Frontlit or mesh: it sounds like a detail, but it is the most important choice you make when ordering a banner. Get it wrong and your banner is in tatters after one storm — or you pay for properties you never use.
The difference in one sentence
Frontlit is solid PVC. Mesh is the same material, but perforated with thousands of small holes that let the wind through.
Why wind decides everything
A solid banner catches wind like a sail. All that force ends up where the banner is fixed: the eyelets and the hem. A banner of 300 by 100 cm means three square metres of wind load — that pulls harder on your fixings than people expect.
Mesh lets much of that wind straight through. The material billows less, pulls less on the eyelets and therefore tears out far less quickly. That is exactly why fence banners are almost always mesh: a construction fence stands free and exposed, often in a windy spot, and nobody wants to replace a banner every month.
When do you choose Frontlit?
- Against a facade or wall, where wind cannot get behind it
- On a stall or stand, indoors or in a sheltered spot
- Along a sports field on a low, sheltered fence
- Anywhere you want the crispest colour — a solid material simply gives a more even surface than a perforated one
When do you choose mesh?
- On a construction fence or other free-standing fencing
- On a tall facade, where wind accelerates along the building
- In an open location: a field, a car park, along the water
- For large sizes — the bigger the surface, the harder a solid banner pulls
Does mesh cost you colour?
A little, but less than you would expect. The holes are so small that you cannot see them individually from a few metres away; what you notice is that the white looks slightly less bright because light passes through. For a logo with text or a site board that makes no practical difference. For a photographic print you will study up close, Frontlit is the better choice — if the location allows it.
Finishing: eyelets every 50 cm
We supply both materials welded all round with a folded hem and eyelets every 50 cm, corners included. There is no surcharge, and the spacing is not arbitrary: further apart and the banner bulges between the eyelets, closer together adds almost nothing.
Keep at least 5 cm clear around the edge in your design. That is where the hem and eyelets sit, and text that falls just inside will end up half pierced by an eyelet.
Fire safety
Both our materials are B1 flame retardant. That is not a luxury but often a requirement: exhibition halls, public buildings, schools and many event venues ask for it before you are allowed to hang anything. With us it costs nothing extra and needs no arranging.
And durability?
Both materials are UV-resistant and last several seasons in normal use. In practice a banner rarely dies of fading — it dies of tearing out at the eyelets. Which brings us back to the start: if your banner stands in the wind, choose mesh. It is the cheapest insurance there is.
In summary
Sheltered and you want maximum colour? Frontlit. Exposed to wind or a large format? Mesh. In doubt, choose mesh — you lose a fraction of image quality and gain a season of life.
See both options on the banner page: choose your size, upload your design and the preview shows you straight away where the eyelets will sit.
