High-end appeal
For other companies, however, fabrics have indeed largely displaced vinyl.
“We’ve done fabric printing for years, but it’s more predominant for us today,” says Lorraine Ng, project manager for Cheelo Graphics in Markham, Ont., which currently specializes in dye-sublimation printing of signs, banners, exhibits, trade show displays and backlit graphics, using a variety of large-format fabrics. “Even just five years ago, vinyl led our business, but in each of the past three years, the vast majority of customer requests have been for fabrics.”
Ng agrees fabrics are appealing to customers despite their relatively high price, because they are very light and can be folded up, so the initial investment pays off in greater durability.
“You have to be very cautious when handling vinyl,” she says. “If you fold it, it will wrinkle. And our customers don’t want displays that are hard to ship. I suspect they’re getting smarter about spending for the long term. Depending on the specific textiles used, fabric graphics can be washed and stretched back out, whereas vinyl doesn’t stretch as well and can bubble up. You don’t have to replace soft signage every six months. So, in retail, for example, what used to be plastic panels are now often extruded fabrics.”
Most of Cheelo’s graphics are sold to marketing agencies, not the final customers, so Ng says she doesn’t always know exactly how the company’s output is being displayed, but she describes a “mixed bag” of end uses beyond retail, including trade shows, special events and even permanent interior design fixtures in hotels, offices, condos and other facilities, such as Wozny’s aforementioned ceiling fixtures.
“Fabric looks more high-end than vinyl,” she says. “Scrim banners have a plastic sheen, a texture that doesn’t look as nice and sometimes curling at the edges.”
With regard to the material’s sheen, another esthetic consideration is reflectivity.
“When people want customized backdrops for photo shoots, like at a wedding with the couple’s names or a corporate event with logos, they don’t want the camera flash reflected on those graphics,” says Ng. “Even some matte textiles have a slight sheen along the edge, so the customer may need a completely matte fabric that won’t reflect anything.”
The latest trend Ng cites is the popularity of lightboxes. In keeping with the small profiles and low weight of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) installed to illuminate them, fabrics help keep the entire structures easy to handle.
