When you're ordering a vinyl banner for outdoor use, or one that you hope will last a couple of years, you're best bet is to go with a true solvent ink process. ... when there is no ...
When you're ordering a vinyl banner for outdoor use, or one that you hope will last a couple of years, you're best bet is to go with a true solvent ink process. Especially when there is no significant price difference. If you don't, you will be disappointed. Non-solvent inks do not resist sunlight or moisture, and scratch easily. Roughly speaking, a vinyl banner is a large flexible sign or poster that can be hung up and taken down without a lot of trouble. A banner is usually portable and often used in a short term situation, like a convention or trade show, or as a temporary substitute for a more permanent sign which will come later. The great advantage of vinyl bannersis that they are flexible and lightweight. So they can be transported by being rolled up or folded. In the not-so-distant past an outdoor banner could only be created by sticking letters down on a vinyl, paper, or fabric backing material, or by using a relatively complicated and graphically limited process like silk screening. The "digital revolution" changed all that. Printing machines are now available that can print directly on both indoor and outdoor grade vinyl in stunningly beautiful FULL COLOR. That means a graphic designer can take the same files she uses for her client's magazine ad or company brochure, blow them up, and print them directly on a very durable piece of vinyl.But not all digital printing processes are the same. The biggest difference from one process to another is in the INK. Solvent inks (similar to those used in silk screening) are the only ones that are truly waterproof and will not fade quickly in the sun. Some equipment manufacturers (especially Roland) have marketed machines that use a "solvent-like" ink. They claim these solvent-light products have all the features of solvent ink without the drawbacks (solvent machines are more expensive and the inks harder to work with). But in our experience — yes, we got burned with one of these over-priced machines — the product just does not stand up. The surface is much too soft and therefore scratches easily. Other manufacturers (e.g., HP, Epson, Colorspan) have tried for years to create water-based inks that have the durability of solvent. But, we have tried all of these systems, and our experience is that they just do not cut it. So when you're ordering a vinyl banner for outdoor use, or one that you hope will last a couple of years, you're best bet is to go with a true solvent ink process. Especially when there is no significant price difference. For more information, go to http://www.tradeshow-display-experts.com/vinyl-banners.html
9 Ways to Keep Google Happy
A recent Google patent application has the SEO community buzzing. At a bare minimum this document reveals the direction Google is taking its future search criteria. Changes in the way Google will be evaluating pages for search rankings are intended to address two major problems:
What's the Big Hurry?
Quite often I get asked what the magic solution is for getting better Google ranking. Sometimes the questions sound fairly naive, something like this:
Google gives Web Page History More Importance
The Google patent application submitted in March, 2005 has generated a good deal of debate among search engine optimization experts. The patent document contains many general suggestions about the direction Google wants to move their search criteria and ranking techniques in the near future.
