Banners fail one way: wind turns a flat sheet into a sail, and the sail tears at its weakest point. Every option on a banner order — hemming, grommets, material — exists to manage that one fact. Understand it and you will never order a banner that shreds in a week.
Hemming: the single biggest durability factor
Hemming folds the vinyl edge back and welds it, doubling the material exactly where fixings pull. Tears almost always start at an unreinforced edge. Skip hemming only for a one-off indoor hang; choose all four sides for anything outdoors longer than a few days. On our 13oz vinyl banners you can hem top and bottom, left and right, or all four sides.
Grommets: more is calmer
Four corners is the outdoor minimum. Every two to three feet along the top and bottom is the standard for wall and fence banners — more fixing points means less stress at each one. Go all-around on large exposed installations. Choose no grommets only when the banner slides into a pole pocket or tension frame. Tension every grommet with bungee ties rather than rigid rope, so gusts stretch instead of tear.
Gloss and the lighting trade-off
Gloss pushes color hardest and wins outdoors at distance, which is why our vinyl banners are finished glossy. The one thing to plan around is reflection: under direct sun at an awkward angle, or under bright indoor spotlights, a gloss surface can throw a hot spot that washes out part of the message. If the banner will be photographed at close range, light it from the side rather than head-on and the problem disappears.
When a solid banner is the wrong choice
On a fence line, scaffolding or any exposed span, a solid banner transfers its full wind load to the fixings — or to the fence itself. Perforated mesh material exists for exactly this reason: it lets a large share of the wind pass straight through instead of catching it. If you are committed to solid vinyl on an exposed span, spread the load instead: hem all four sides, order grommets every two to three feet all around, and tension every one of them with elastic ties. A banner that can move a little survives gusts that tear a rigidly-tied one.
Artwork for big formats
Build files at 100 DPI at final size in CMYK, keep critical content at least two inches inside the edges so grommets never punch through type, and design for the real viewing distance: big shapes, few words, high contrast. Send the file for a free artwork check and we will flag anything risky before it prints.
Need something that stands on its own instead? See our pull-up banners or the full signs and banners range.