Sounds simple enough. As a consumer, when looking for a poster, you simply want a poster.
Well depending what the poster sign is used for, you need to plan to get the right material otherwise you may as well give your money to another cause.
When planning your marketing, you think about many things, including location, purpose, message, content, your audience and more! The last thing that you would think about is what type of Poster you need! It is a very important step in your thinking as you need to define where the potter will go, how long you ideally want it up for and where you plan on displaying your poster!
Posters can be printed on a variety of materials that have all different uses and all have different strong points.
Indoor Vs Outdoor
The first question you should answer is “Where will I be displaying my poster”. Inside or out? Some materials are more durable and able to withstand some pretty harsh environments, including sun, rain, wind and more… Others are more specific to a variety of retail environments. All retail environments are different. A Retail Fashion store would need a different poster than a Fish and Chip shop.
When you choose a poster for outdoor uses, you would need to use a material and inks that are UV cured to avoid discoloration or fading. Paper posters would simply not work in such hard conditions. For an outdoor poster that is affordable and offer more durable properties, it is recommended to use PVC or polypropylene based materials and use a Latex Ink Technology. PVC can handle the harshest environments however overtime can become brittle. These materials do not easily rip, withstand rain, sun and wind and have an average lifespan that well and truly exceeds days, and in general, lasting 3 to 6 months.
Should you require your poster to be indoors, you need to consider where it will be placed. Indoor poster are generally cheaper as they do not require more expensive hybrid materials. Indoor posters do not necessarily need to be as durable as they tend to have a shorter lifespan. Again, position is everything. Posters for your wall and frames can use paper based products as they do not have physical interaction with buyers. A Window Poster should be printed on a Polyproline with the latest in cured inks so that fading is reduced and colours remain vibrant. Hanging posters need to be on thicker stocks made from cardboard or vinyl as they are required to be more rigid in nature and often require additional finishing to hold them up, including eyelets, magnets, adhesives, tacks and more.
Many people have adopted the retractable banners as the ideal Life Size Posters. The best part of a pull-up banner is that they are easy to carry, can be moved around anywhere needed, can easily be changed for different messages and are not restricted to having to use other elements to hold them up as they come with their own bases. Not a great tool for outdoors but a fantastic tool for any indoor environment.
Now that you have a bit more information to assist you in making an educated decision, enjoy ordering the poster that fits you, your needs and your environment.