Custom 13 oz. PVC Scrim Vinyl Banners — Heavy-Duty Outdoor Banner Printing, Full-Color CMYK, Hemmed & Grommeted, Free Design Service, Nationwide USA Delivery
When businesses, event organizers, contractors, and institutions across the United States order outdoor vinyl banners, the vast majority of what they receive is printed on scrim vinyl — whether they know it by that name or not. Scrim vinyl is the industry-standard outdoor banner substrate precisely because it solves the structural problem that plain vinyl cannot: it resists tearing. The woven reinforcement mesh laminated between the vinyl layers distributes tension load across the banner’s full surface rather than concentrating it at individual stress points, making scrim vinyl banners dramatically more durable than unreinforced alternatives at mounting hardware positions, along hemmed edges, and across wide spanning installations. Printed Today prints every standard outdoor banner on 13 oz. PVC scrim vinyl in-house at our New York facility using high-resolution full-CMYK digital printing with UV-stabilized eco-friendly inks. Furthermore, our transparent square-footage pricing gives every customer — from a small business owner ordering a single storefront banner to a franchise manager ordering 50 matching site banners — an immediate, accurate price with no setup fees, no hidden charges, and no minimum order requirements.
What Is Scrim Vinyl? — Material Explained
Understanding what scrim vinyl is — and why it outperforms plain vinyl for outdoor banner applications — helps you make confident material decisions and set accurate expectations for how your banners will perform at their installation location.
The Three-Layer Construction
Scrim vinyl is a composite material built in three distinct layers. The outer layers are PVC (polyvinyl chloride) — the smooth, printable vinyl surface that accepts ink and provides weather resistance. Between these two outer layers sits the scrim: a woven polyester or fiberglass mesh that functions as a structural skeleton within the material. This mesh is permanently laminated between the vinyl layers during manufacturing, creating a single unified material rather than separate components. Consequently, the scrim cannot separate from the vinyl face during use, cannot be pulled out during installation, and does not create visible texture on the printed surface. The result is a material that looks and feels like smooth vinyl but carries the structural performance of a reinforced composite.
Why the Scrim Layer Changes Everything
Plain vinyl — vinyl without embedded reinforcement — tears under concentrated load. When a banner without scrim reinforcement mounts on a fence with grommets and faces wind loading, all tension concentrates at the grommet holes. Over time, that concentration of force causes the vinyl to tear outward from each grommet — a failure mode that happens within days at high-wind locations and within weeks even at moderate-wind sites. In contrast, the scrim mesh in a scrim vinyl banner intercepts and redistributes that concentrated load across a wide area of the material, preventing the progressive tearing that destroys unreinforced banners. Additionally, because the scrim layer gives the material significantly higher tear-initiation resistance, even if a grommet pulls through on an older or damaged banner, the tear typically stops at the nearest scrim fiber intersection rather than propagating across the full banner face. As a result, scrim vinyl banners last months to years longer than plain vinyl alternatives under identical outdoor display conditions.
Scrim Vinyl Banner Weights — Choosing the Right Specification
Scrim vinyl banners are available in different weights, measured in ounces per square yard. Weight affects durability, stiffness, print surface quality, and suitability for different installation environments. We offer the two most widely used weights for outdoor commercial banner printing.
13 oz. Scrim Vinyl — The Industry Standard
13 oz. scrim vinyl is the most widely used outdoor banner substrate in the United States for documented reasons. At 13 oz. per square yard, it balances structural durability with print surface quality, portability, and cost more effectively than lighter or heavier alternatives for the vast majority of standard outdoor applications. The print surface accepts full-CMYK digital printing with crisp resolution and accurate color reproduction. The weight is heavy enough to hang flat without excessive flutter in light to moderate wind, yet light enough to handle, roll, transport, and store without specialist equipment. Furthermore, 13 oz. scrim vinyl remains the specification that the widest range of grommet hardware, banner hanging systems, and mounting accessories are designed to accommodate — making it the most universally compatible outdoor banner specification available. We use 13 oz. scrim vinyl as our standard substrate for every outdoor banner order unless a specific application calls for an alternative specification.
18 oz. Scrim Vinyl — Heavy-Duty for Demanding Applications
18 oz. scrim vinyl provides increased material thickness, higher tear resistance, greater stiffness, and enhanced durability for installations that require performance beyond what the standard 13 oz. specification delivers. Specifically, 18 oz. scrim is the right choice for banners intended for semi-permanent or permanent outdoor display over 12 months or more, construction site hoardings and scaffolding wraps where the banner faces sustained heavy wind and physical contact, building-mounted displays at elevated positions where wind loading is higher than at ground level, and any application where the cost of replacing a failed banner — including the labor cost of installation and removal — makes the premium for a heavier substrate worthwhile. In contrast to 13 oz. material, 18 oz. scrim vinyl is stiffer and heavier, which makes it less suitable for applications requiring rolled transport, frequent installation and removal cycles, or lightweight handling. For the majority of standard outdoor banner applications, 13 oz. delivers the optimal performance-to-cost balance. For demanding long-duration or high-stress installations, 18 oz. is the correct specification.
| Specification | 13 oz. Scrim Vinyl | 18 oz. Scrim Vinyl |
| Weight | 13 oz. per sq yd | 18 oz. per sq yd |
| Print Quality | Excellent — full-CMYK, sharp detail | Excellent — stiffer surface, very flat display |
| Tear Resistance | High | Very high |
| Expected Outdoor Service Life | 1–3 years (typical conditions) | 3–5 years (demanding conditions) |
| Stiffness | Moderate — rolls and stores easily | High — stiffer, less flexible when rolled |
| Portability | Excellent — lightweight for transport and reuse | Good — heavier, better suited to permanent install |
| Best For | Standard outdoor events, retail, real estate, trade shows, grand openings, seasonal campaigns | Semi-permanent site hoardings, scaffolding wraps, building facades, long-term advertising displays |
| Standard at Printed Today | ✓ Default specification | Available on request |
Table Note: Service life estimates assume proper installation, appropriate finishing specification for the installation environment, and storage rolled — not folded — between uses. Actual service life varies based on UV exposure intensity, average wind speed at the installation location, installation method, and how frequently the banner is removed and reinstalled. For applications where expected service life is a critical factor in material specification, contact our team before ordering to discuss the right weight and finish for your specific installation environment.
Scrim Vinyl vs. Mesh Vinyl — Understanding the Difference
Scrim vinyl and mesh vinyl are both reinforced outdoor banner substrates, and searchers frequently conflate them because both use embedded mesh reinforcement. However, they are fundamentally different materials with different physical properties and different application profiles. Understanding the distinction prevents the most consequential material specification error in outdoor banner printing.
Scrim Vinyl — Solid Face, Maximum Print Quality
Scrim vinyl has a solid, continuous vinyl face on both surfaces. No light passes through the material, no wind passes through it, and no gaps or perforations interrupt the printed design. This solid construction delivers the highest possible print quality — full color saturation, sharp detail at any size, and a smooth professional surface finish. Consequently, solid scrim vinyl is the correct specification for the vast majority of outdoor banner applications: storefronts, event backdrops, grand opening banners, real estate listings, trade show displays, street-level advertising, and any installation where a continuous, high-quality printed surface is the primary requirement. The trade-off for this superior print quality is wind resistance: solid scrim vinyl in sustained high-wind conditions builds pressure behind the banner face, creating mechanical loading at grommet attachment points that — at particularly exposed locations — can exceed what the material and hardware can sustain over an extended display period.
Mesh Vinyl — Perforated Face, Wind-Resistant
Mesh vinyl (also called perforated vinyl or wind-resistant vinyl) has thousands of small perforations across the banner face that allow air to pass through the material. This perforation dramatically reduces wind load on the banner and its mounting hardware — making mesh vinyl the essential specification for banners at exposed outdoor locations where sustained wind would destroy solid vinyl over an extended display period. Specifically, mesh vinyl is correct for open chain-link fence installations at construction sites, stadium perimeter fencing, rooftop advertising displays, highway-facing rural fence lines, and any other application where the banner spans an open gap with unrestricted wind access behind it. The trade-off for this wind resistance is print quality: because perforations interrupt the print surface, mesh vinyl produces lower color saturation and reduced fine-detail reproduction compared to solid scrim vinyl. At standard sidewalk and street viewing distances of 10 feet or more, mesh vinyl still delivers commercially acceptable visual quality. However, for close-range display or applications where print quality is the primary requirement, solid scrim vinyl always produces superior results.
| Factor | Solid Scrim Vinyl | Mesh Vinyl |
| Print Quality | Excellent — full color saturation | Good — reduced at close range |
| Wind Resistance | Moderate — builds pressure at high wind | Excellent — wind passes through |
| Surface | Solid — no perforations | Perforated — visible holes in material |
| Light Transmission | None — opaque | Partial — light passes through perforations |
| Best Installation | Solid backing: hoarding, wall, scaffolding | Open span: chain-link fence, rooftop, stadium |
| Typical Applications | Retail, events, real estate, grand openings, trade shows | Construction fencing, stadium perimeter, highway advertising |
Table Note: Both solid scrim vinyl and mesh vinyl use embedded mesh reinforcement — but the reinforcement serves different purposes in each. In solid scrim vinyl, the embedded scrim provides tear resistance while the solid face delivers maximum print quality. In mesh vinyl, the perforations provide wind resistance while the embedded reinforcement prevents tearing at grommet points. Selecting the wrong substrate for your installation environment is the most common cause of premature banner failure — if you are unsure which is correct for your specific installation, contact our team before ordering and we recommend the right specification.
Scrim Vinyl Banner Print Specifications
Every scrim vinyl banner Printed Today produces meets the same print and finishing standards regardless of banner size, use case, or customer type. Below is a complete specification reference for standard outdoor scrim vinyl banner orders.
| Specification | Standard | Notes |
| Substrate | 13 oz. PVC scrim vinyl (18 oz. available) | Select weight at checkout; 13 oz. default for all standard outdoor orders |
| Print Method | High-resolution wide-format digital printing | Full-color output at any banner size from 3 ft × 2 ft to 50 ft wide |
| Color System | Full CMYK (RGB accepted and converted) | Provide Pantone or hex references for brand-critical colors |
| Inks | Eco-friendly UV-stabilized inks | Fade-resistant through extended outdoor display across all US regional climates |
| Print Resolution | 720 dpi output resolution | Artwork supplied at 150 DPI at full size produces optimal results for standard viewing distances |
| Standard Finish | Hemmed edges all four sides + brass grommets every 24 in. | Included at no additional charge on every order |
| Finishing Upgrades | Pole pockets, reinforced corners, wind slits, mesh vinyl | Selected at checkout — recommended for specific installation environments |
| Maximum Width | Up to 50 ft wide | Seamless output — no joins on banners up to our maximum width |
| Bleed Requirement | 1.5 inches on all four sides | Prevents white edges after hemming — background must extend into bleed area |
| Artwork Formats | PDF, AI, PSD, EPS, PNG, JPEG, TIFF | Every file receives manual pre-press review before production begins |
| Production Location | In-house, New York, USA | No outsourcing — individual technician review and quality photo before every dispatch |
Table Note: Specifications above apply to standard 13 oz. scrim vinyl orders. For 18 oz. scrim vinyl orders, all print and finishing specifications are identical — only the substrate weight changes. For indoor-specific applications where a softer drape is preferred and weather resistance is not required, lighter 10 oz. or 11 oz. vinyl substrates are available on request. Contact our team before ordering to confirm the optimal specification for any non-standard application.
Scrim Vinyl Banner Pricing by Square Footage
Printed Today prices every scrim vinyl banner by square footage — multiply banner width in feet by height in feet to get the area, then locate your band in the table below. As size increases, the rate per square foot decreases, reflecting the production efficiency of larger print areas. There are no setup fees, no design charges when you use our free service, and no per-order minimums at any size or quantity.
| Square Footage Band | Rate per Sq Ft | Example Size | Example Price (USD) |
| Up to 6 sq ft | $2.49 | 3 ft × 2 ft | $14.94 |
| 6.01 – 10 sq ft | $2.49 | 5 ft × 2 ft | $24.90 |
| 10.01 – 20 sq ft | $2.15 | 5 ft × 4 ft | $43.00 |
| 20.01 – 30 sq ft | $2.15 | 10 ft × 3 ft | $64.50 |
| 30.01 – 40 sq ft | $2.10 | 8 ft × 4 ft | $67.20 |
| 40.01 – 50 sq ft | $2.10 | 10 ft × 5 ft | $105.00 |
| 50.01 – 70 sq ft | $2.05 | 10 ft × 7 ft | $143.50 |
| 70.01 – 90 sq ft | $2.00 | 10 ft × 9 ft | $180.00 |
| 90.01 – 120 sq ft | $1.85 | 12 ft × 10 ft | $222.00 |
| 120.01 – 150 sq ft | $1.85 | 15 ft × 10 ft | $277.50 |
| 150.01 – 200 sq ft | $1.60 | 20 ft × 10 ft | $320.00 |
| 200.01 – 300 sq ft | $1.60 | 30 ft × 10 ft | $480.00 |
| 300.01 – 500 sq ft | $1.60 | 50 ft × 10 ft | $800.00 |
Table Note: Prices shown apply to standard 13 oz. scrim vinyl with solid face, full-color CMYK printing, hemmed edges, and brass grommets. 18 oz. scrim vinyl and mesh vinyl are available at a modest material upcharge — contact our team for a quote on non-standard substrate specifications. No setup fees or design charges apply. Volume discounts for 5 or more matching banners apply automatically at checkout. To price any custom size, multiply width (ft) × height (ft) to get square footage, locate the band, and multiply by the rate shown.
Nationwide Scrim Vinyl Banner Delivery — All 50 States
We produce every scrim vinyl banner order in-house at our New York facility and ship directly to any delivery address across all 50 states via FedEx and trusted carrier partners. There are no zone surcharges and no remote-location premiums. Every order is individually inspected, photographed for quality records, rolled and wrapped securely, and dispatched with full tracking.
| Delivery Option | Production Time | Shipping Cost | Best For |
| Standard Delivery | 5 Business Days | Calculated at checkout | Planned campaigns, events, and installations with confirmed dates |
| 72-Hour Express | 3 Business Days | Calculated at checkout | Near-term deadlines this week or early next |
| 48-Hour Express | 2 Business Days | Calculated at checkout | Short-notice requirements within 2 business days of artwork approval |
| 24-Hour Next-Day Express | Next Business Day | Calculated at checkout | Emergency orders — deadline is tomorrow |
Table Note: Production times begin from artwork approval — not from order placement. Submitting print-ready artwork at checkout activates the fastest possible production start. We produce all scrim vinyl banners entirely in-house at our New York USA manufacturing facility, individually inspect each banner, photograph it for quality records, and securely package it before dispatch. Full tracking is provided at the time of dispatch to all 50 United States.
Questions? Contact Our Team
Whether you have a material specification question — 13 oz. vs. 18 oz., solid scrim vs. mesh, standard finish vs. reinforced corners — or you need an immediate express quote, our team provides clear answers before you commit to an order.
Phone: +1 (929) 296-1279
Available 8am–12am EST weekdays | 11am–7pm EST weekends
Live Chat: Connect directly through the chat widget on this page for fast specification guidance.
Available 8am–10pm EST daily
Email: [email protected]
Ready to order? Select your banner dimensions, substrate weight, and delivery speed above, then proceed to checkout. For organizations ordering large volumes of scrim vinyl banners across multiple sites or seasonal programs, contact our trade team for contract pricing and dedicated account support.
Frequently Asked Questions — Scrim Vinyl Banners
What is scrim vinyl and why is it used for outdoor banners?
Scrim vinyl is a composite banner material built from two outer layers of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) with a woven polyester or fiberglass reinforcement mesh permanently laminated between them. The embedded mesh — the “scrim” — gives the material significantly higher tear resistance than plain unreinforced vinyl by distributing mechanical load across the banner’s full surface rather than concentrating it at individual stress points like grommet holes and hemmed edges. Under outdoor wind loading, this distribution of force prevents the progressive tearing that destroys unreinforced vinyl. Consequently, scrim vinyl is the industry-standard outdoor banner substrate across the United States because it solves the fundamental durability problem that plain vinyl cannot — and does so at a cost point accessible to virtually every application from a single storefront sign to a 200-unit municipal pole banner program.
What does 13 oz. scrim vinyl mean?
The “13 oz.” designation refers to the material’s weight per square yard — 13 ounces per square yard of finished material. This weight specification is the most widely used outdoor banner substrate weight in the US because it delivers the optimal balance of print quality, structural durability, portability, and cost for standard outdoor applications. Heavier weights — 15 oz., 18 oz. — provide greater tear resistance and stiffness for demanding long-duration installations but are less suitable for applications requiring frequent transport, installation, and removal. Lighter weights — 10 oz., 11 oz. — are softer and more flexible for indoor display but lack the structural performance needed for extended outdoor exposure. 13 oz. is the default specification we use for all standard outdoor banner orders.
What is the difference between scrim vinyl and mesh vinyl?
Both materials use embedded mesh reinforcement, but they are fundamentally different. Scrim vinyl has a solid, continuous PVC face — no perforations, no light transmission, maximum print quality. It is correct for applications with solid backing (hoarding, walls, scaffolding) or sheltered outdoor display. Mesh vinyl has thousands of small perforations across the face that allow wind to pass through — dramatically reducing load on the banner and mounting hardware at exposed outdoor locations like open chain-link fencing. The trade-off for this wind resistance is reduced print quality compared to solid scrim: perforations interrupt the print surface, lowering color saturation at close-range viewing distances. For the vast majority of outdoor applications, solid scrim vinyl produces superior visual results. Mesh vinyl is the correct specification only for persistently high-wind open fence-spanning installations where solid vinyl would fail due to mechanical overloading over an extended display period.
Is scrim vinyl the same as PVC banner material?
Yes — scrim vinyl and PVC banner are largely interchangeable terms for the same category of material. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is the polymer used for both the outer layers and, typically, the coating that binds the scrim reinforcement. When a supplier or printer refers to “PVC banner material,” they almost always mean scrim-reinforced PVC vinyl — not plain unreinforced PVC sheeting. The “scrim” specification within PVC banner material is what distinguishes the reinforced outdoor-grade material from non-reinforced PVC alternatives. All standard outdoor banners from Printed Today are printed on PVC scrim vinyl — reinforced, outdoor-grade material, not plain PVC.
How long do scrim vinyl banners last outdoors?
Under typical outdoor conditions, 13 oz. scrim vinyl banners with UV-stabilized inks retain color quality and structural integrity for 1–3 years of continuous outdoor display. 18 oz. scrim vinyl extends this to 3–5 years for demanding applications. Actual service life depends on UV exposure intensity at the installation location (Arizona and Florida climates are significantly more demanding than Pacific Northwest climates), average wind loading, the installation method and hardware quality, and whether the banner experiences physical contact from site activity. To maximize service life, store banners rolled — never folded — between uses, use reinforced corner patches at high-stress grommet positions on permanent installations, and specify mesh vinyl for open fence-spanning locations where sustained wind would overload solid vinyl.
Can I get scrim vinyl banners printed with photos?
Yes. High-resolution digital printing on scrim vinyl produces sharp, accurate photo reproduction at any banner size — from small tabletop displays to large-format 20 ft × 10 ft outdoor banners. For the clearest photo reproduction, submit your photos at the highest resolution available — our pre-press team reviews every image before production and flags any resolution issue before printing. Full CMYK color reproduction ensures accurate skin tones in portrait photos and true-to-life color accuracy in product or landscape photography. Because scrim vinyl has a smooth, solid face, photo quality on scrim vinyl banners is comparable to quality printing on any other smooth substrate.
What finishing options are available for scrim vinyl banners?
Standard finishing on every scrim vinyl banner order includes hemmed edges on all four sides and brass grommets installed approximately every 24 inches around the perimeter — both included at no additional charge. Optional finishing upgrades available at checkout include pole pockets (top, bottom, or both) for banner systems that use internal pole mounting rather than external grommet attachment, reinforced corner patches for permanent installations where corners experience elevated stress, wind slits for solid vinyl banners at moderately exposed locations, and mesh vinyl as the substrate for high-wind open fence-spanning applications.
What is the heaviest scrim vinyl you print on?
Our standard substrate is 13 oz. scrim vinyl, which covers the vast majority of outdoor banner applications. For applications requiring heavier-duty performance — semi-permanent construction hoarding, scaffolding wraps intended for display periods exceeding one year, building-mounted displays at elevated high-wind positions, or any installation where maximizing service life justifies a material premium — we offer 18 oz. scrim vinyl on request. Contact our team before ordering to confirm 18 oz. availability and pricing for your specific dimensions and order quantity.
Do you offer free design service for scrim vinyl banners?
Yes. Our in-house design team provides complimentary design assistance with every scrim vinyl banner order. Provide your logo, brand colors, the message you want on the banner, and any layout preferences — we build a professional layout, send a digital proof to your email for review and approval, and revise until the design is exactly right before production begins. There is no charge for this service, no limit on revision rounds, and no minimum order size required to qualify.
Do you ship scrim vinyl banners to all 50 states?
Yes. We ship custom scrim vinyl banners to all 50 United States via FedEx and trusted carrier partners, with full tracking at dispatch. There are no zone surcharges or remote-location premiums — your banner price is identical regardless of your delivery address anywhere in the country. Express production options including 72-hour, 48-hour, and 24-hour next-day are available for all delivery addresses across all 50 states.
