How to order a banner that survives.

Size it for the reading distance

The usual rule of thumb: about one inch of letter height for every ten feet of viewing distance. A banner read from across a parking lot at 100 feet needs roughly 10-inch letters, which sets your banner size far more than your budget does. Work backwards from that and you'll never order a banner nobody can read.

Then cut the word count. A banner is not a brochure. Name, offer, and how to act — three things maximum.

Hems and grommets are the whole ballgame

An unhemmed banner tears at the holes, guaranteed. A hem folds and welds the edge back on itself so the fixing pulls against a double thickness. Grommets every two feet or so spread the load; grommets only in the corners concentrate every gust into four points.

For anything permanently outdoors, ask about reinforced corners and a rope-in-hem option. It's a small cost against replacing the banner after the first real storm.

Wind is what kills banners, not rain

A solid vinyl banner is a sail. Stretched flat across a fence in an open lot, it will either tear itself or take the fence with it. Two fixes:

• Mesh banner — perforated material that lets a good share of the wind pass through. The standard answer for fences and building faces.
• Wind slits — cut vents in a solid banner. Cheaper, less effective, and they do interrupt the artwork.

Mounting matters too: bungees have some give and absorb gusts, whereas zip ties are rigid and transfer every bit of load straight into the grommet.

Indoor banners are a different product

Indoors you're fighting glare, not weather. A matte finish reads better under fluorescent and spot lighting, and for a clean look a retractable stand usually beats a hung banner — it stands on its own, packs into a case, and doesn't need anything to tie to.

Before you order

• Where exactly is it going, and what will it fix to?
• How far away is the person reading it?
• Is it up for a weekend or a year?
• Is the location exposed to wind?

Answer those four and the spec writes itself. See banners and signage, or tell us your date — we'll confirm what's achievable.