How Does a Retractable Banner Work?

Retractable banners are crucial weapons in your advertising artillery because they are decorative, durable, and transportable. Although you shouldn’t keep them retracted all the time, these expandable banners are ideal choices for trade shows or conferences.

If you want to wow potential customers, a retractable banner may be the perfect solution. If you want to learn how a retractable banner works to assess whether it would be a smart marketing tool for your small business, here are some more details about these compact, dynamic advertising tools.

Retractable Banners vs. Portable Banner Stands

A retractable banner is a banner that, by definition, retracts into a base or housing unit.

Regular banners, long strips of cloth bearing logos or designs used in advertising or as a marketing tool, are attached at two anchor points, usually hanging between something.

A portable banner stand does not have a retracting mechanism, and you have to take the graphic off the frame and roll it up by hand in-between uses. Models in this family include L banner stands, X banner stands, and telescopic banner stands.

Although some prefer a stand as it is less expensive and lighter, retractable banners are much more popular. Stands have fewer working parts, so some consider them to be more dependable in that manner, although the roll-up banners can be damaged in transit if you’re not careful.

Neither a retractable banner nor a portable banner stand is the same thing as a pop-up banner, another visual marketing tool. A pop-up banner features PVC piping covered with printed fabric.

Retractable banners are excellent marketing instruments, like business cards. But just like cards, you have to know  the right way to design them to make them useful.

Inner Workings of a Retractable Banner

A spring or tensioner pulls the banner around a roller. This spring has the most tension when it is fully extended, and the least amount when it’s retracted. To avoid weakening the spring and causing the banner to sag, you should not keep the banner retracted for long periods.

It works in the same manner as a retractable window blind except that you pull your retractable banner from the bottom of the pole and hook it onto the top of the pole.

The housing unit and the pole are usually two separate entities, and you mount the former onto the latter to display the graphic. Pull up on the exposed handles and latch it to the top of the pole, and your banner is ready for display.

Choose Your Banner Material Wisely

The retracting mechanism keeps the graphic taut, making what the banner is made of is critical to the banner’s longevity. You can get banners in smooth vinyl, curl-free vinyl, blackout polyester, or over-laminated photo paper.

Vinyl banner material is the best for printing on retractable banner stands because it can stand up to long-term wear-and-tear better than the other options.

To get premium retractable banners, you have to pay a premium price. You can find fabric banners for cheaper, but you get the quality for which you pay. Even if it’s professionally designed and looks like a million bucks, it won’t be as enduring if it’s cloth.

Accessories for a Retractable Banner

One of the most significant risks of using a non-retractable banner for your advertising needs is that, when not in use, the graphic may be damaged. Since you have to move the graphic element separately, there is an opportunity for it to get bent, scratched, or punctured.

In a retractable banner, the graphic retracts into the housing unit, which acts as a carrying case for your graphic. When the graphic is rolled up in the housing unit, there is no way damage can accidentally occur in transit.

Another great benefit of a retractable banner is the options you can choose from. You can get the images on your banner laminated for a glossy effect or, if you know your display will be in a central location, you can opt for your banner to be double-sided.

You can also buy multiple roll-up banners in different sizes to create a stunning display. A range of sizes set at various locales and different heights makes an eye-catching visual that is sure to draw customers in.

Dos and Don’ts of Using a Retractable Banner

Using any advertising tool is a skill, and banners are no exception. As you become savvier in your marketing strategies, you will learn new tips and tricks to make your ploys more successful.

Some standard guidelines for using retractable banners include:

• Keep information at eye level – If people are milling around a large area and have lots of competing banners and signs vying for their attention, you need to be able to communicate crucial information in just a glance.

Put your most important information – the name of your business, phone number, website – two-thirds of the way up the banner if you plan on placing it on the ground.

If you think that you’ll be placing your banner on a table or some other type of platform, put essential facts about your business in the place that you think potential customers will be most likely to notice them.

• Select the right image – There’s nothing worse than excitedly opening your new retractable banner only to realize that you picked the wrong size image for your display, resulting in a blurry or pixelated image.

Consult with an expert on what images you should choose to display on your retractable banner. You must have at least 150 pixels for the image to be viable. Small images become distorted, whereas bigger ones look great.

• Consider your words – In advertising, the smallest details mean a lot. When you’re choosing what to put on your retractable banner, opt for short, punchy words that get straight to the point.

You may think that displaying a lot of technical jargon will add weight to your marketing campaign, but it may confuse your audience, especially if the vocabulary is obscure.

• Do not use landscape photos – This tip centers mainly on the style of photograph or image you want to use on your banner. You do not want to use an image in landscape style, which is long, horizontal, and rectangular. 

Since banners are vertical rectangles, the designer will have to crop some of the details to make the image fit, producing less-than-favorable results.

By following these simple stylistic recommendations, you can choose the perfect images and slogans to go on your retractable banner. Don’t forget to include pertinent contact information so that potential clients know where to find you.

The Final Word

Retractable banners are portable, compact, and easy to set up and take apart. Additionally, they keep your graphics protected and look fabulous.

Comix Well Spring can help you with all your digital and marketing needs, and our expert team of designers is standing by to help your business flourish.