Flex printing is the most common way to put a big, weather-resistant graphic in front of people in Pune: a PVC sheet printed in full colour and hung as a banner, stretched on a shop board or mounted as a hoarding. 3 Red Media prints flex on its own setup at Chandni Chowk for shops, events, builders and offices, and every job starts with a proof you approve on WhatsApp.
The real decision is which flex to use. There are three main kinds, and picking the right one matters more than any other choice on the order.
Three kinds of flex, and when each one makes sense
| Type | What it is | Choose it for | Skip it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal (frontlit) flex | Standard PVC flex printed on the front and lit from the front by daylight or a lamp | Event banners, sale banners, birthday and wedding flex, temporary site boards | The print must look sharp up close for a long time |
| Star flex | A heavier, smoother grade of frontlit flex that holds colour and detail better | Permanent shop boards, clinic and office boards, hoardings people see every day | The banner is needed for one evening only |
| Backlit flex | Translucent flex made to let light pass through from behind | Glow sign boxes and lit fascia boards that must read at night | There is no light behind it (it looks dull by day without one) |
If you are unsure, tell us where the print will go and how long it must stay up. A banner for a Saturday event and a board above a medical shop on Paud Road need different material, even when the design is the same.
Flex printing for different jobs around Pune
Most of what we print falls into a handful of jobs. Each has its own page with sizes and finishing details:
- Banners with eyelets or pole pockets for events, sales, admissions and functions.
- Shop sign boards, either flex stretched on a frame or a glow sign box with backlit flex.
- Hoarding prints for building sites, highway frames and terrace structures, joined into one large skin.
- Stage and photo-wall backdrops for weddings, Ganeshotsav mandals and corporate events.
Occasions drive a lot of flex in this city. Mandal backdrops and welcome flex go up before Ganeshotsav, Navratri and Shiv Jayanti, and shops change their fascia before Diwali. If your job is tied to a date, send it early so the proof can go back and forth without stress. Our festival banner printing page covers the seasonal rush in more detail.
How big should a flex be? Working out size and sq ft
Flex is measured in feet and charged by area, so the size you give decides the cost. Measure the wall, frame or space where it will go, then subtract a little for fixing if it goes inside a frame. Area is simply width multiplied by height: a 10 × 4 ft board is 40 sq ft, and a 20 × 10 ft hoarding is 200 sq ft.
| Typical job | Common sizes (ft) | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Small event or counter banner | 4 × 2, 5 × 3 | 8 to 15 sq ft |
| Shop fascia board | 8 × 3, 10 × 4, 12 × 4 | 24 to 48 sq ft |
| Function or stage backdrop | 12 × 8, 16 × 8, 20 × 10 | 96 to 200 sq ft |
| Site or roadside hoarding | 20 × 10, 30 × 15, 40 × 20 | 200 to 800 sq ft |
For readability, a working rule used by sign makers is about one inch of letter height for every ten feet the reader stands away. A shop name read from across a 40 ft road wants letters of at least 4 inches, and more if traffic moves fast.
Artwork that prints well on flex
Flex is viewed from a distance, so it does not need the extreme resolution of a brochure. What it needs is the right proportions and clean text.
- Design at the same ratio as the final size. A 10 × 4 design cannot be stretched onto a 10 × 5 board without distortion or blank bands.
- For most banners, 72 to 150 dpi at full size is plenty. Very large hoardings can go lower because nobody reads them from one foot away.
- Send PDF, CDR, AI or high-quality JPG. Convert fonts to outlines if the file is from CorelDRAW or Illustrator.
- Keep important text a few inches in from the edge, because eyelets, pockets and frames take up the border.
- If you only have a logo and some text, send them on WhatsApp and say so. A simple layout can be set up and shown as a proof.
Finishing: what happens after the print
A bare printed sheet is rarely what you want. The finishing depends on how the flex will be fixed:
| Finishing | Used for |
|---|---|
| Eyelets (metal rings) along the edges | Tying with rope or cable ties to poles, railings or a frame |
| Pole pockets (sleeves) top and bottom | Sliding a bamboo or pipe through for a hanging banner |
| Rope stitched into the hem | Large banners that must be pulled tight across a gap |
| Stretching on a wooden or metal frame | Shop boards and flat boards fixed to a wall |
| Joining panels | Prints wider than one roll, for hoardings and big backdrops |
Fixing and installation can be arranged, or you can pick the print up from Chandni Chowk and have your own fabricator put it up.
How long does flex last outdoors in Pune?
There is no single answer, because life depends on the grade of flex, which way the board faces, and how tightly it is fixed. A board facing south or west takes the strongest summer sun and fades faster than one in shade. During the monsoon, from about June to September, wind is the bigger enemy: a loose banner flaps, the eyelets tear, and the sheet rips from the edge.
A tightly stretched flex on a proper frame outlasts a loosely tied one of the same material. Fixing matters as much as the flex itself.
For a short event, normal flex is the sensible choice. For a board that must look good all year, star flex on a frame is the usual step up. If you want to know whether flex or vinyl suits a job better, read flex vs vinyl.
Permission for outdoor flex
In Pune, banners and hoardings put up in public view generally need permission from the municipal corporation (PMC, or PCMC on the Pimpri-Chinchwad side), and unauthorised flex can be removed and fined. Permission is your responsibility as the advertiser, not the printer’s. Check with your ward office before putting a banner on a road, footpath or public pole. A board on your own shop front is a different case from a banner on a street light. See banner permission in Pune for a general overview.
Ordering flex from 3 Red Media
Send the size, the type of flex (or tell us the use and we will suggest one), and your design or text on WhatsApp. A rate and an on-screen mock-up of your flex come back on the same chat, and the machine only runs once you have said yes to that mock-up. Urgent jobs are possible depending on size and the queue, and the ready time is confirmed on WhatsApp. When the print is finished, pick it up at Chandni Chowk or have it delivered within Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and nearby cities. Start with the quote form if you prefer.