What is panaflex printing?

Physically it is a woven polyester mesh coated with PVC on both faces. That construction is what makes it work outdoors: the mesh gives tensile strength so it can be stretched taut without tearing at the eyelets, and the PVC coating makes it waterproof and gives a printable surface.

It comes in two broad types, and choosing the wrong one is the most common mistake. Frontlit is opaque, denser, and intended to be seen by reflected light — the right choice for ordinary banners and hoardings. Backlit is translucent and designed to have light behind it, for illuminated shop signage and light boxes. A frontlit sheet in a light box looks dull and patchy; a backlit sheet used as a plain banner looks thin and lets the background through.

Printing is done on solvent, eco-solvent or UV wide-format machines whose inks bond to the PVC surface and resist sunlight and rain. Resolution requirements are much lower than for commercial print, because the viewing distance is metres rather than centimetres — supplying a 300 dpi file for a twenty-foot hoarding produces an unmanageably large file for no visible benefit.

Finishing matters as much as printing outdoors. Hemmed edges and correctly spaced eyelets are what stop wind tearing a banner off its frame within a month.