Display Hardware
Banner stands are the least expensive, available in various sizes and the easiest to display and package as you just roll up the banner like a common house shade. Flag hardware’s most common use is feather flags — they stand tall and are very easy to display outside a business. Flag poles and hanging flags are more commonly used with nylon fabric for longer outside use. Pillow case structures are manufactured with tubular pipes that snap together. The fabric is then stretched over the frame and a zipper on one end is closed to pull it tight. Available in different sizes, these structures can be put up quickly and can be customized to almost any size or shape. Their ease of installation makes them great for temporary displays. Sky boxes for trade shows use the pillow case hardware. SEG structures are common for in-store and backlit displays. They are typically constructed with straight strips of metal with a thin groove to allow the insertion of the SEG strip with the fabric. They are attached together with screws or a connecting piece. For backlit, the frame is thicker to allow the installation of lights into the frame.
Why Fabric?
Fabric will appear richer, look higher end and won’t show seams for larger displays or produce glare from external lighting. The best part is fabric is much cheaper! I realize a vinyl shop may argue that vinyl material costs are cheaper than fabric, but let’s compare the two options. To ship a paper or vinyl display, it must be rolled and placed in a tube, for which UPS and Fedex just raised their rates. Fabric can be folded and shipped in a small box. Fabric displays can typically be installed quickly by one person without tools. Imagine the cost savings at a trade show — you wouldn’t have to pay the high labor cost of union workers. For an in-store display, a single store clerk can change out the fabric display with little or no training. Fabric can be washed and reused. Fabric displays can be created in any shape and size — it’s up to your imagination. Hanging fabric displays are also lighter and safer if they fall. But the best advantage? Fabric is the greenest solution. The inks are waterbased (dye sub and dispersed), so there are no nasty volatile organic compounds, and the polyester can be recycled or even manufactured from recycled yarn. In some areas, government regulation will require the use of fabric. Visit Europe or western Canada and try to find any material that is not fabric hanging on public structures. That’s why I pose the question, “Why not fabric?”
Markets
The first and most common market for fabric displays has been trade show graphics. Currently about 70% of these displays are fabric. In-store displays are starting to quickly rise. Backlit displays were the first to take hold in stores, and those customers have seen the benefits of fabric and are expanding their use. Fabric can be used for almost any application — museums, events, churches, home décor, casinos, airports (notice it the next time you fly), new buildings, restaurants, wall coverings, etc. The list of uses is endless — education is the key! Once a market understands the benefits and beauty of fabrics, there’s no turning back.
Conclusion
Fabric is here to stay and grow. If you are not offering fabric to your customers, a competitor will. If you do not want to make the investment until you have fabric customers, you can still offer it by outsourcing to a number of great companies that specialize in wholesale printing. There is no reason to wait — start offering digitally printed textiles today.
Written by: Ken Bach, a member of SGIA’s Digital Textile and Décor Committee