Usually this means a smartphone such as the iPhone from Apple or one running Google’s Android operating system. This can also mean a tablet such as an iPad.

The functionality of devices, particularly smartphones, has improved so much that a single unit can replace dedicated pieces of equipment. This wasn’t always the case. Initially, what we gained in convenience we usually paid for in capability.

For example, your cell phone camera was OK in a pinch, but for decent photos, you still needed a digital camera. Now, many people have ditched their digital camera because the photos from their IPhone are so good.

If you need photos for a banner and you have a smartphone that’s not too old, you’re in luck. The photos you get from an iPhone or other smartphone will work fine for a banner , window sign or photo-to-canvas . This means you don’t need to hire a professional photographer, which will save you time and money.

Generally, for the iPhone, this includes the 3gs, 4 and 4s models. For Android phones, this will mean a device that’s not too old and has a camera with a resolution of 3 megapixels of greater.

Wikepedia has a useful chart comparing smartphones , including iPhone, Android and other operating systems. You can refer to this chart to check the specs on your smartphone camera. But in general, if your smartphone camera’s capacity is 3 megapixels or greater, you’ll be fine.

Tablets – Wait and See

Tablet computers are an emerging category. The iPad is the most popular tablet, with almost 80 percent of the market. At the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show back in January, more than 80 models were exhibited, and you’ll see many of these go to market in the next few months.

But right now, In terms of a usable camera for quality photos, tablets are a wait and see.

The first-generation iPad does not contain a camera. The iPad 2 has two cameras, but they are mainly designed for Apple’s FaceTime video chat application and have a resolution of less than 1 megapixel. Because of this resolution, pictures taken on an iPad 2 will likely not work for a banner. (There have been a lot of complaints online about the iPad 2 because the iPhone camera is so highly regarded, and consumers expected the iPad camera to be comparable.)

It remains to be seen how many of these new tablets will contain a camera and what their capabilities are. New tablets from Amazon (Kindle Fire) and Barnes & Noble (Nook Tablet), do not have cameras, according to an article on CNET.com.

Technical or Artistic?

Keep in mind that this article is about the technical capabilities of your smartphone. This is separate from the artistic nature of photography. There will be times when using a professional photographer is essential, because you’ll need an artistic eye for such aspects as photo composition and lighting.

However, there’s no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of your smartphone to take photos that will be perfectly fine for your uses. The iPhone, in particular, takes outstanding photos.

Two suggestions:

• Pictures of your customers using your product or service for a banner expressing customer appreciation.
• A picture of your staff to convey holiday greetings.

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"

We’ll try to catch problems before printing if possible, but the ultimate responsibility of a submitted banner is with the customer.

1. Check the spelling. Make sure all the words are spelled correctly. Because there are only a few words on a banner, it’s helpful to check the words in reverse order. That way, you’re looking at each word instead of the entire phrase.

2. Make sure the size of the banner in your file is the same as the one you’re ordering. For a list of available dimensions, click on Order Banners from the home page, then the Start button on the right side of the page. The pull-down menu will list all the available sizes.

3. Make sure your file is in an acceptable format. For preferred and acceptable file formats, go to the Art Specs page. Generally jpgs, EPS (encapsulated post script) files or PDFs (portable document format) are best, but there are other formats that will work.

4. Select the correct quantity. The default is 1, but you can increase the quantity by typing in the box.

Finally, check your proof. We will not print with you reviewing a proof and approving it. Look at it forwards and backwards, and have someone else do it too.

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"

But with Half Price Banners, we believe banner pricing should be simple. You pay for the banner and the shipping — and that’s where the fees end. We don’t charge extra for our free design service; hem, grommets, and UV-resistant inks are standard. You never have to worry about an upcharge later, or about not getting what you thought you ordered.

A great way to compare banner pricing is to check the price per square foot. Half Price Banners makes it easy. You just take the price of the banner and divide by the size. For example: a regular-price 3×8 full color banner is $96. If you take 96 and divide by 3 divided by 8, you will come up with 4, which means that banner is $4 per square foot. (We run sales quite often so if you see something different, that’s good news for you, not a mistake!) If you call around town, you are likely to find that common sign shops like FedEx Office or Sign-A-Rama often charge $8 per square foot or more. If you take that $8 and multiply by your 3×8 size, you get $192. That’s a big difference! If you find out that the other company doesn’t include hem or grommets, make sure to add those into the total cost before you divide by the size of the banner so you get a true per-square-foot price.

Wherever you go, banners are usually sized in feet, so even if the banner company doesn’t provide the price per square foot, now you can calculate it yourself and save yourself some money!

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"

In this class we’re going to learn about the basics of designing a banner at HalfPriceBanners.com.  Any confusion that may arise or questions you may have will be answered if you write an email (lisam@halfpricebanners.com) or give us a call (1-866-527-1363) with your concerns.

One of the first decisions you have to make when designing a banner is the size that you should be ordering. Much of this can be decided based on what you are using the banner for, and your designer can help you make this decision if you aren’t sure.  The options at Half Price Banners are listed as (height in feet X width in feet).  For example, the 2×6 option is 2 feet tall by 6 feet wide.  Any of the listed sizes can be turned so that they go vertically instead of horizontally. 

The artwork that you send in is usually proportionate to a fixed ratio of sizes. If you are able to measure the length and width of the artwork you should be able to guess approximately what size you need.  If you don’t know how to do this, you may choose a size that is close to the correct size and the designer will further discuss other options when he receives the order. We can always change the banner size after you place an order – it’s no problem.

When you place a banner order, you have three options for full color banners.  You can submit a print ready file, meaning it is complete and no manipulation needs to be done to the file for it to be ready before printing on a banner.  You can have us design your banner for you, which will allow you to upload pieces of the banner like logos or graphics, and tell us what you’d like it to say.  Finally, you can design the banner yourself using our one-of-a-kind Banner Builder tool.  The banner builder doesn’t currently allow you to upload your own artwork, however if you let the designer know that you want to do so, he or she will respond with ways to do so after the order is placed.  We encourage you to pick whichever option works best for you… there’s no one preferred way to have your banner printed.

From the time you order a banner, to the time the banner arrives, will usually take 3-5 days with Half Price Banners’ basic ground shipping (ao long as there are no complications with the artwork).  Upgraded shipping can speed up the process, but please realize that even with Next Day shipping we also have to have time to send you a proof and time to print the banner, let it dry, and finish it with hems and grommets.  If you need rush service, you’ll need to order Next Day shipping and make sure to approve your proof almost as soon as it arrives in your email, but in some cases this will allow us to have the banner to you the day after you placed your order.

Thanks for coming to class today… we’ll have a quiz next week over this material! I’m looking forward to sending you a high quality banner at half price.

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"

At HalfPriceBanners.com, we print only on interior/exterior 13 oz. gloss vinyl reinforced with nylon mesh. This material is very durable, completely opaque, and will last indefinitely if hung indoors, 3-5 years if hung outside, with wind being the biggest factor. We print with a UV-resistant eco-solvent ink that will keep your banners looking new long after you hang them up.

Some companies will charge you to hem and add grommets to your banner. At HalfPriceBanners.com, hemming and grommeting are standard and available at no additional cost. We will heat-weld the hem of your banner on all four sides and add nickel-plated grommets in each corner (spaced out every 3-4 feet along the top and bottom edges.) With Full Color Banners, we can also add more grommets and custom-space them for a small fee. We can also produce your banners with no hemming or grommeting, if requested.

So when shopping around for the best deal, remember that HalfPricebanners.com delivers a higher-quality banner product at about the same price as many discount banner companies.

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"

Always roll the banner up when storing it.  If the banner is folded over itself there is a chance that the banner will crease or that the ink may transfer from one side to the other. 

Try to keep the banner in a spot that will stay room temperature.  Heat or humidity can cause the banner to deteriorate faster and if the conditions are right may cause ink transfer.

Keep the rolled banner in the box that your order shipped with. It will protect against smashing in storage which can lead to creases.

Overall, storing your banner isn’t a difficult thing to do. You just need to remember to keep the banner rolled, protected and dry.

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"

DPI is the number of pixels, or dots per inch, in the file. The higher the number, the better the resolution of your art will be. The better the resolution, the clearer the picture will be. This is the reason that photos found on the internet rarely work for printing banners. The standard DPI for web images is 72 DPI, and most of these images are not bigger than a 3 inch by 3 inch space. So when you blow that up the size of a banner, such as 36 inches by 36 inches, you are effectively reducing the number of pixels per inch to 6 DPI.

Even if you take the art you found online and raise the DPI to 100 using a program like Adobe Photoshop, it does not make the image look any clearer. You have to start from a high quality file to get high quality output.

Think of it this way. If you have a globe and you use a magnifying glass to look closer at it, you won’t be able to see any buildings or any better detail than what is already being seen on the globe except to make it larger. You have to have a high resolution image to begin with, there is not a way to “Res Up” low-resolution artwork.

If you absolutely have to have the art that you found online, you can redraw it using a vector program such as Adobe Illustrator. Banner printer companies can do this for you, but generally they charge an Additional Design Fee.

Next week we will be covering banner design software.

Vinyl Banners "All The Quality Half The Price!"