A well-designed step and repeat banner can give any event the “red-carpet” feeling. In terms of gaining exposure for your brand, just think of the opportunities. Make the event attendees take pictures with your logo and brand name in the background! If the pictures are shared in online journals or social media sites – your brand gets free exposure.
Step & repeat banners allow businesses to earn brand recognition at a cost-effective rate. They also help sponsorships or partnerships between businesses thrive. You can create step & repeat banners that feature multiple sponsors or partner logos and use them at promotional events. Businesses that use the same banner can even split the costs!
However, as stylish as step and repeat backdrops and banners look, they don’t offer guaranteed returns. The banners that give great ROI are the ones that last long and are usable for several years! However, your step & repeat banners may not be safe enough to be reused several times. Here’s why.
How Your Banner’s Printing Ink Impacts its Usability
If you want to reuse a marketing material, you want it to be safe. However, step & repeat banners that are created using fully solvent printing inks are not safe. Fully solvent printing inks are not water-based. These inks contain petroleum by-products. These ingredients make solvent printing inks waterproof.
Hence, banners with solvent ink prints don’t fade as fast. However, these durable inks emit harsh fumes when they dry. They give off microscopic hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). According to the UK’s national regulator for workplace health/safety – Health and Safety Executive (HSE), HAPs are very harmful.
People can cause themselves serious harm by inhaling the chemicals used in solvent inks. Skin contact with these chemicals can cause irritations, dermatitis, and skin allergies. These inks are also known for causing asthma. Regular exposure to these inks can cause damage to the user’s central nervous system.
Symptoms of central nervous system damage include – feeling dizzy, drowsy, and pain in internal organs (liver, kidney, etc.). If your step & repeat banner is printed with solvent inks, you need to get rid of it now. Instead, find a banner seller that uses only eco-solvent inks to manufacture step & repeat banners.
The Importance of Using Eco-Solvent Inks
Eco-solvent inks have significantly less harmful chemical makeup than solvent inks. Firstly, they don’t contain any Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Instead, they contain naturally-derived oligomers and monomers. There are no heavy metals or greenhouse gases in these inks either. Yes, the lack of heavy metals makes this ink slow-drying.
It will take more time to dry the eco-solvent inks on your banners. But, top banner sellers know ways to dry these inks faster. Eco-solvent inks also may cost you slightly more. But, this cost is negligible given the countless health benefits these safe and eco-friendly inks provide.
Picking the Right Banner
Find a banner seller who only sells safe, eco-friendly step & repeat banners. Make sure your banner’s size, colors, and logo placement are perfect.
