How to Hang & Display Your Banner for Maximum Visibility

No matter what size banner you have, there are a number of techniques and accessories you can use to hang to display them for maximum visibility. But you don’t need to worry because none of these require any complicated tools or accessories.

Banners are enormously versatile in that you can hang them almost anywhere, including on walls and fences, between poles, from ceilings, and more. This article will cover the most common ways of displaying banners, types of surfaces to hang them on, accessories needed, hanging them with grommet-reinforced holes and without, plus more tips for maximizing the prominence and visibility of your banner as well as its lifespan.

Grommeted Holes & Pole Pockets: What are they? Do they help me hang the banner?

How you hang your banner will depend on whether it has grommet reinforced holes and corners, pole pockets on the edges, or neither. Grommets are those tiny metal rings inside the holes and on the corners and edges of a banner. They reinforce these areas, so the banner can be hung more easily. If you cut holes in your banner or just nail it up, it would probably tear from its own weight. Grommets are inserted around the edges to reinforce the holes, so the banner won’t tear when it’s hung.

Our company will put the grommets on your banner for free if you request them at the time the order is placed. A pole pocket is made when the edge of the banner is folded over and sewn up to make a pocket large enough to contain a pole. The pocket is open on at least one end. Pole pockets are for slipping the edges of the banner over two poles, so that the banner hangs between them. A rope can also be threaded through the pole pocket on each end to hang the banner up.

When your banner is properly secured each time it’s hung, its visibility increases, it lasts longer, and the odds of it being damaged are reduced. In this article we’ve divided the hanging techniques into two sections: hanging a banner with grommet reinforced holes and hanging one without grommeted holes. We’ll discuss the necessary accessories, and then where we suggest you hang your banner.

Note: The term “banners” is used as a general term in this article for signs made of vinyl, fabric, or mesh. Request Help & Info

How a Banner WITH Grommets Should be Hung

If your banner has grommeted holes the most effective way to hang it is with display accessories because they expand the number of situations in which it can be used. But most importantly, these display accessories make it more secure. The following is a list of accessories that work well on banners with grommeted holes:

Elastic Bungee Cords

Bungee cords allow you to pull your banner tight when it’s hung, There are hooks on both ends of the cord, so one end of the cord can be hooked into the grommeted hole with the other end being hooked into a convenient anchor point. Make sure you pull each bungee cord sufficiently tight to ensure enough tension, so the banner is flat and even across the surface.

Sturdy Nylon Rope

Nylon rope is exceedingly sturdy, so it’s no surprise that it is very commonly used in hanging banners, whether it has grommeted holes or not. If your banner has these holes, just loop the rope through them. But if it has pole pockets the rope can be threaded through those. This way you can securely hang your banner between posts, on fences, or even suspended from a ceiling or overhang. Although we recommend using nylon rope for this purpose, people also use fishing line, chains, and cords made of other durable types of materials. However, we do not offer those alternatives on our website because nylon rope has been shown to be the best in terms of hanging accessories.

Carabiners

Carabiners are hanging clips that you can simply clip through the grommeted holes, and then clip again to an object as an anchor point. Carabiners work well whether your banner is being hung temporarily or permanently. These are especially good if you have a chain link fence that you want to display your banner on because the clips can hook into the fence as well as the banner through the grommeted holes.

Plastic Zip Ties

Plastic zip ties are perfect if you want to temporarily hang your banner on a fence and a chain link fence works best. Zip ties are great for casual events held outdoors like grand openings, parties, fairs, festivals, sales promotions, advertising, and more. Zip ties are more often used when the banner is to be displayed for a longer period of time because they can be affixed more permanently than bungee cords, nylon ropes, or carabiner clips. All you do is thread the zip tie through the grommeted hole and the anchor point where you’re hanging the banner and attach the two ends of the zip tie together to secure it. When you’re ready to remove the banner, just cut the zip ties.

Suction Cups with Hooks

If you have a flat non-porous smooth surface like glass that you want to hang your banner on, suction cups with hooks provide a great way to secure it. The hooks extending out from the suction cup can go into the grommeted holes in your banner. However, we do not recommend relying on suction cups if your banner is large or heavy. If your banner is too heavy, suction cups won’t be able to hold it securely. Request Help & Info

How a Banner WITHOUT Grommets Should be Hung

If your banner doesn’t have grommeted holes, you can still hang it up with help from the following materials and/or accessories:

Velcro Strips

You can use Velcro adhesive strips to attach your banner to your chosen surface. There are two parts to Velcro strips; one for the backside of your banner, and the other for the surface where you are displaying the banner. Since there is an adhesive on the backside of Velcro strips, you can easily stick them onto the banner and a clean smooth surface, whether it’s flat or curved. Velcro is perfect if you are continually swapping out banners on the same surface, or if you want a “clean” looking banner without grommeted holes. Velcro works best when the banner is displayed indoors.

Pole Pockets

Like we mentioned earlier, pole pockets are made when the edge of the banner is folded over and sewn up to make a pocket large enough to contain a pole. You just slide each edge of the banner over the poles on both ends to suspend it. This is very much like the front of a parade where you see two people marching forward holding each end of a suspended banner. If there are no poles available, you can thread a rope or heavy cord through the pole pockets. Pole pockets are usually sewn on both sides of a banner, but you can have just one or even pole pockets on all four sides if you want. Just let us know when you place the order.

Magnets

If you’re planning to display your banner on a smooth metal surface, you can place strong magnets on the top edge of the front of your banner and they should be able to securely hold it up. If you’re outdoors on a windy day, you will need to place magnets down the edges and along the bottom. Request Help & Info

Best Spots to Display Banners

On a Flat Wall

One of the best places for hanging a banner is up on a smooth flat wall. If your banner is being hung temporarily, we recommend using Velcro adhesive strips to attach it to the wall. This will allow you to display the banner flush against the wall, which is the look you want.

If the wall you’ve chosen has a rugged surface, like one made of bricks, you would be better off hanging it with hooks or screws. But this only works for banners being permanently hung because this method requires drilling into the wall. Your banner would also need to have grommeted holes for the screws to fit through, and washers should also be used to provide stability. Some people glue their banner to the wall or use double sided tape. However, we do not recommend either of these methods because the banner could be damaged as well as the wall. This would definitely not work for a temporary placement.

Between Two Posts

People also commonly display banners suspended between two posts. For this, we suggest having holes with grommets placed on all four corners, so that the banner can be pulled taut. For this you can use rope or zip ties. If you have wooden posts, you can use screws or have hooks screwed into the posts that can go directly into the grommeted holes of your banner. If you have a really big banner, a middle post would be helpful in keeping it taut, especially if it’s being hung outside on a windy day. In extreme weather conditions, we recommend taking banners down before they get damaged. If you are displaying a banner in an area that is often windy, a mesh banner would be best.

Hung From a Ceiling, Overhang, or Awning

Businesses owners often hang banners inside from the ceiling and outside from the overhang or an awning. They usually use a rope or heavy string. The rope needs to be long enough to thread through the grommeted holes and back to the rope’s anchor point. As mentioned earlier, you can also use a metal chain, fishing line or something similar. Even so, we recommend using nylon rope as it’s the easiest to work with. In choosing which one to use, you will want to consider aesthetics. The last thing you want is to have your fasteners detract from your banner.

Strung Up a Flagpole

You can string a banner up a flagpole with either grommeted holes or a pole pocket. If your banner has grommeted holes, zip ties or metal hanging clips can be used to fasten it to the pole. If using clips, make sure the pole fits the ¼” clips. Pole pockets work well if you want to slide the flagpole through the top or base of the banner. However, we actually recommend having a custom flag made that is designed to be displayed on a flagpole.

Note: The pole pockets we make measure 3” in diameter.

On a Fence

You often see banners hung across chain link fences and attached with zip ties threaded through grommeted holes or fastened with hanging clips. But if your banner has pole pockets, those work too for securing the banner to the fence using a rope threaded through the pole pockets. For other types of fences, banners can be attached with a rope anchored to a specific spot on the fence, which would depend on the type of fence you were hanging the banner on.

Hung From a Table

A banner can be hung from a table in several different ways. If you have grommeted holes on all four corners (and along the edge if needed), you can hang the banner securely so that it hangs down from the table in front. If your banner is made with a pole pocket at the top, you can use rope or heavy string threaded through the pocket to attach the banner. If you are considering a table cover or signage made specifically for tables, you should look at our table throws, which can cover an entire table, or our stretch table covers.

Still Undecided or Confused?

In terms of signage, high-quality banners are incredibly durable and quite versatile. Once your banner has been properly hung, you should have no concerns about it tearing, falling down, or prematurely getting damaged. No matter where or how you hang our banners, they should last for months or years depending on your needs.

If you are still unsure as to where you should hang your new banner, whether it should be inside or outside, or have questions about which accessories you should order, just call us at (386) 400-2666. Do you need some help designing your banner? We offer our design services for free and would be happy to help custom design the perfect banner to promote your next event.

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