Perhaps one of the most common uses of Tyvek material is banner printing. Having been originally designed for the construction industry, Tyvek was designed with the ability to accept large scale logos from the beginning.
If you are planning on doing some Tyvek banner printing, however, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Why Use Tyvek?#
Tyvek has several properties that make it ideal for banner printing. Though superficially similar to paper, Tyvek is actually made of synthetic fibers. This gives it greater strength than even the thickest cardboard, and also means that it is completely waterproof.
This is a huge advantage for banners that are designed to go outside. No matter what the weather, your Tyvek banner will not be affected.
In addition, though Tyvek material is extremely strong, it is also easy to work with. It can be cut and folded easily, meaning that cutting banners to shape, and attaching grommets to hang them, is easy.
Printing Technique#
For years, it was impossible to use water-based inks when printing on Tyvek. The problem stemmed from the fact that Tyvek is waterproof, and inkjet printing techniques were designed for permeable substrates. When printing on Tyvek, water based inks tended to have extended drying times, leading either to slow production or smeared graphics.
Nowadays, however, there is a choice of techniques that can be used for Tyvek banner printing. By applying a special coating onto the Tyvek, it is now possible to use water based inks. This means that the color vibrancy, low cost, and adaptability of inkjet techniques can be applied to Tyvek Banners.
This said, there is still a place for more traditional, thermal printing techniques. Inkjet techniques for printing Tyvek banners still tend to be slower than using thermal processes. Whilst this might not be a problem for one-off, large-scale banners, if you need to produce hundreds of small signs, it is probably better to use thermal techniques.
Applications#
Tyvek banners are used in a vast variety of applications. The material is available in a wide variety of thicknesses, and so can be used for both the thickest, toughest, most durable banners, and also in places where weight and portability are important.
In recent years, Tyvek banners have found applications outside the typical, large scale, display banners that you may associate with the material. Maps and blueprints are now produced using the material, as its durability means that these items will last for ever.
In addition, Tyvek in increasingly being used outside of industrial applications. The advent of A4 – sized Tyvek sheets which can be fed through a standard Inkjet desktop printer means that more and more people are taking advantage of the properties of this remarkable material, and producing everything from signs for outdoor events to decorative banners.
