What is balloon printing?
Balloon printing is quite simply the process of putting some form of image onto the surface of a balloon. Balloon printing businesses have been around for a long while, but modern printing techniques and new machinery are helping to improve the scope of what type of balloons can be printed on, and what logos may be applied.
Balloons may have multi-coloured designs printed onto their surfaces, and this can be enhanced by using smart designs and making use of the colour of the balloon itself. It is also possible to print onto both sides of a balloon, so no matter where folks are standing in relation to the balloon they should be able to see the printed images.
This post hopes to highlight just a few of the possible uses of personalised, branded balloons.
Advantages
Balloons are great because they are not an overly expensive thing to get hold of. Even the more elaborate balloons do not have to cost the Earth, and when you compare prices with many of the alternatives you can quickly see the monetary benefits of branded balloons.
One of the most interesting things about using printed balloons at any kind of occasion is the great flexibility they offer. Modern balloon technology allows such a wide range of shapes, sizes and shades that you can really let your creativenessrun wild and let your imaginative side to take over.
This versatility gets even greater when you start using balloons together to create balloon strings or sculptures. You can combine different coloured balloons to great effect and create bold patterns, or use different shapes and styles of balloons to create eye-catching exhibits. The possibilities are not quite endless, but they are very numerous nonetheless.
Another great benefit of utilizing balloons is that they are incredibly lightweight. This makes them incredibly easy to move about and to sculpt into various sculptures. You will not need to employ moving men or forklift trucks to get them to where you would like them to be! The other great benefit is that if you are going to inflate them on location, many hundreds of balloons will fit into a handbag.
If you are struggling to find inspiration for your own balloon design, browse a printing website for inspiration and facts about balloon printing methods.
For social events
Having a set of your own, personalised, printed balloons at a social event always adds an extra factor of fun and interest to whatever you are doing. Whether the event you are attending is a reasonably formal affair, such as a grand dinner party, or a very informal celebration, such as a stag or hen party, you will discover that printed balloons can really make the night stand out.
Wedding parties
Wedding parties are the perfect occasion for utilizingprinted balloons to add charm to your location. They are both formal and informal events at the same moment, with a serious purpose but also a focus on having fun and savoring the day.
For the wedding meal, photo-taking or any other formal announcements, you can use some smart balloons printed to match your surroundings. Then when the partyreally begins you can have a selection of fun balloons with a personalised wedding message. Or how about balloons printed with either the bride or grooms picture to show which side of the family you are on?
Stag & hen nights
Stag and hen nights are always fun occasions, and more often than not they will entail some form of dressing up or adornment. So why not make use of printed balloons as a way of “jazzing up” your evening and really making your party stand out from the crowd. Here are just a few ideas.
L-plate balloons. One of the most recognisable aspects of a hen party is the bride to be wearing driving L-plates on their clothing. It is a time honored touch that usually makes the lucky lady stand out from her party of hens. But there is no reason to limit yourself to decorating outfits. Why not print an L-plate on a large balloon and affix it to the bride to be.
Nickname balloons. Groups of guys out on stag nights will frequently have their pictures and nicknames used by their friends printed onto a t-shirt or top. But again, why stop at the clothing? You can print faces, nicknames, or just about any other funny facts onto personalised balloons and hand them out to members of your stag party.
Decorating functions
Branded balloons at events do not have to be hugely conspicuous or gaudy. Actually, you will discover that there are several ways that you can arrange printed balloons to create very elegant effects. At many formal occasions, such as award ceremonies or grand birthday parties, balloons can become an interesting piece of furniture rather than an outlandish assertion. You can probably think of more than one occasion that you have witnessed this.
The great flexibility that comes with using balloons at events means that they can be both promotional and ornamental. You might use a printed pattern on the balloons and then assemble lots of them together to give the sense of dynamic wallpaper! On the other hand you could use the surface area of the balloons to print your company branding or a message you want to get across to your guests. This way, your balloons can accomplish different tasks depending on how far away the viewer is.
If you are inflating printed balloons on-site then helium gas cylinders can supply the necessary levels of gas to inflate them.
For corporate events
Whilst many of us associate memories of balloons with birthday parties when we were youngsters, printed balloons can also be used in a more adult environment. The use of printed balloons can actually be very beneficial in the commercial world.
Exhibitions
Anybody who has had a stand at a corporate exhibition will know just how much competition there is for space and just how hard everybody tries to bring potential customers in their direction. If you use the standard strategies of marketing to your exhibition display you will discover that you need to spend plenty of time, and often lots of money, to truly stand out. But rather than just competing on the same playing field as your rivals, how about taking to the skies to get one over on them?
Advertising potential
If you are making use of helium filled balloons to help advertise your organisationthen you will be immediately at an advantage. As we all know, helium filled balloons are lighter than the air around them and will float upwards. With the appropriate amount of string linked to the balloon you will be positioning your corporate identity in a space beyond the reach of regular advertising.
Just like printing your logo or company message on carrier bags or other packaging, printing onto balloons provides a mobile marketing space that you don’t have to transport around yourself. Each and every time you give out a printed balloon to a customer at the exhibition, you are effectively giving out a promotional piece for your firm that will be movingaround. Wherever that individual goes, your company branding will go too.
Another great advantage of using printed balloons as a corporate advertising tool is the price. No matter what state the economy may be in, firms are continually looking for the most cost-effective means to promote themselves, and printed balloons are undoubtedly one of these methods. For a relativelylow fee you can get hold of a good range of balloons, all printed with your bespoke message.
It is important to note that using a 100 percent balloon-based treatment as your marketing plan will not always bring the results you are looking for. It is much better to use printed balloons as one part of your advertising campaign. Think of them as the exclamation mark on the end of your marketing sentence.
B-loony is a custom balloon printing company with staff that combines desire and wisdom within the printing industry.
Balloon printing options
There are two main types of balloon that can be printed on; latex balloons and foil balloons.
Latex balloons are the most common type of balloon. They are the teardrop shaped balloons that are slightly rubbery in texture. They nowadays come in a broad range of colour possibilities, and you can even get balloons that are semi-transparent or have a metallic surface finish. All latex balloons can be printed on but it is well worth bearing in mind the base colouring of the balloon when developing a design.
Foil balloons are in fact made from mylar, and rather than being formed of one solitary piece of material they are more commonly made by sealing two independent pieces together. This hemming process allows for a vast range of different shapes, including stars and hearts. Combined with their glistening finish, foil balloons have become incredibly popular for printing personalised messages for special occasions.
The environmental impact
Balloons are a consumable item, and as such people are often concerned about the effect they have on the environment. The good news is that balloons are in fact quite an eco friendly solution and using them will not have a damaging effect on the natural world. Many studies have been carried out that support this view.
Latex balloons are made of a material called natural rubber latex (NRL) which is collected from trees in tropical regions. The trees are merely tapped for their rubber rather than chopped down, and the cultivation of rubber tree plantations actually helps to stop rainforest deforestation.
They are also biodegradable and can even be used on the compost heap! Latex balloons will decompose at different rates depending on the conditions they are left in, although testing has demonstrated that they will usually decompose completely within 6 months. This is the same length of time as oak leaves take to decompose.
Get your own printed balloons
Hopefully this article will have pointed out a few of the situations that printed balloons are well matched to, and perhaps you are already thinking of an upcoming event where balloons would make a perfect party piece.
If you want to find out more about obtaining your own customised printed balloons, there are many businesses that are now providing balloon printing as a service. By searching on-line you will be able to find a balloon printing company that can help you out.