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Banner Time for the Surtex Art Licensing Show!

4/19/2014

11 Comments

 
I wanted to try out some online printing companies for my banners this time around and chose two based on recommendations and personal experience.  The first one I chose to go with is Smart Press, I've ordered oversized canvas prints from them in the past and have always been very happy with the quality and accurate colors.  I had never ordered a banner from them before and figured it was worth a try, especially considering the competitive pricing!  I created a plain 3'x7' banner without any grommets, hems, etc and the cost was only $26.14 plus $12.22 for ground shipping.  I chose the plain banner because I will be using Command Poster Strips for mounting (you can purchase in bulk on Amazon).

The second option was All State Banners based on an online recommendation for banners used at Surtex in the past that I read about online somewhere, don't remember offhand where though.  I chose the same product/size, etc. and the pricing was almost double but still competitive, and half of what I paid last time I went to Surtex (I used a local printer).  Their price was $49.35 and shipping was $11.95.
Picture
Picture
Click on images to enlarge

Here is the banner image I used for both companies.
Picture
I first ordered from Smart Press and then several days later from All State; interestingly the All State banner arrived first and I was impressed with the quick shipping, but had a couple of issues with the quality and color matching.  The colors were considerably more saturated than what I was expecting and from what I show on my screen and my own prints from my home printer.  The reds in particular were overly saturated, but the main concern was the black ink at the top of my banner immediately showed highly visible smear fingerprint marks wherever I touched it.  And these banners will be handled considerably in the packaging and hanging department, this was definitely not something I was expecting and was nervous to see how Smart Press would handle the black ink.  

Well...I was more than pleasantly surprised when my Smart Press banner showed up the very next day! The colors were PERFECT and there was not even a hint of an issue with the black ink, whew, my worries were unfounded!!  And the material of the banner is very lightweight and doesn't kink and when unrolled lays perfectly flat (as did the All State banners).  Needless to say I will be going with Smart Press for my banners due to the great pricing, the high quality material and perfect color matching, can't be beat! And since this is not the first time I've purchased from them and have always been happy in the past, it's a no brainer :)  You can check them out here:  www.Smartpress.com  And if you are still interested in All State here is their link as well:  www.Allstatebanners.com

I forgot to mention the material/substrate I ordered:  I used the 13 oz Scrim Vinyl Matte, it has a light satin/lustre appearance and lightweight. 
11 Comments
Annie Troe link
4/19/2014 10:07:21 am

GREAT info (and amazing art!) Thanks so much for sharing :-)

Reply
Megan Duncanson link
4/19/2014 10:49:34 pm

Thank you Annie! I enjoy everyone else's tips and advice and hope sharing my experience will be helpful too :)

Reply
caryn dahm link
4/20/2014 11:26:44 pm

Thank you so much. I have never been to Surtex yet but I have been wondering about the displays and where people go to get their beautiful artwork printed. I also wondered what was expected of you to provide. It looks like people have all levels of displays. I hope to try to go next year. Thanks for your honest and helpful review.

Reply
Susanne Kasielke link
4/21/2014 03:37:26 am

Megan, Thank you so much for sharing this - I'm planning on exhibiting at SURTEX 2015 and I appreciate your honest opinion!

Reply
Megan Duncanson link
4/21/2014 10:54:49 pm

Thank you for commenting Caryn and Susanne, I'm glad this was helpful for you! I hope both of you can make it as exhibitor's next year and if you get a chance this year and are walking the show, stop by for a quick hello :)

Reply
Kathy Weller link
4/25/2014 02:42:56 am

Thanks Megan, I used smartpress based entirely on this post! :)

Reply
Megan Duncanson link
4/26/2014 09:13:35 am

I hope they are perfect for you Kathy and that they turn out just as nicely as mine did :)

Reply
Sheila Meehan
4/25/2014 04:43:46 am

Thanks for this info - I have been spending far too much money at FedEx Kinkos for years! Can you say what substrate you chose? There were a few options listed. Thank you!

Reply
Megan Duncanson link
4/26/2014 09:15:47 am

HI Sheila :)

I was so happy to have found that SmarPress creates such nice banners at such a reasonable price, especially since I know their canvas print quality is really good too!

I used the 13 oz Scrim Vinyl Matte, has a light satin/lustre appearance and lightweight.

Reply
Kimberly McSparran link
5/9/2014 06:05:21 am

Thank you for this information.I spent over$ 500 dollars for 1/3 of the booth.This is great news!!!!

Reply
Megan Duncanson link
5/10/2014 10:32:49 pm

Glad it was helpful Kimberly!

Reply



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        • Coastal Luxe - Patriotic
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      • Happiness Is...
      • Hearts ~ "PoP of Love"
      • Live and Love
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      • Typography
    • Kitchen Art >
      • Coffee
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      • Martinis
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      • Roosters
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    • Patterns >
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      • Blue and Yellow
      • Blue Abstraction
      • Emerald Green
      • Floral Fiesta
      • Spring is in the Air
      • All Over Pattern Designs
      • Chevrons
      • Ikat
      • Pixels
      • Plaid
      • Tropical Fusion
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