Banners, Backdrops, and Portable Displays:

Why choose fabric over vinyl?
From a logistical point, fabric is easy to roll, fold and transport. It takes less room in packing and is considerably lighter than other media. It won't crack or peel as in laminated vinyl products. Visually, fabric has "great flow" which catches attention. Colors are vivid and stand out in a crowd.

What is the best way to transport fabric?
Rolling or folding should be fine. Don't throw it in your suitcase like dirty laundry. You might want to wrap it in a plastic bag during transportation to reduce wrinkling.

What should I do if I have wrinkles in my fabric banner?
Give yourself some time before setup to check for wrinkles. Many wrinkles will work themselves out. If you can, take a steam iron & place it on a medium setting. Use a white press cloth between the banner and iron. If available, use a towel. Check the press cloth often to ensure that it remains clean.

What is the best way to clean my banner, table drape or flag?
That depends on the print method, substrate and severity of stain. If it is a dye sublimated banner or appliquéd flag, either spot clean or have it laundered as a delicate.

What is dye sublimation?
Dye sublimation is a method of printing onto fabric. We print a reverse image onto transfer paper. The paper is mated to fabric using a large rotary heat press. Through time, pressure and heat, the image is transfered from paper to fabric. Color is embedded and heatset into the fabric.  It will not wash out.

Aren't all digital imagers the same? What puts you above the "crowd"?
We manage our business the old fashion way, customers come first. We have no complicated voicemails. A "real honest to goodness person" will answer your call by the second ring because we want your business. Should you wish to speak with customer service, an artist, accounting or the president of the company, just call and we will make ourselves available to you. Our quality control process is unique for digital imagers. As your order goes through departments, our staff checks and rechecks to ensure that your project is done correctly the first time. We don't assume and we seek clarification when we're in doubt. Our sales, art and sewing staff are manned by professionals trained in customer service. Should something not be right with your project, we will do everything within our means to make it right.

What is your turn around time for production?
We request 10 business days. However, we never turn down business. With short lead times, it is sometimes necessary to charge overtime to complete a project.

Art Preparation:

How is artwork prepared for a dye sublimated fabric banner?
Please refer to "digital guidelines".

If digital artwork is prepared using "CMYK", why do you ask us to identify critical colors by Pantone PMS Uncoated?
We fully realize that art is prepared in CYMK (cyan, yellow, magenta and black). When we review a strike off (mini version), prior to production, knowing your color intentions help us to "tweak" our printer. Since monitors and printers vary in their color output, a pantone uncoated number is a very useful tool enabling us to identify color intentions. Because most fabrics are matt in their texture, pantone uncoated (PMS) most corresponds to final output.

Why would you prefer a disk and hard copy rather than an email version? What is your maximum size for emailing files?
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Sometimes pertinent data is lost during emailing. With a disk and a colored hard copy as a comparison, we can get a excellent understanding of what you want. This way, we can take responsibility for what we print. FTP site transmission usually involves large files and can take hours to download. If at all possible, we prefer a disk and hard copy.

Why is color approximate?
Each printer will print a little differently. Color gamut in CYMK is more limited than RGB mode. Also, you must take into account the substrate being used. This all translates to approximate color. Whether you are printing by digital, silk- screening, flatbed or other techniques, color will vary. By letting us know PMS uncoated match up, we will try to get your color as close as possible to expectations.

What is your maximum width for printing? What is meant by tiling?
With hems, figure on 68 ".  Tiling involves sewing two or more pieces together. The secret to effective tiling is a good sewing staff. Ours are better than good; they are excellent.

Why should artwork be layered and not flattened?
When artwork is layered, it allows us to go into the file and make color and other adjustments that are necessary to produce your product. We can manipulate components and get a great looking piece. When an imaged is flattened, we cannot manipulate components or a section of color. Please never flatten an image.

Why is final output resolution absolutely, positively and without a doubt, critical?
It is critical to review output to final size. At final size, minimum dots per square inch should be 150. Otherwise, image will look staircased and grainy. Low resolution files are a poor compromise for wide format printing.

What are the most common mistakes made in art preparation?

1. Not giving enough resolution for output size.
2. Flattening image instead of layering.
3. Not giving an additional 2" of background beyond final size for sewing hems.
4. Not adding enough background beyond final output size for pole pockets.
5. Not supplying all support files.

Can you create artwork or fulfill other artists' work?
Southern Tailors prefers to do fulfillment work for artwork already developed. Should you be seeking a graphic artist, perhaps we can make a recommendation. Please remember that art is very personal and you should have full confidence that your graphic artist will exceed your expectations.

Flags:

How long will a flag last?
Hard question to answer. It depends on weather conditions and construction of flag. Most flags will last up to a year. Some last longer. In harsh conditions including wind and hot sun, they can last considerably less.

What is single sided reverse? What is double sided correct?
Single reverse reads correctly from one side and is the reverse image on the second side.  One piece of fabric is used. Double sided correct means that two images (both reading correctly) onto two pieces of fabric are used.  A liner is also used for opacity.

Why is lighter better?
The lighter a flag, the better the fly. Double sided flags hang heavier and wear out sooner.

What are the + and - to printing digitally onto flags?
If you are seeking a temporary flag or need a flag for a special event, printing digitally is a cost effective way to go. Digital flags can last for 3 months or longer. That depends on weather and UV conditions. The harsher the environment, the sooner the color will compromise. Printing digital allows you to have low production runs and quick turnaround.

Why is silk-screening so expensive for low quantity runs?
When silk-screening, screens per color need to be set up. It is a relatively expensive setup. Costs are amortized with quantity. If you are low quantity, it can be an expensive process.

When ordering custom flags, why should you order extra?
You never know what's going to happen.  A flag can be stolen or damaged or you just may need an extra.

For U.S. flags, what is the correct protocol?
See "Flag Etiquette" at www.americanflags.org.