continuous roll? |
| A: |
Yes,
the banners can optionally be perforated between each image. The rolls can
then be easily separated for individual use. |
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| Q: |
How
do I specify the colors in my logo? |
| A: |
For
no additional charge we provide PMS Pantone matched colors and inks.
Our printing presses can print up to 6 different ink colors, additional
shades can be achieved by screening and overprinting colors. |
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| Q: |
Why
can't I get my banner printed on yellow, red, black, pink or blue polyethylene
film? |
| A: |
Because
we offer PMS matched colors, the only way we can guarantee color integrity
is to print on a white surface. The easy answer is to treat your job as
requiring an extra color and print a large block of color to simulate that
color poly. Also, it helps us keep our costs down by not having to inventory
multiple color films in multiple widths and multiple thicknesses which saves
you money. |
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| Q: |
Who
owns the plates once they have been made? |
| A: |
Whoever
we bill for them. |
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| Q: |
What
happens to the plates after the job has been printed? |
| A: |
We
keep them stored for future runs so the customer isn't responsible for storing
them in the proper packaging and humidity conditions and doesn't have the
expense of shipping them back and forth. |
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| Q: |
How
long are the plates good for? |
| A: |
As
the plates are made from a photopolymer, they are good for 2,000,000 impressions.
The average order requires only 2000 impressions or 1% of the plate's useful
life. If the plate is damaged in any way through our use or storage, we
replace it at no charge to the customer. |
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| Q: |
What
determines the plate/graphics cost? |
| A: |
The
surface area of each color in square inches determines the size of the negative
and subsequent plate size...times the number of colors. Colors that go to
all 4 "corners" of the image area require full size plates and are the most
expensive. On the other hand, colors that are in just one small place in
the print surface require very small plates and are very inexpensive. It
is the total surface area of the negatives and plates combined for all of
the colors we are printing that determines the total cost. |
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| Q: |
My
budget doesn't allow spending that much on plates, what other choices do
I have? |
| A: |
Many
companies capitalize the plates/graphics expense and depreciate it as an
asset over the life of the plates. 3 to 5 years is a safe depreciation cycle
and this means only 1/36th or 1/60th of the cost is in any one month. |
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| Q: |
What
format is best for the artwork required to make the plates? |
| A: |
Macintosh
format, Adobe Illustrator is our first choice. We can open many files in
many different versions, but often they are insufficient to our needs because
they are a scanned (bitmap) file, or they are a process file when we are
running spot colors, or the artwork isn't closed properly and therefore
can't be filled. |
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| Q: |
How
do I approve the order before you make the plates and run the banners? |
| A: |
We
Federal Express Next Business Morning a full size color paper proof within
3 working days of the receipt of your artwork. This gives you the opportunity
to check the image for size, placement and content. PMS color chips are
attached to the proof for color approval as the proof is printed on a dot
matrix printer so the colors are not as pure as what we will print on the
press. If changes are required, they need to be noted on the proof and the
corrected proof returned to us. We then make those changes and send you
another proof. If the first proof is acceptable, then all we need is a phone
call, fax or e-mail telling us to go to plate and you get to keep the proof
you approved. |
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| Q: |
What
is the print over/under run policy? |
| A: |
Our
over/under run policy is +/- 10%, actual roll count may very slightly from
quoted quantity. |
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| Q: |
Can
I order quantities less than the minimum runs? |
| A: |
NO, our average set-up
time to mount plates, put in PMS matched inks, unmount plates and clean
up press, hoses and ink stations is 1.5 hours per job down time. Because
the press runs at 500' per minute, the average length of a minimum run
is 5000' or 10 minutes. That's why 25 rolls is the minimum for 24" and
36" high banners.
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12"
and 18" high banners actually run as a 2 up impression on either a 24" or
36" wide sheet and then are slit apart later. That is why their minimum
quantities are twice as high at 50 rolls than either the 24" or 36" material.
This also explains why the 18" plates are more expensive than the 24" plates,
we need 2 sets of 18" plates to print 36" and cut apart later so the surface
area of the 18" print run is 1.5 times the size of a 24" job. |
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