Store/Dealer Banners at shows

[thirdgreenham]

Hey guys, I'm looking at getting a banner made up for doing shows. I'm probably going to get something that'll be suspended above my wall rack.

 

Just wanted to see if any of you had any photos of some banners, from comic conventions. I'd like to get an idea of dimensions as well as how to attach them.

 

I see Dale Roberts' in his sig line. That's similar to what I'm looking for, although, my display is wooden, so I have to figure out how to make it work.

 

Can you help me, please?

 

Andy

[Designer Toast]

FedEx/Kinkos offers this service. I usually have all my printing done with them and they're always on it. You might even give Staples, Office Depot, or Office Max a look. I also think that Vista Print nad Over Night Prints offer these services.

[lhcomics]

I have a 4' x 6' banner.

 

I use 3/4" emt conduit at the sides. Along the bottom and top of banner I have a metal rail the ty-raps to the banner then I use clamps to attach this to the emt.

 

For bases I bought a couple of umbrella stands like the ones used for outdoor patio table.

 

For stability I ty-rap the emt to the top of my wall rack.

 

The banner set-up and take down for me is a 2 man job.

 

This gives you one option and some ideal of a way it might work for you.

 

Leroy

[Artboy99]

Hey Andy,

 

I had mine printed at a company called Signarama. I completed all the art creation and setup for them, I literally handed them a file that included all the true type fonts already and they just printed it. I know they are capable of creating art for you though. Total cost was aound 200 bucks for printing and grommets. The banner is 6 feet long by 3 feet high. The banner is attached to my wall display rack with plastic ties through the grommets. I obtained 2 shorter rails that fit inside the mains of the wall racks we use, bolt that in place , bent it a bit forward to compensate for the lean backwards of the walls.

 

One piece of advice I can give: you want the banner to be surrounded by a framework. It helps the banner keep it's shape. Something I have had to add to my wall display is a flatbar attached at the very top that the banner attaches to so it connects at the top and the sides. It helps it hang nicer.

 

 

 

Edmonton Expo

 

 

[thirdgreenham]

Excellent, guys! Thanks for all of the suggestions, so far. (thumbs u

 

Andy

[mysterio]

If you're anywhere near a university you might be able to get something printed on one of the large plot printers quite cheaply. It is the same printer we use to print out our research posters for conferences. Ours is only like $2 a linear foot for a piece of paper 3 feet high. You could then mount it to foam core with spray adhesive and it would be lightweight and sturdy. My brother and I did this for a show we did, albeit with a relatively small sign, and if/when we do another show we'll do the same thing to expand the sign. At this price (about $8 for a 3 x 4 foot sign) you could afford to trash it if you needed/wanted to after a show without feeling too badly.

[VintageComics]

The problem is size. You have to keep the foam core flat and safe and if you want a large banner then it's difficult to transport. If you want a big sign, a frame you can disassemble and a flexible banner is the way to go.

 

I had my banners printed at a local printer and supported it with metal poles and tire straps but I use the really heavy grid wall and I could easily fasten the banner to the grid wall with tie straps.

 

If you don't have a strong rack to fasten the banner too then you're going to need to be ingenious in finding a way to fasten it.

 

I'd recommend using plastic plumber's pipe for a frame. It comes in white or black, it's light and easy to cut. You can buy elbows to change direction and by drilling holes through the attachments (again, very easy if you have a drill), you can lock them with pins (like a cotter pin) to keep them from coming apart without having to make the weld (or glue joint) permanent thereby allowing you to save space by breaking them down to just pipe when you are done.

 

This is our set up (metal pipe and grid wall) for reference.

 

[toytastik]

Mine is made on foam board double sided and my Dad built me a wooden frame that comes apart that I tie wrap to my grid wall.

 

It's approximately 3x6.

 

You can see many pics if you scroll around my Facebook page

 

www.facebook.com/toytastik