A printed banner is a flexible sheet, usually flex, printed in full colour and finished at the edges so it can be tied, hung or slid onto poles. Banner printing in Pune covers everything from a 3 × 2 ft counter banner to a 20 ft stage backdrop. 3 Red Media prints and finishes banners at Chandni Chowk, and the finishing is planned around how and where your banner will hang.
Start with how the banner will be fixed
People usually start with the design. It is better to start with the fixing, because a banner with the wrong edges ends up tied with string through a torn corner. Ask yourself where it goes: on a railing, between two poles, inside a frame, against a wall, or hanging from a ceiling truss.
| Fixing method | Finishing to ask for | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Tied to railings, poles or a gate | Eyelets all round, roughly every 2 ft | Use cable ties or nylon rope through every eyelet, not just the corners |
| Hanging from a pipe or bamboo | Pole pocket (sleeve) at the top, often at the bottom too | A bottom pole stops the banner curling and flapping |
| Stretched across a gap or street | Rope stitched into the hem plus eyelets | Rope takes the pull instead of the flex edge |
| Mounted inside a wooden or metal frame | Plain edge with extra margin for wrapping | Give the frame size, not the visible size |
| Pasted or taped to a wall indoors | Plain cut edge | Light vinyl or thin flex is easier to handle |
Common banner sizes in feet
You are not limited to a list, but some sizes come up again and again because they fit typical spaces. Banner size is quoted width first, then height.
| Size (ft) | In inches | Sq ft | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 2 | 36 × 24 | 6 | Counter, table front, small shop offer |
| 5 × 3 | 60 × 36 | 15 | Gate banner, society notice, clinic opening |
| 6 × 3 | 72 × 36 | 18 | Shop offer, coaching class admission |
| 8 × 4 | 96 × 48 | 32 | School gate, event entrance |
| 10 × 5 | 120 × 60 | 50 | Function hall, sports day, building front |
| 12 × 8 and up | 144 × 96 | 96+ | Stage backdrop, photo wall |
Not sure what will fit? Take a photo of the spot with a measuring tape visible and send it. The banner size guide also lists sizes by use.
Banners and Pune’s wind
A banner behaves like a sail. On an open terrace, a highway-side railing or a building front, wind loads it heavily, and from June to September the monsoon adds gusts and rain. Three things help:
- Tie every eyelet, not just the four corners. Corner-only ties tear first.
- Ask for wind cuts (small half-moon slits) on large banners in exposed spots. Air escapes through them, so the banner pulls less on its ties.
- Keep the banner taut. A slack banner flaps itself to pieces faster than a tight one.
Indoors, none of this matters, and a lighter banner is easier to put up and store for next time.
Banners by occasion
Most banners in this city are tied to an event or a season. A few that come up often:
- Birthday banners and photo backdrops for home parties and halls.
- Wedding banners for welcome boards, mandap entries and haldi or mehendi backdrops.
- School banners for admissions, results, annual day and sports day.
- Shop banners for openings, Diwali offers and clearance sales.
- Mandal and society banners for Ganeshotsav, Navratri and Shiv Jayanti.
For banners tied to a date, send the design a few days before you need it. That leaves room to correct a spelling or a phone number on the proof without a last-minute rush.
Flex or vinyl for a banner?
For almost all outdoor and event banners, flex is the material. It is strong, takes eyelets well and is made for rain and sun. Vinyl banners suit indoor use or prints that need a finer finish when seen up close. For a permanent board above a shop, look at star flex on a frame instead of a tied banner.
Getting the design right
A banner is read in a few seconds by someone walking or driving past. Keep it to one headline, one image and one line of contact details. Use large, bold type: from about 30 ft away, letters under 3 inches tall are hard to read. Leave a clear border of a few inches for eyelets or pockets, and send the file at the same proportion as the banner size.
Putting up a banner in a public place
Your own gate, wall or hall is one thing. A street light, a divider or a footpath railing is public property, and a banner there usually needs the civic body’s approval first (PMC in the city, PCMC across Pimpri-Chinchwad). Banners put up without it are routinely pulled down, sometimes with a fine attached. Ask at the ward office before booking a public spot, because that approval sits with whoever puts the banner up.
Storing a banner for next year
Many banners come out every year: a society’s Ganpati welcome, a school’s sports day, a shop’s Diwali sale. Roll them printed side out around a pipe rather than folding, keep them dry, and wipe off dust before storing. A rolled banner kept away from rats and damp can often be used again next season.
Ordering a banner
WhatsApp three things: the size, how it will be hung, and the artwork or wording. A rate and a mock-up come back to you, and the job is printed only once you say yes. How soon it is ready depends on how big it is and what else is running, and that is confirmed on chat. Collect it from Chandni Chowk, or have it sent anywhere in Pune or Pimpri-Chinchwad. The quote form works too.