Banners: Finishing & Installing

How we finish a banner, start to finish: weld the hems, set the grommets, hang it right.

The full banner flow lives on this one page. Our welder is the Miller Weldmaster T-300. Our grommet press is a simple manual press.

1. Weld the Hems

Set up the hem guide (Miller Weldmaster)

The maker’s how-to for our machine: how the hem guide comes off, adjusts, and goes back on, set to the wedge so the fold feeds straight. This is the setup that makes the hem come out even.

youtube.com/watch?v=9tLCp2s8yDs
The payoff: a banner welded in under 45 seconds

Same machine, all set up: hems, a pole pocket, and a rope hem on one banner, done in under 45 seconds. Watch the guide swaps between seams. This is what the setup above gets you: once the guide and recipe are right, the weld itself is the fast part.

youtube.com/watch?v=6M9iP8UT_tw
Run the machine: touchscreen, recipes, and the weld test (Miller Weldmaster)

The T-300’s controls, taught by the maker: heat and speed live together in saved recipes (pick the wrong one and the weld is wrong), and the built-in Welding Test is how you dial in a new material on scrap before the real banner goes through.

youtube.com/watch?v=3_-lOxPekBQ

The Banner Welder page: our T-300, the manual, and settings →

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Lay it flat

Banner flat on the table, print side up, no wrinkles. Fold each edge over about 1 inch to form the hem.

Set the welder

On the T-300, heat, speed, and pressure work together, and the machine saves them as recipes. Use the shop recipe for banner vinyl (Banner Welder page). A small change makes a big difference.

Test on scrap

Run a short piece of scrap first. Pull on the weld. It should hold strong, with no burning, no wrinkles, and no peeling apart.

Weld the sides

Feed the fold through steady and straight, keeping the hem the same width the whole way. Weld every side the job calls for.

Check the seams

Let the welds cool a minute. Run your hand along each seam and tug it. A weak or open spot gets welded again now, not after the banner is hung.

2. Add the Grommets

How to set grommets with the press (Stimpson)

From Stimpson, who makes our kind of press: the self-piercing grommet and washer sit on the die, the banner’s hem goes over them, and one pull of the handle cuts the hole and sets the grommet at the same time.

youtube.com/watch?v=BGo3fT_OqUM
Meet the press: the Stimpson 405

What the manual bench press is, how the dies and grommet sizes work (the #2 is the common banner size), and how the stroke is set so every grommet lands the same.

youtube.com/watch?v=_X3KB6WXoMg

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Mark the spots

One grommet in each corner first. Then space the rest evenly along the hems, about every 2 feet on long banners.

Load the press

Washer on the bottom die first, then the grommet on top of it.

Line up the hem

Lay the banner over the die with your mark dead center. Grommets always go through the welded hem, never through a single layer of vinyl.

Pull the handle

One firm, full pull. The press pierces the vinyl and sets the grommet and washer in one motion.

Check every one

Each grommet should sit tight and flat, with no sharp edges. Give it a tug. If it spins or moves, it is not set: redo it.

3. Hang It

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Use every grommet

Tie through all of them. Skipping grommets puts all the pull on the rest, and that is how banners tear.

Snug, not tight

Rope, bungee cords, or zip ties all work. Pull the banner snug and even so it hangs flat and reads straight.

Think about wind

A banner that flaps wears out fast. Outdoors, add tie points until it cannot flap.

Step back and look

Straight, level, no wrinkles pulling it crooked. Fix it now, while the ladder is still out.

Tips & Tricks

Two people on long banners. One feeds, one guides. Solo feeding makes crooked hems.
Mark everything first. Mark every grommet spot before the first press. Spacing mistakes hide on the table and show on the wall.
Keep it off the floor. Grit under the vinyl scratches the print. Work on a clean table.
Roll it, never fold it. Rolled, print side out. Folds leave creases that never come out.

Banners: Finishing & Installing

1. Weld the Hems

Set up the hem guide (Miller Weldmaster)

The payoff: a banner welded in under 45 seconds

Run the machine: touchscreen, recipes, and the weld test (Miller Weldmaster)

2. Add the Grommets

How to set grommets with the press (Stimpson)

Meet the press: the Stimpson 405

3. Hang It

Tips & Tricks