How to Hang a Vinyl Banner

Need a Vinyl Banner? Order Now . . .

Without a doubt, vinyl banners have grown to become one of the most versatile forms of printed signs, especially considering the different ways they can be displayed. By utilizing various accessories and the appropriate techniques, you can showcase your vinyl banner and guarantee the maximum impact out of it.

Believe it or not, many people neglect to pay attention to the way they hang their vinyl banners. However, hanging the banner correctly is equally as important as its visuals and text. Think of it this way: would you stop to look at a wrinkled banner? We don’t think so.

With that said, below is how to hang a custom banner like a pro, regardless of the purpose you’re using it for.

With Grommets:

Grommets are the metal rings you see along the corners of a vinyl banner; they're there to make it easier for you to hang the banner instead of having to punch a hole in it manually.

When using vinyl banners with grommets, the ideal way to hang them is to use display accessories – they complement grommets perfectly well and ensure your banner's safety. Below are the top accessories you can use.

Hanging Clips

Hanging clips, known as carabiners, can be clipped through grommets and then clipped to objects or anchor points of your desire. Prominently, hanging clips are used for banners displayed on a chain-link fence since they easily hook into the fence itself and then again to the sign through the grommets.

Bungee Cords

Bungee cords are perfect for when you need to pull your vinyl banner tight on display. To do so, you hook one end of the cord to the anchor point and the other end onto the grommet.

Tip: Keep an eye out for the tension from each bungee cord so that the vinyl banner is pulled evenly across its surface.

Nylon Ropes

One of the classic ways of hanging banners is using nylon ropes. They’re looped through the grommets to secure banners to fences or posts and suspend them from high surfaces, like ceiling or roof overhangs.

Zip Ties

Ultimately used with temporary banner displays on chain link fences for casual, outdoor events, zip ties are put through the grommet and the anchor point and then secured by attaching both ends of the zip tie.

 

Suction Cups and Hooks

Suction cups are the go-to if you're looking to hang your vinyl banner on smooth surfaces, like glass. Since they come with extended hooks, you directly put the hooks into the grommets. They're a hassle-free option, but they only work well with not-so-large and relatively lightweight banners.

Without Grommets:

Since not all vinyl banners come with grommets, here’s how you can hang your banner without them.

Magnets

Magnets are one of the standard ways of hanging vinyl banners with no grommets, mostly if hanging them on a metal surface is an option. Strong magnets can do the job in a blink of an eye, and they won't take away from the visuals or text.

 

Pole Pockets

When you fold a banner over on itself and sew it to create a "pocket" open on either one or both ends, that's a pole pocket. Mostly, pole pockets are used when you want to slip your banner over a pole, but alternatively, you could thread a rope through the pocket and hang the banner.

Velcro Adhesive Strips

Used to attach to the back of your vinyl banner, velcro adhesive strips can be a convenient way to hang up your banner. The adhesive strips consist of two parts: one that adheres to the surface you're hanging the banner on, and the other sticks to the back of the banner itself.

For the best usage of velcro adhesive strips, use them when you want to hang your banner on indoor walls or swap out banners one after the other. Plus, the best aspect of this type of accessories is that it can withstand heavyweight, so you won't have to worry about your banner's weight or size.

Indoors:

Hanging a banner indoors mostly entails placing it against a drywall surface or mounting it along a plaster wall or paneling.

Drywall Surfaces

In this case, use screws with wide washers or hooks to install banners with grommet holes. Not only will they secure the banner in place, but they'll also cover the appearance of the grommets. However, watch out for the wall marks that may be caused.

Here’s how:

• Measure the distance between each grommet using a measuring tape.
• Specify the proper distance between the grommets and the wall surface where you’ll hang the banner and mark circles or symbols on the wall through the holes on the upper corners.
• Drill your holes using a manual or electric drill.
• Start putting the screws into the grommets, followed by washers behind them.
• Fix the screws into the wall at the spots that you marked.

Alternatively, other options for hanging banners indoors on walls include using Velcro adhesive strips or using double-sided tape or glue.

Mounting/Paneling

Another way of hanging banners indoors (but without the wall damage) is to suspend them from banner stands or panels. In the form of L or X-shaped stands, these are foldable stands that rest on the floor yet support the banner through an aluminum brace. However, since they aren’t as sturdy as those we encounter outdoors, they can usually cater to banners up to 80 inches high.

Opt for a drape stand (or pipe one) for larger banners, which can carry up to 50 W x 96 H banners. If not, aluminum banner stands are a solid option, too; they’re adjustable up to heights of 80 inches. Whichever you choose, all the options are collapsible and fit for temporary use.

Ceiling Overhangs

Either using hanging accessories or an aluminum hanger fixed to the ceiling using attachments, you can hang your ceiling banner. Usually, an aluminum rail holds the top of the banner, and the rail is suspended through connectors directly from eyelets on the ceiling.

From a Ceiling:

Often, banners are hung from a given high point, including ceilings, using ropes or strings. If you're planning on hanging a banner from a ceiling, the ideal scenario would be to use banners with grommets to utilize ropes, cords, or strings in the process.

Nylon Ropes

The critical point to consider while preparing your rope or string is to consider its length – it needs to be of adequate length to pass through the grommets and then loop again back to the rope's anchor point and tie the rope off around the surface.

Bungee Cords

Since ceilings require some elasticity, bungee cords make for a convenient option when it comes to stretching your banner without knots. The process is mostly the same as that of ropes, with the most important part being determining what you’re going to attach the banner to.

Then,

1. Push the bungee cord through the grommets (preferably all of them) to distribute the tension adequately.
2. Loop the cord over the edge of the banner and then back again through the loop to secure the cord.
3. Attach the banner to your structure using the hooks that come along with the bungee cord.

Tip:  For single-cord bungees, tie them off around the edges of the banner.

Banner Hangers

Available in aluminum or plastic models, banner hangers enable you to stabilize both the top and bottom edges of banners while giving off a professional look. While they come in varying lengths depending on your needs, they all include an end cap, a joiner, graphic inserts for graphic materials, and a hanger clip that interfaces with the ceiling’s connectors.

Simply, all you need to do is attach the banner to the hanger and then the hanger to the ceiling. Your choice of plastic or aluminum depends on your banner's size and weight; plastic ones are for lightweight banners.

On a Table:

While hanging banners on a table can seem limiting, it's, in fact, one of the easiest approaches and can be done in several ways.

Banners With Grommets

As in most cases, banners with grommets are the better option, and it’d be best if they’re included on all four corners of the banner to secure it efficiently. Moreover, you may need grommets around the outside edge to make sure the banner hangs in front of the table if required.

With the support of hanging clips, cords, ropes, zip ties, and suction cups, and according to the surface of the table, you’ll merge the grommets with the accessories to get your banner all set! You can even attach banner table clips to the corners of a tightly fitted tablecloth on your table.

Banners Without Grommets

For banners without grommets, ropes, strings, or cords can be your best friend. You’ll just need to feed them through the pole pockets and then secure the banner to the table through that. A good idea is to attach the rope to the table legs and then use a tablecloth as a drop on the top.

If you prefer an alternative, another way of installing banners onto tables is using Velcro adhesive strips or a hook-and-loop fastener; with just a couple of strips on each side and in the middle, you’ll perfectly be able to attach your banner to most tables in a pinch!

Outside:

The challenge with hanging banners in outdoor settings is usually external elements pertaining to the weather, like wind and rain, which you need to factor in as you choose your hanging method. You need to be sure that your banner will stay in its place for the longest time possible with minimal chances of a tear.

Street Banners

Ultimately, the top option granting you both the flexibility to secure your banner to any surface on the street while also guaranteeing durability is bungee cords. If they’re not within your reach, then you could also use rope or snap hooks, but it all boils down to what you’re hooking the banner to.

For instance, if you're hanging the banner to a chain-link fence, grommets accompanied by zip ties or hanging clips would be optimal, fences with no chains would be navigated best through ropes, and flagpoles would require pole pockets or even grommets with zip ties.

Across Street/Over-Roadway Banners

Before discussing the process of hanging banners across the street or over roadways, we must stress that suspending these banners requires prior approvals depending on the restrictions set by local governments.

Plus, the banner needs to be composed of heavy-duty material, contain pole pockets or grommets, have reinforced edges to ensure stability, and may sometimes need to accommodate an existing cable display system.

Across Street Banners

With across street banners, the hanging route to take is to run metal cables across the road. Upon ensuring that the cables are tight, you can then attach the banner using snap hooks mounted across both the top and bottom of the banner’s length.

Additionally, we'd highly recommend using bungee cords for each corner and attaching them to buildings or poles on the nearest sides of the streets. If you're wondering why, it's to warrant the stability further and prevent the banner from sliding along the wires.

Over-Roadway Banners

Over-roadway banners are those either hanging over a street or between two poles or posts. With this type of hanging method, the crucial aspect to factor in is the wind load, which you need to ensure is evenly distributed across the banner's length. In fact, the cables themselves need to be high tension, aircraft-grade ones that run across the top and bottom of the banner.

After determining your location, install the support cables to serve as a banner support system. Stretch the cables as tightly as possible below and above the banner, and then attach the banner to them using any fastener (preferably bungee cords or zip ties) to keep the banner wrinkle-free.

As discussed with across street banners, it's also always a good idea to add additional support bungees to the banners' sides to prevent its sliding and keep it centered and readable.

Tip: To avoid the impact of the wind, you could cut wind reliefs into the vinyl, small, half-circle slits enabling the wind to pass through the banner and accordingly, putting less stress on vinyl and minimizing the wind-related strain on the poles, too.

On a Concrete Wall:

Thanks to the presence of hanging accessories, you no longer need to damage your concrete wall using screws to hang a banner on it. Using Velcro adhesive strips or suction cups, if the banner comes with grommet holes, hanging the banner will be relatively easy. You could also use banner hanging kits meant for ceilings and walls.

However, we have to advise you to test a discreet area on the wall if you decide to use other adhesives, like tape. That's especially if not the entire wall is made of concrete and a portion of it has a matte finish because the tape can end up taking paint off the wall.

If you aren't permitted to use adhesives, you could resort to banner stands and hanging structure options. They also work just fine with exposed structures above or within the wall.

With banner stands, you’ll place them next to the wall and move them as you need, while with hanging structures, you’ll do the same but add a rope attachment to hang from the ceiling or sturdy wall structures.

In the Yard:

If you need to hang a banner in a yard, your best bet would be tying it between posts. Firstly, you'd need to set up two posts, or banner stands, ideally, L-shaped ones, at a distance apart from one another, and that distance needs to be equal to your banner’s length. To do so, measure the banner with a measuring tape to get an indication of its length and height.

Then, find the perfect spot to place the posts, like between trees, fences, or pillars, but try to choose the options with the same distance apart. If equal distance isn’t an option, increase the distance between the posts but make sure you have enough rope to cater to both sides.

Next, loop the ropes through the grommets (place one end of the rope into the hole and then pull it through) and repeat the process with a different rope on the other side. As you do so, check that the rope on the front and back of the banner is equal in length after you're done pulling it through.

If you hang the banner during spring or summer, you don't necessarily have to knot the banner's bottom corners. For final touches, you could put carabiners in the grommets and pass the rope through them.

Lastly, tie the ropes (in square knots) by wrapping the right piece of the rope over the left one, like you'd tie your shoes, but around the posts themselves. Then, cross the rope again, feeding one rope under the other to end up with a loop. To finalize, just pull both ends of the rope to tighten the knot as much as possible, and form knots at every corner.

On a Canopy:

As far as hanging banners on canopies go, the wind is a significant restriction. However, it doesn't have to be if you securely fasten your banner. Here, nylon ropes are an excellent choice. To stop the rope from wearing off, you can place tape on the place where you're planning to make the cut to prevent it from getting torn.

To hang the banner with grommets, use quick links or snaps for the grommet holes and tie the rope between the top two back legs of the canopy to create a robust anchor for the banner. Then, clip the snaps or quick lips to the rope from the banner’s top grommets and use zip ties on the top grommets on the rope, but keep them slightly loose.

Following that, tie another rope section (approximately a foot and a half) below the banner, extending from the back leg to the other, and attach the banner’s bottom with quick links and zip ties. Finally, adjust the banner in an even manner and then tighten the zip ties that you left loose earlier and trim the remainders of the zip ties.

On a Garage Door:

Since tape or screws could potentially damage your garage door, hook attachments that go over the top of the garage door accompanied by tension hooks at the bottom are ideal. In some cases, suction cups work, but you'd need to test with one suction cup first to see if it stays in place on the door.

Of course, the aesthetics of the different materials of garage doors also play a tremendous role in determining the best way to hang a banner on the door; for instance, Velcro strips can work for some materials but just not others.

Conclusion

Vinyl banners are certainly one the best ways to help you market your brand, business, event, or more. We hope that by now, you have a clear idea of hanging vinyl banners in different locations, whether indoors or outdoors. Now, it's your chance to show them off by putting the learning into action! Once you try once, you'll open a door of creativity for yourself. Buy cheap banners now!

If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer support to help you choose the appropriate accessories to use to hang your banner based on location, surface, and purpose.