paper banners

Catharine C. Kennedy · Wed Sep 29, 2004 4:36 pm

Is there a particular sort of paper used for "paper banners"? If so, I'd be interested in source info... Or do people just use butcher paper? Any thoughts on "proper" paints for the job would also be helpful!

Thanks!

Jon Harl · Post by **Jon Harl** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 7:24 pm

Butcher paper is really "the" paper to use on cheap paper banners. For real quick banners I'd use Rich Art tempera paints and Langnickle's poster muslin brushes along with red sable flats. I wouldn't layout anything and would one stroke casual all the copy except for the price. Believe it or not when I was doing paper signs for the grocery stores in the Long Beach, CA area I would paint somewhere around 400 signs per week or about 20 signs an hour. I had an easel that was almost flat. I had two large drying racks for screen printers that would hold 100 signs. So I would paint a 100 signs for the day in about 5 hours and then roll the orders up and deliver them on a route, collecting cash at each store. I did that 4 days in a row, MTWTH then the stores ads broke for the weekend. I got $3.50 per sign or about $1500.00 per week cash for 4 days work. This was the early 1980's For "nicer" paper signs I'd use One Shot poster colors and quills and flats that you would use to paint a vehicle or 4' x 8'. I'd layout with a hard pencil (2H or 4H) very lightly then erase the lines with a white plastic eraser. That's my confession of how I started in the sign trade. About 1984 I went to LA Trade Tech, took the sign graphics course. Found Mike Stevens and hosted a couple of Mike's workshops. Met some really cool "Letterheads" and was featured in SignCraft. The rest is still being wrote.

Post by **Mike Jackson** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 8:24 pm

Rich Art Poster Paint is getting hard to find.

Check out the Hard to Find Sign Supplies at:
http://www.theletterheads.com/supplies/index.htm

Look in the second section for Pacific Coast Sign Supplies. They had it at the time I made the list. I don't know of an East coast supplier. Dick Blick doesn't carry it on their site.

Rich Art makes some really beautiful showcard colors, high in pigment. Mike Stevens used to recommend it and kept them in business!

Jon does/did some terrific poster work. Maybe he can post a few for us.

Mike Jackson

Post by **Ron Percell** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:42 am

We would often use our pattern paper, which is a 30-50 lbs. blend, in the 60's and 70's we used a pure 50 lb.. when wanting them to last longer coat out an oversized peice with one shot then cut down the enameled paper the next day to fit your needs.

For stronger paper banners you may use Tyvek which is a fiber based paper.

Jon Harl · Post by **Jon Harl** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 3:06 pm

I've got some old showcards. Some were done by Lane Walker and a couple by me, I've even got a Mike Stevens full sheet. I'll get my son to help me post pics soon.

As Ron said Rich Art tempera is getting hard to find. McLogan's Sign Supply, Los Angeles 213/749-2262 still carries it and also 28" x 44" Crescent Showcard. Both Rich Art and Crescent have cut the amount of colors they offer but if they make the color McLogans has it. I'm sure you can still get showcard brushes from them too. For more tempera colors dickblick.com offers a Premium Tempera that works very well. I used to buy it in the gallons (black, red and dark blue) it costs less than Rich Art.