Balloon Printing Guide

Transcription

1 Balloon Printing Guide The following guide will go through step by step the process of a balloon order, so whether it's your first time ordering printed balloons or you just want to check alternative ways you could consider this guide is here to help. Balloon Material The two main types of balloons are Latex and Foil. Latex balloons are generally more popular due to the cost and environmentally friendliness of the material. The other area to consider when choosing your balloon type is how long you require the balloons to stay afloat for. Latex balloons will remain inflated for approx. 8 hours, whereas foil balloons can stay fully inflated for several days. Float time, especially with regard to Latex balloons, depends on the environment they are in. Ideally room temperature with little movement to the balloons allows them to stay afloat longer, any change in temperature or situation could reduce the length of time. Hi-float, a liquid that is inserted in to the balloons, can be used with Latex balloons to increase the float time and reduce any helium loss. Printing Method Our balloons are produced using a screen printing method. Latex balloons are printed inflated, whereas foil balloons are printed uninflated. A screen is placed on to the balloon and the ink is forced through the screen to give the design required. If the artwork is more than one colour there will be a screen required for each colour and the artwork will be built up in this way. This process results in a true colour representation and dense ink coverage when the balloon is inflated. Screen printing on to balloons creates a crisp, sharp print. Balloon Colour We carry a full range of colours for both Latex and Foil balloons. Our standard range for Latex balloons are available in both 10" and 12". Metallic pearlised balloons are also available for a vibrant, sheen finish to your design.

2 Foil balloons come in 18" silver as standard but we have a wide variety of other colours that come in the standard round and heart shape. When choosing your balloon colour, or indeed colours, it is often a case of personal taste mixed with corporate branding & design colours (see our colour chart for guidance). Depending on your logo or design, a balloon colour may be more appropriate to use so that your artwork stands out and gives off the best effect possible. us your artwork through and we will be more than happy to advise the best ways of printing your design. In order to achieve a replication in colour as well as design we would recommend using white balloons. A note to remember, where possible try to contrast your colours, dark balloons show light coloured inks best and the reverse. Ink Colours When considering what colour ink to select for your artwork, firstly decide what's more important (if either) the design colour/s or the balloon colour. Once you have made this decision you can select colours that will complement & contrast the other. Some inks will show up better on some coloured balloons than others, for example lighter inks show up well on darker balloons and dark inks on lighter coloured balloons. Feel free to call or us and we will advise and recommend colour combinations. If you wish to have a combination of coloured balloons and inks, for example black balloons with a white print and then white balloons with a black print using the same artwork we can produce this using an 'Ink Change' mid print.

3 This process can sometimes be useful if you require several coloured balloons that are in your company logo but some are light and others dark. We would recommend printing a light ink say white or silver on the darker colours and either black or a dark blue on the lighter balloons. Pantone Matching System The pantone matching system is a set of colour charts that are used by designers and printers world wide as a standardised system of colour matching. With over or 4 digit references at present and more being added the choice you have is endless. Halftone Printing 'Halftones' is a term we use for a shading effect. What it actually means is less dots per inch of colour printed on to the balloons allowing the balloon colour to show through. This will either make areas of the artwork appear darker or lighter. We may recommend this process when either the artwork is too fine and complicated to split in to several colours, the file format of artwork is poor quality so this would create the best result or a photograph is required on balloons. Halftones appear clearer in a darker ink colour and lighter balloon, we would recommend where possible black ink as this holds the definition of the artwork on white balloons, particularly where a photograph is used. N.B. When printing halftones on darker balloons, the area that looks lighter in the artwork will appear darker when printed as the balloon colour will show through more than the ink colour. It will appear like a negative of the artwork. Shading does not work well with text as the edges are not crisp, they appear fuzzy no matter what ink colour is used.

4 Registration The term registration is used by printers to describe how close 2 or more colours can be printed. The tighter the registration, the more difficult it is to line the colours up. As latex balloons are printed inflated, so there is some natural movement as the balloons pass through the machines, movement between the colours will occur. Depending on how tight the registration in the artwork is will depend how much movement will occur between the colours when printed. If your logo or design has the potential for registration problems we will inform you of this and make suggestions of how to maintain an accurate representation of your artwork. With our background in engineering we have built sophisticated machinery capable of printing laser sharp multi-colour images with superior print registration from as little as 0.5mm movement. Balloon Size This can be determined by how or where you are using the balloons. The majority of uses, for promotions, give-aways, balloon releases and parties, 10 & 12 standard balloons would be perfect. For larger events, exhibitions and decorations bigger balloons for example 12 metallics, 18 foils or giant 3ft latex balloons would be more appropriate as they have a longer float time. Giant balloons are available up to 8ft in chloroprene, which is a combination of latex and vinyl. We would be happy to make suggestions for your needs.

5 Neck Orientation If you intend to fill your balloons with helium or are using cups & sticks you will require your balloons printed with the neck of the balloons pointing down towards the floor (neck down). This is the most common way balloons are printed. All our pre-printed standard balloons are printed neck down. If you are going to be filling the balloons with air, to hang them down from the ceiling by their necks, you will require the balloons printed neck up so the neck of the balloons faces the ceiling. We automatically print all balloons neck down unless stated on the order. This decision is important to get right otherwise your artwork will appear upside down! Neck Down For use with helium or cups & sticks (air filled) Neck Up For air fill and hanging down by the neck Helium or Air There are two ways of filling balloons, helium or air. Helium allows the balloons to float whereas air will not. Helium filled latex balloons float for approximately 8 hours, depending on the conditions they are in, and foil balloons will afloat for days, we usually suggest between 4 7 days. Hi-float can be used with latex balloons to increase the float time. A cost-effective alternative to helium is to fill balloons with air. If you have your design printed neck down you will require cups & sticks to use with the air filled balloons so that the artwork is the right way up. Hand pumps & inflators are available from our accessories page; these will make larger quantities of balloons easier to inflate. Balloon Accessories There are a wide variety of accessories available to go with your printed or plain balloons including: Valves Helium valves are used to make it easier to inflate balloons using helium. They simply pop in to the neck of the balloons and act as a seal instead of tying them off. Valves are one way only therefore the helium cannot come

6 back through, making the process quick and easy. The valves have a 1m length of white ribbon attached therefore unless you wish to add more ribbon as decoration there all ready to go, perfect for giving them out at exhibitions. Another plus to using valves is that you can top the balloons up, this makes it ideal for shows, no mess, no fuss. Cups & sticks Cups & sticks are widely used throughout fast food chains as they are a cheaper option with being air filled than the helium & valves and are very easy to use. They are a great seller as all the kids want to go back to the place they were given a balloon to play with. Hand pumps & inflators would make life easier when inflating larger quantities. We supply cups & sticks in both 1 piece, which are popular with events related to children as they are classed as child safe, or 2 piece where the sticks are sent out separate to the cups and they simply fit into each other. It isn t essential, but we would recommend tying a knot in the end of the balloons before wrapping around the cup to secure. As cups & sticks are air filled they can be assembled prior to your event and will still be inflated for a few days rather than with helium where you have to inflate the balloons as close to the time you require them as possible to maintain the best effect. HI-Float Hi-float is a liquid that can be added to latex balloons to increase the float time. You simply spray the hi-float in to the neck of the balloons and then inflate with helium as normal.

7 Weights Weights are a great idea to hold your balloons down when filled with helium so they don t float away. They are available in different sizes and weights to hold different types and quantities down from a simple bangle weight that will hold just one balloon up to the heavier weights that hold several balloons. The smaller weights are ideal for give-aways while the larger ones are just right for decorations and displays. Unsure that weights are suitable for your order? Feel free to ask and we will make suggestions. Ribbon Ribbon can be an essential part of completing your display or decoration. If you are planning on using helium valves with your balloons then remember they already have 1m of white ribbon attached to them. You may wish to just add ribbon as decoration, or if you are using weights then you will require ribbon to attach the balloons to the weights. We supply a full range of colours that match and complement our balloon range in both 500m and 20m rolls. Pumps & Inflators Balloon pumps and inflators can be used to air fill balloons. There is a variety available from your simple hand pump to a heavy duty hand pump, and then for your bigger orders we suggest an electric inflator for ease. This decision could also be based on the time you have available in inflate your balloons.

8 Helium If you require your balloons to float then helium is a must to add to your order. Depending on the quantity you are wanting to inflate we supply disposable helium cylinders that are perfect for small parties and a variety of sized cylinders for rental that are suitable for larger events or occasions. Modern cylinders are very simple and easy to use. We will supply you with relevant information to help and guide you through the process. We hope this guide has made things clearer for you of what is available and possible to order. If you have any further questions or queries please contact us, sales@talkingballoons.com or call