Banner printing is often the quickest way to put a business, a school event or a church fete in front of everyone driving past. Most banners are printed on PVC off a wide roll, hemmed and fitted with eyelets, then tied to a fence, a wall or a frame. Others are mesh for windy sites, fabric for indoor events, or pull-up banners in a cassette stand for expos and receptions. Tell us the size, how many and where it will hang, and we pass your request to local banner printers who quote you directly. It is free, with no obligation.
Types of banners and where each one works
The plain PVC banner (frontlit) is the workhorse: printed in full colour, hemmed on every edge and fitted with eyelets, often about every 50 cm, so it can be pulled tight. The other common types:
- Mesh banners let the wind through, for scaffolding, building wraps and exposed fences.
- Pull-up banners, also called roll-up or pop up banners, are commonly about 850 x 2000 mm in a cassette stand that packs into a bag.
- X-banners are a lighter, cheaper stand for counters and foyers.
- Flag banners, teardrop and feather shapes, fly on a telescopic pole with a ground spike or a weighted base.
- Fabric banners and backdrops suit stages, media walls and other large format event work.
Choosing the size, material and finish
Work back from the distance it will be read from. A banner seen from across a road needs big, simple shapes and a short message; one beside a reception desk can carry more.
For outdoor work ask for a heavier PVC with UV-resistant inks, welded or sewn hems, and eyelets in every corner and along each edge. Strong sun on the Highveld and in the Northern Cape fades cheap print, and coastal wind works at the eyelets, so ask what outdoor life the printer expects. For a spot you will use for years, a rigid signage board may outlast any banner.
Artwork, files and the mistakes that cost a reprint
Send a print-ready PDF in CMYK, set up at full size or to a scale the printer agrees to, and ask what image resolution they need at that size. Keep phone numbers and logos well away from the hems and eyelets.
The usual mistakes are thin fonts, a logo copied off a website, a phone number too small to read from the street, pale colours that wash out in sun, and a banner ordered without measuring the space. Many municipalities need approval before banners go up on public land, poles or road reserves, so ask first.
What affects the banner printing price
- The area in square metres, and how many of the same design
- The material: standard PVC, heavier PVC, mesh or fabric
- Finishing: hems, eyelets, pole pockets or rope
- Stands and hardware for pull-up, X and flag banners
- Design work, delivery and installation
Published South African prices for a printed PVC banner run at roughly R180 to R300 a square metre, with VAT, design and delivery often extra. Ask what each quote includes, and consider matching flyers or event T-shirts.
What to include in your request
- The width and height in metres
- Where it hangs: fence, wall, frame or stand
- PVC, mesh or fabric, indoor or outdoor
- Eyelets, hems or pole pockets
- Your event date and delivery town
Banner Printing for different clients
- Families and individuals: a birthday, matric farewell or welcome home banner tied to the gate for one weekend
- Small businesses and start-ups: a PVC banner on the shop fence announcing a new branch, a special or opening day
- Companies and offices: pull-up banners for reception, roadshows and safety days, plus mesh wraps on site fences
- Shops, restaurants and salons: sale banners on shopfronts and parking fences, swapped each season or for each promotion
- Events, conferences and clubs: pull-up banners, teardrop flags, stage backdrops and finish arches for races and expos
- Schools, churches and NGOs: banners for open days, sports days, registration and church fundraisers hung on the school fence
- Government and municipalities: campaign and awareness banners for clinics, community halls and municipal events, often ordered by RFQ
- Designers, agencies and resellers: agencies and designers sending print-ready banner files to a printer with a wide roll machine
Frequently asked questions
How much does banner printing cost?
What size is a pull-up banner?
Should I use PVC or mesh for an outdoor banner?
How long does it take to print a banner?
Banner Printing by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg