Fan banners/posters??

[gloriaxx._]

Ik with COVID and all, it wouldn’t even be possible to attend many competitions but I’ve always wondered how fans go about getting/ creating their custom banners...
Do you buy fabric and go about crafting it independently?
Do you create a design and get it professionally printed using sites like helloprint?
If anyone has any sort of knowledge and is ready to spill, it would be much appreciated xx

 

[moonvine]

Ik with COVID and all, it wouldn’t even be possible to attend many competitions but I’ve always wondered how fans go about getting/ creating their custom banners...
Do you buy fabric and go about crafting it independently?
Do you create a design and get it professionally printed using sites like helloprint?
If anyone has any sort of knowledge and is ready to spill, it would be much appreciated xx

I printed mine somewhere. Vistaprint maybe? I went to a couple of different sites. It’s white on red and just says “thank you” so I use it every year.

 

[gloriaxx._]

I printed mine somewhere. Vistaprint maybe? I went to a couple of different sites. It’s white on red and just says “thank you” so I use it every year.

Oh, so did you design that yourself? Using photoshop or something

 

[moonvine]

Oh, so did you design that yourself? Using photoshop or something

Well...kind of..I wish I could show you. But I'll try to tell you. I think I used Vistaprint (I'm assuming you are in the US, if not I don't know where to tell you to go I'm afraid.) Anyway, go to this link: https://www.vistaprint.com/signs-posters/vinyl-banners?xnav=Signs+and+Posters:Category+Page_Category+Page_undefined_primary-left-navigation_0_PW4&project_id=447bfc83-ddff-457d-8d5a-b8da9812de95

I made my selections, the smallest one was fine for me. Indoor, no grommets, nothing extra. Then I went to "start designing" , picked a template with "your message here" and typed "THANK YOU" and changed the colors. If you have a favorite skater you could just type "Go Gracie" or (whoever) I think it was less than $10 and it holds up well. I hold it up after each skater, or preferably someone holds it up for me while I throw some stuffies. Now if you want something super artistic I am afraid I can't help you.

Hope that helps.

 

[MGstyle]

I also made several banners, creating the design on photoshop, then have it printed by online printing service - there are many available, some more economical than others, Vistaprint is high-end, but the quality of their product is visibly better. One thing you should pay attention is the thickness of the fabric they print on. I got a few of them printed on a flimsy, semi-transparent material, which I should have avoided if I had known - so you should check at the time of ordering.
Another thing to keep in mind while creating a design. Make sure the dimension of the image you use is adequate, for the size of the banner. If you are making one to hold up yourself from the seat, the width of about 1,2 metre or a little more should suffice. If you want to hang it on the rail at a larger competition, you might want something bigger so as not to be overwhelmed by others.
Also if you are going to use a photo (always beware of the dimension), if it has a signature of the photographer it's always safer to contact them and ask for permission. Most often they welcome your request, and might send you the image with the original dimension without charge. (or at least that has been my experience.)
If you want to make banners to support many different skaters, A3 Paper banners are a practical option, which you can either print yourself or have them printed at a local print shop, they shouldn't cost a lot.
I also know a few creative souls who bought a sheet and painted directly on it. It did create a unique effect and became an attention grabber!

 

[gloriaxx._]

Well...kind of..I wish I could show you. But I'll try to tell you. I think I used Vistaprint (I'm assuming you are in the US, if not I don't know where to tell you to go I'm afraid.) Anyway, go to this link: https://www.vistaprint.com/signs-posters/vinyl-banners?xnav=Signs+and+Posters:Category+Page_Category+Page_undefined_primary-left-navigation_0_PW4&project_id=447bfc83-ddff-457d-8d5a-b8da9812de95

I made my selections, the smallest one was fine for me. Indoor, no grommets, nothing extra. Then I went to "start designing" , picked a template with "your message here" and typed "THANK YOU" and changed the colors. If you have a favorite skater you could just type "Go Gracie" or (whoever) I think it was less than $10 and it holds up well. I hold it up after each skater, or preferably someone holds it up for me while I throw some stuffies. Now if you want something super artistic I am afraid I can't help you.

Hope that helps.

It did, thanks a lot x

 

[gloriaxx._]

I also made several banners, creating the design on photoshop, then have it printed by online printing service - there are many available, some more economical than others, Vistaprint is high-end, but the quality of their product is visibly better. One thing you should pay attention is the thickness of the fabric they print on. I got a few of them printed on a flimsy, semi-transparent material, which I should have avoided if I had known - so you should check at the time of ordering.
Another thing to keep in mind while creating a design. Make sure the dimension of the image you use is adequate, for the size of the banner. If you are making one to hold up yourself from the seat, the width of about 1,2 metre or a little more should suffice. If you want to hang it on the rail at a larger competition, you might want something bigger so as not to be overwhelmed by others.
Also if you are going to use a photo (always beware of the dimension), if it has a signature of the photographer it's always safer to contact them and ask for permission. Most often they welcome your request, and might send you the image with the original dimension without charge. (or at least that has been my experience.)
If you want to make banners to support many different skaters, A3 Paper banners are a practical option, which you can either print yourself or have them printed at a local print shop, they shouldn't cost a lot.
I also know a few creative souls who bought a sheet and painted directly on it. It did create a unique effect and became an attention grabber!

Thank you so much, you’ve helped lots x

 

[surimi]

Ik with COVID and all, it wouldn’t even be possible to attend many competitions but I’ve always wondered how fans go about getting/ creating their custom banners...
Do you buy fabric and go about crafting it independently?
Do you create a design and get it professionally printed using sites like helloprint?
If anyone has any sort of knowledge and is ready to spill, it would be much appreciated xx

I guess I am in the minority re. banners, but here's how I got mine. I have four fabric ones, just for my favorite skaters; for the rest, I just print a national flag on paper. The fabric ones are from linen, as I wanted ones which I can easily wash after a competition. I bought light linen and had it professionally cut into banner shapes as I can't sew so that the edges don't fray. I just have my favorite skaters' first names on them in kanji. Because of the washing and because I can't write beautiful kanji, I had the names printed onto the banners by a printing service. Their pricing depended on how complicated the signs were. I wanted the names to be in black, simple, thick strokes, and as large as possible, as my banners are light and only about 1m long, and I want my text to be visible from a several meters' distance. My banners don't look nearly as cool as the fancy ones owned by, say, the Asian fans, but they're practical in that they're well legible, don't take much space, can be washed, don't require any special treatment, and they were relatively cheap.

 

[gloriaxx._]

I guess I am in the minority re. banners, but here's how I got mine. I have four fabric ones, just for my favorite skaters; for the rest, I just print a national flag on paper. The fabric ones are from linen, as I wanted ones which I can easily wash after a competition. I bought light linen and had it professionally cut into banner shapes as I can't sew so that the edges don't fray. I just have my favorite skaters' first names on them in kanji. Because of the washing and because I can't write beautiful kanji, I had the names printed onto the banners by a printing service. Their pricing depended on how complicated the signs were. I wanted the names to be in black, simple, thick strokes, and as large as possible, as my banners are light and only about 1m long, and I want my text to be visible from a several meters' distance. My banners don't look nearly as cool as the fancy ones owned by, say, the Asian fans, but they're practical in that they're well legible, don't take much space, can be washed, don't require any special treatment, and they were relatively cheap.

Oh that’s new, thanks

 

[Minz]

Another option if you wanna go really simple is to find and image off of Google, (check for permissions first) then go to Photoshop (or any basic photo editor, or even Google Slides/PowerPoint) put some text over it, and print it out. Then go to the UPS store or Staples or CVS/Walgreens or something like that and get it printed on big, thick paper and you’re done!

 

[gloriaxx._]

Another option if you wanna go really simple is to find and image off of Google, (check for permissions first) then go to Photoshop (or any basic photo editor, or even Google Slides/PowerPoint) put some text over it, and print it out. Then go to the UPS store or Staples or CVS/Walgreens or something like that and get it printed on big, thick paper and you’re done!

Ooo that seems like a more doable way forward,, thanks

 

[Minz]

Ooo that seems like a more doable way forward,, thanks

No problem. : ) It’s a pretty easy solution and It’ll it cost way less, like 5-10 bucks max. Plus you don’t have to worry about shipping which is currently a bit unreliable due to the massive amount of packages being shipped/were shipped around the holidays