Many benefits, surprisingly complex
Simply put, soft signage does what it says on the tin. The opposite of rigid signage, it can be found in the form of banners, flags, café barriers, parasols, floor mats, and more. Whilst these free-flying signage options may look simple to create, more goes into the production of these products than meets the eye.
Far from just picking any old material, running it through a press, cutting it out, and sticking it on a pole; it takes the correct kit for the job, skilled sewers and embroiderers to avoid any unsightly frayed edges or misalignments, and the materials and print need to be durable and able to withstand the trampling of feet or the beating rays of the sun.
So, what opportunities are there in the soft signage sector for sign-makers and wide-format printers, and what considerations might you need to make when producing this work?
Exponential growth
Having been supplying high-quality hardware to the sign and print trade for over three decades, Signwaves is well placed to offer an insight into the world of soft signage. The company specialises in portable secondary signage solutions such as flying banners or flags, Adfresco café barriers and parasols, and rubber-backed non-slip floor mats and bar runners. This list of products gives an insight into the wide variety of applications possible for soft signage products in many industries such as hospitality and retail, corporate, and events.
A bar runner is just one example of a soft signage product. Image: Signwaves
“Signwaves is increasingly providing the finished product, complete with print, to a long and growing list of customers, who not only find it cost effective and time efficient but also appreciate the company’s outstanding print quality,” says Poppy George, marketing manager of Signwaves.
The variety of applications for soft signage means a range of materials is needed for different uses. These can include various polyester textiles from lightweight see-through fabrics to double-sided flags and heavyweight canvas-style fabrics for café banners and parasol canopies. “Printing and finishing for these types of products are completed at Signwaves’ production facility in Norfolk with the company operating UV, latex, and dye-sublimation print processes to provide the optimum print tailored to media, environment, and life expectancy,” George explains.
According to George, the market for soft signage has grown exponentially over the past ten years with opportunities for the sign-maker remaining wide and varied. She says: “Printed textiles are being used for lightboxes, banners, interior wall graphics, tablecloths, trade show displays, TV and theatre backdrops, as well as the outdoor flags, café barriers, parasols, floor mats, and bar runners we specialise in at Signwaves.
“Customers are often drawn to the softer look and feel of textile graphics, but benefits such as being scratch resistant, lightweight, able to be folded for transportation, easy to store, affordable, and environmentally friendly are all contributing to a growth trend in areas such as retail, airports, hospitality, health and fitness, and trade shows.”
Benefits such as being scratch resistant, lightweight, able to be folded for transportation, easy to store, affordable, and environmentally friendly are all contributing to a growth trend in areas such as retail, airports, hospitality, health and fitness, and trade shows”
George goes on to say that flying banners are also a very popular choice with charities, organisers and supporters of outdoor events, and for use at festivals, galas, conferences, and fairs. “Their eye-catching appeal and long range visibility has also made them a hit with the likes of car dealerships and petrol forecourts which are serious about getting their promotions noticed and attracting feel-good attention to their business,” she adds.
Another company that services the display and printing industry is Very Displays. The company designs and supplies indoor and outdoor display solutions, concentrating on four main categories: Exhibition and Events, Retail and Point of Sale (POS), Textile Solutions, and Outdoor Solutions. This is all done from its 25,000sq ft warehouse in Leicestershire.
Alongside supplying trade customers with portable display hardware, Very also offers large-format printing to help trade customers when production is at capacity or for those without textile printing facilities.
“By offering this extra service, we expand our trade customers’ capability, allowing them to say yes to all their customers’ needs and requests,” Kirsty Corcoran, marketing manager of Very explains, adding: “We have high-end dye-sublimation machinery so we can offer top quality fabric printing, as well as offering a sewing and finishing service.”
Something Very is noticing from customers is an increase in textile and soft signage enquiries. According to Corcoran, the reusability and more environmentally friendly nature of fabric print means customers are opting for Very’s larger fabric back walls as well as traditional pop ups.
“Our fabric back walls come in a range of sizes up to 6m, creating a perfect, stylish, and impressive display for events and exhibitions,” Corcoran says, adding: “They are also incredibly easy to assemble, simply click the frame together and pull over one single graphic and zip up – hassle free and high impact!”
A complex process
Whilst the opportunities are rife, the complex nature of producing soft signage is highlighted by Scott Conway, director of Venture Banners who says purchasing a fairly cheap dye-sublimation press is just the tip of the iceberg. The company is a trade-only large-format supplier and produces products ranging from rigid board to soft signage.
[L to R] Scott Conway and Wayne Bodimeade, directors of trade-only soft signage company Venture Banners
Over the years, Venture has invested heavily with two EFI FabriVu 3.2m textile printers, a 3.2m Zund with a textile cutting module, as well as a state-of-the-art sewing room. “We give the print trade easy access to large-format and soft signage utilising our economies of scale and without the usually high cost to entry for these markets,” Conway explains.
Something Conway emphasises is that once you’ve purchased your machine, there are a number of additional steps that you will need to take. “You’ll need a calender unit to sublimate the ink; a way of cutting out the textile print accurately; and then some people who know how to sew the graphics properly. If you’re printing direct to material, you’ll also need a humidification system otherwise you’ll only be able to print for about 20% of the year.”
Another consideration made by Corcoran is the importance of choosing fabric or display products correctly. She explains that this is primarily connected with the “peculiarities of production”, along with what’s most suited to the hardware the printed textile is being displayed on.
“If the fabric is printed and finished on the appropriate material, it will hold up perfectly and look incredible for your customers, keeping them coming back,” Corcoran says. “At Very Displays, we use several textiles such as lightweight material for outdoor flags and stretch polyesters for indoor fabric tube displays, all of which have been rigorously tested for suitability.”
As with any manufacturing or production industry, machinery and technology can be expensive and isn’t always reliable 100% of the time. With that said, Corcoran advises having a skilled team in place and says this is crucial to ensure maximum output. Very’s print manager has over 20 years of knowledge in printing textiles and is supported by artworkers, print operatives, and machinists who also have extensive experience under their belts.
Another consideration is the durability and life expectancy of the materials used to produce soft signage. One example given by George is flying banners and she says to be prepared to replace the textile flags on a regular basis. This could be up to every two-to-three months where flags are left out 24 hours a day in all weather conditions.
“Even in fine weather conditions, and particularly in summer during longer periods of strong sunlight, the traditional dye-sublimation inks used to print double-sided flags of this nature have little more than six months UV stability,” George says, adding: “In other words, colour fade is likely to become evident within this time frame. It is for this reason we use alternative ink systems designed for longer outdoor life on products such as café banners and parasols.”
Environmental credentials
An article by the Advanced Textiles Association dating all the way back to 2009 refers to the trend to meet demand for environmentally conscious products as the main driving force behind developments in soft signage. This just goes to show how far back the focus on environmental products in the signage industry goes. Soft signage has long come with its own set of green credentials such as the ability to produce it using recyclable polyester substrates of which some are even made from recycled materials themselves.
The use of dye-sublimation printing also means the products are produced using aqueous inks and soft signage also offers a number of logistical benefits which in turn are kind to the environment. Due to being easy to install and take down, soft signage can be reused again and again, thus reducing its carbon footprint.
O Factoid: According to Mordor Intelligence, the printed signage market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 0.19% by 2027 O
George says at Signwaves the team has seen increased interest in recycled polyester fabric from a few large blue-chip customers. However, she says pricing is still proving to be a challenge as when it becomes apparent that recycled is more expensive than virgin fabric, interest usually wanes.
Another option is PVC-free materials such as the newly launched KAVALAN Moonlight River from producer and exporter of coated printing materials, TAYA. For the large-format printing industry, TAYA’s main focus is the LCA-certified KAVALAN PVC-free materials for indoor and outdoor use such as for advertising billboards, banner flags, point of purchase, and point of sale.
Rob Karpenko, European sales director of KAVALAN, explains how the idea behind the new product launch is not only PVC-free, but reduces water usuage in its production: “Moonlight River is a replacement textile signage banner that eliminates the washing process, reducing overall freshwater usage by 67%. We embarked on this initiative in order to address the water-intensive production process of textile signage banners.
KAVALAN’s Moonlight River eliminates the washing process, reducing overall freshwater usage by 67%
“As digital print innovation continues, we are undeniably in a period of growth for soft signage. For sign-makers, there is of course a learning curve when it comes to working with fabric, but the fundamentals are very similar to traditional signage production.”
Karpenko goes on to echo the points already made that once produced, soft signage lends itself to sustainability well, due to its lightweight nature making it environmentally friendly and economical to transport. He also says that the high water usage in textile production is its main pitfall with Moonlight River eliminating that challenge.
Adfresco Stainless Steel with lower cross rail and sliding ring tether option by Signwaves
Karpenko adds: “Environmental considerations are, of course, the leading concern for our industry and for our era more broadly. The unfortunate truth is we are on the precipice of a global water crisis, and in fact, many regions are already facing freshwater disasters.
“Moonlight River, as with all other PVC-free materials in the KAVALAN range, aims to play a small but significant role in overcoming a key environmental challenge, this time within the textile industry specifically. Without addressing the climate crisis, there will be no thriving textile or signage industries in the future.”
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