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Marly

Help! Banner needs to be done today, but there are bubbles!

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HI! My husband usually posts on here but he had to run down to the office so I am posting. We are doing a few banners that need to be done tonight. They are our first ones. The graphics have air bubbles though and it looks terrible. Is there any way to fix it or do we have to start all over again? And let's say we pull the vinyl off and redo it...how do we not have air bubbles this time? We did not use the wet method and we do not have a huge squeegee, just regular sized. Thanks!

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I only do mine wet.  Gives me time to squeegee all the bubbles out.  Thats all I can add since I do it wet.  I do smaller stuff dry but large banners, not me.

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Never done a banner wet. Tape the banner down to the table and do the hinge method. Never had a bubble.

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Did you clean very well? What vinyl ? What type app tape? All of these make a difference . I have applied wet and dry it should not matter which method you use

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HI! My husband usually posts on here but he had to run down to the office so I am posting. We are doing a few banners that need to be done tonight. They are our first ones. The graphics have air bubbles though and it looks terrible. Is there any way to fix it or do we have to start all over again? And let's say we pull the vinyl off and redo it...how do we not have air bubbles this time? We did not use the wet method and we do not have a huge squeegee, just regular sized. Thanks!

and that is why I don't sell products until I have gotten the technique down - I would rather turn down a job then to promise something I don't know if I can deliver on.  How do you promise to deliver on time if you have never done it before and don't know what obsticles you will encounter?  not trying to be harsh (I know it sounds it) but now you will be stressed trying to correct this in time and/or have a disappointed customer.

I am sure if you remove the vinyl, clean real well with rubbing alcohol, and install wet you will make it - but I bet there will be some cussing tonight.

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I have done thousands of banners over the years...these days I do 95% dry.....but it took me a  long time to get to that point. I would NEVER recommend a newbee do dry for a customer.  When somebody is paying, you don't take chances. High gloss banner material is the worst for bubbles.

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I dont know but I have way more trouble doing anything wet. I think I got the hinge method down pack and never practiced wet.

 

I cant see why a banner would be any different than a window. Maybe the squeegee is bad? 

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and that is why I don't sell products until I have gotten the technique down - I would rather turn down a job then to promise something I don't know if I can deliver on.  How do you promise to deliver on time if you have never done it before and don't know what obsticles you will encounter?  not trying to be harsh (I know it sounds it) but now you will be stressed trying to correct this in time and/or have a disappointed customer.

 

x100

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We did our first banner tonight-  But, that being said, it was for ourselves, for the fish fry that we're having on Saturday.  We thought it would be cool to make a banner to hang.  Turned out pretty well, but we did it dry, and the largest word on the banner (of course) went on crooked- so we had to re-cut the word.  I've never done a wet application, but I assume had we done it wet, we wouldn't have had to re-do it!  We got lucky, and were bubble free... but still, our first banner attempt didn't go off without a hitch.  

 

Good luck getting it done and done well.   :)

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I dont know but I have way more trouble doing anything wet. I think I got the hinge method down pack and never practiced wet.

 

I cant see why a banner would be any different than a window. Maybe the squeegee is bad? 

It's all in the substrate....I have banner material that I can do dry with my eyes closed....and some that is almost impossible to do dry. After awhile, you get a sense of how the material is going to work.

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Bannerjohn, have you used the greenstar gloss banner? I got a roll in today but haven't even had time to open it yet.

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Bannerjohn, have you used the greenstar gloss banner? I got a roll in today but haven't even had time to open it yet.

not yet but I ordered a roll  that I haven't opened yet. I'll let you know.

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I just cut the last 3x6 off my old roll so I'm sure I'll get to try it in the next few days,

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It's all in the substrate....I have banner material that I can do dry with my eyes closed....and some that is almost impossible to do dry. After awhile, you get a sense of how the material is going to work.

 

 

Thank god my supplier has the good stuff then. Never a problem.

 

 

 

Now my next banner will be a disaster. Cant wait...

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Doing the banners wet helped so much! It was an extreme difference. I am not sure what type of material we used, my husband is in charge of all that. As far as why we would do it without knowing how, well we have installed vinyl on tons of other things and never thought for a second that a banner would be difficult! Live and learn. Thanks for the help!

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Very glad to hear that it worked out well with the wet application!  I haven't tried any wet applications yet, but I think I will when I do this next order we have coming in.

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and now you have added another tool to your belt - next time will be easier

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not yet but I ordered a roll  that I haven't opened yet. I'll let you know.

Just cracked it open for a 3x6 and it seems fine. Good high gloss finish especially since I just killed off a roll of mat I got on clearance. I'll never use mat again.

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When you say "wet" what exactly are you all using?

 

A guy in town uses Windex. I apply dry but make sure I rub the transfer tape and vinyl really well before I stick anything. Sometimes I get tiny tiny bubbles but very rarely.

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When you say "wet" what exactly are you all using?

 

A guy in town uses Windex. I apply dry but make sure I rub the transfer tape and vinyl really well before I stick anything. Sometimes I get tiny tiny bubbles but very rarely.

use water with a few drops of baby shampoo and some rubbing alcohol if you don't want to buy rapidtac.  Never ever use windex the amonia attacks the adhesive on the vinyl, sure path to failure of the product.  You can only hope the other guy keeps using it - you will get more work down the road  >:D

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