Timothy Reynold’s Blog

What is balloon printing?

Balloon printing is quite simply the process of putting some type of image onto the exterior of a balloon. Balloon imprinting companies have been around for a long time, but modern printing techniques and new machinery are helping to increase the scope of what type of balloons can be printed on, and what logos may be applied.

Balloons can have multi-coloured patterns printed onto their surfaces, and this can be increased by using clever designs and utilising the colour of the balloon itself. It is likewise 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 article hopes to highlight just a few of the possible uses of personalised, printed balloons.

Advantages

Balloons are fantastic because they are not an overly pricey 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 easily see the monetary benefits of printed balloons.

One of the most interesting things about using printed balloons at any type of occasion is the great flexibility they offer. Today’s balloon technology allows such a broad range of shapes, sizes and shades that you can really let your creativenessrun wild and let your creative side to take over.

This versatility gets even more significant when you start using balloons together to create balloon strings or sculptures. You can combine different coloured balloons to great effect and create bold designs, or use different shapes and styles of balloons to create eye-catching displays.

Another fantastic benefit of using balloons is that they are incredibly light. This makes them incredibly easy to move around and to sculpt into various sculptures. You won’t need to employ moving men or forklift trucks to get them to where you need them to be! The other great advantage is that if you are going to fill them on site, many hundreds of balloons will fit into a handbag.

I have spoken to many separate balloon wholesalers who all say custom printing is a market that keeps evolving.

For social events

Having a set of your own, customised, printed balloons at a social event always adds an additional factor of fun and fascination to whatever you are doing. Whether the function you are attending is a relatively formal affair, such as a grand dinner party, or a quite informal occasion, such as a stag or hen party, you will find that printed balloons can really make the night stand out.

Wedding parties

Wedding parties are the ideal occasion for utilizingprinted balloons to spruce up 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. This is where the versatility of balloon printing comes into its own.

During the wedding meal, photo-taking or any other official announcements, you can use various smart balloons printed to complement your surroundings. Then when the partyreally begins you can have a collection of fun balloons with a personalised wedding message. Or how about balloons printed with either the bride or grooms photo to show which side of the family you are on?

Stag & hen nights

Stag and hen parties are always fun occasions, and more often than not they will entail some form of dressing up or decoration. So why not use printed balloons as a way of “jazzing up” your evening and truly making your party stand out from the masses. Here are just a few ideas.

L-plate balloons. One of the most recognisable elements of a hen party is the bride to be donning driving L-plates on their outfit. 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 embellishing outfits. Why not print an L-plate on a good sized balloon and affix it to the bride to be. Then everyone will easily know who to watch out for during the rest of the evening!

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 outfits? You can print faces, nicknames, or just about any other funny facts onto personalised balloons and give them out to members of your stag party. You can even make a competition out of who manages to get their balloon safely through the night!

Decorating functions

Branded balloons at events don’t have to be highly conspicuous or gaudy. In fact, you will find that there are several ways that you can organise printed balloons to create very elegant effects. At many formal functions, such as award ceremonies or grand birthday parties, balloons can turn out to be an interesting piece of furniture rather than an outlandish statement. You can most likely 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 decorative. You could use a printed pattern on the balloons and then assemble lots of them together to give the impression of dynamic wallpaper! Alternatively 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 perform different tasks based on how far away the viewer is.

To make your balloons really soar above everybody use helium gas cylinders that can fill large numbers of plain or printed balloons.

For corporate events

Although many of us relate memories of balloons with birthday celebrations when we were children, printed balloons can also be used in a more grownup environment. The use of printed balloons can actually be very advantageous in the business world.

Exhibitions

Anyone who has had a space at a corporate exhibition will know just how very much competition there is for space and quite how hard everybody tries to bring potential customers in their direction. If you use the standard strategies of marketing to your exhibition show you will find that you need to spend plenty of time, and normally lots of money, to really stand out. But rather than just competing on the same playing field as your competitors, 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 market 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 right amount of string linked to the balloon you will be positioning your corporate identity in a space over and above the reach of regular advertising.

Just like printing your logo or corporate message on carrier bags or other packaging, printing onto balloons provides a mobile marketing space that you do not have to transport around yourself. Every time you give out a printed balloon to a visitor at the exhibition, you are effectively giving out a promotional piece for your business that will be movingaround.

Another great advantage of using printed balloons as a corporate advertising application is the price tag. No matter what condition the economy may be in, firms are continually looking for the most cost-effective means to promote themselves, and printed balloons are certainly one of these techniques. For a relativelylow fee you can get hold of a good quantity of balloons, all printed with your bespoke message. They are a really affordable advertising space.

It is important to note that using a 100 percent balloon-based solution as your marketing strategy won’t always bring the results you are looking for. It is much better to use printed balloons as one part of your advertising plan.

Beyond printing messages onto balloons, businesses can purchase numerous balloon accessories to improve what could be achieved with balloons.

Balloon printing options

There are two primary types of balloon that can be printed on; latex balloons and also foil balloons.

Latex balloons are the most common type of balloon. They are the teardrop shaped balloons that are slightly rubbery in texture. They now come in a broad range of colour options, and you can even get balloons that are semi-transparent or have a metallic finish. All latex balloons can be printed on but it is well worth bearing in mind the base colour of the balloon when developing a design.

Foil balloons are actually made from mylar, and instead of being formed of one solitary piece of material they are more commonly made by sealing two individual pieces together. This hemming process allows for a wide range of different designs, including stars and hearts. Combined with their shiny finish, foil balloons have become extremely popular for printing personalised messages for special events.

The environmental impact

Balloons are a consumable item, and as such people are often concerned about the effect they have upon the environment. The good news is that balloons are actually quite an environmentally friendly product and using them will not have a damaging effect on the planet.

Latex balloons are made of a material called natural rubber latex (NRL) which is collected from trees in tropical regions. The trees are simply tapped for their rubber rather than chopped down, and the cultivation of rubber tree plantations actually helps to avoid rainforest deforestation.
They are also biodegradable and can actually be used on the compost heap! Latex balloons will decay at different rates depending on the circumstances they are left in, although testing has demonstrated that they will usually decompose completely within 6 months. This is the same period of time as oak leaves need to decompose.

Get your own printed balloons

Hopefully this article will have pointed out a few of the scenarios that printed balloons are well matched to, and maybe you are already thinking about an upcoming occasion where balloons would make a perfect party piece.

If you would like to learn more about getting your own customised printed balloons, there are many businesses that are now offering balloon printing as a service. By searching on-line you will be able to find a balloon printing company that could help you out. Once you have witnessed how well balloons help to set off your party you will want to make use of them over and over!