I'm not sure what the weather is like outside for you right now, but I’m writing this in August. It’s been a hot summer. And an awning would be a good thing to have on that window on the west side of the house right about now to keep it cool in the living room.

 

But this isn’t just about an awning to keep it cool on the west window of the house. It’s about an awning with logos and graphics for the storefront of the new frozen yogurt shop in town that not only advertises a progressive business, but also helps keep their air conditioning bill from going through the roof. In fact, some studies credit awnings with reducing solar heat gain by as much as 15° F during the summer if they’re placed on a south or west window.

 

In a nutshell, awnings are about controlling heat, and they’re about a surface that can display lettering and images to double as a sign.

 

You gotta love that idea. The old one-two punch.

 

Sophisticated and able to reproduce even the most discriminating corporation’s color demands, awnings add architectural interest to a building, as well as identification and shade. These awnings are made with Arlon’s ColorKote TC material. (Courtesy Arlon Graphics LLC)

DOUBLE DUTY

So what is out there these days for those punchy-looking awnings that double as signs? It’s come a long way since the days of heavy canvas, that’s for sure. The fabrics available now and the techniques for decorating those fabrics have given a new dimension to the possibilities for commercial signage awnings.

 

While the range of awning fabrics includes a lot of different materials, most materials used for signage are PVC composites with various surface coatings to accept graphic applications with cloth base substrates made of polyester or fiberglass for durability.

 

Improvements in material strength guard against abrasion and punctures. And high on the mind of many businesses is the ability to recycle materials at the end of the awning’s life. While PVC is not the most easily recycled material, efforts to re-use and recycle have had some measure of success. Cooley’s recycling program for example, which has been in place for years, recycles manufactured waste to use in new products like single-ply roofing. The Cooley ReFlex Recycling Program also recycles used billboard materials.

 

A Dunkin Donuts awning, made with Cooley-Brite II eradicable fabrics and supplied by Capitol Awning. (Courtesy Cooley Group)

Capitol Awning provided this Cooley Weathertyte awning for Ruth’s Chris Steak House. (Courtesy Cooley Group)

Some awning substrates, such as Arlon’s Wide Flex 6 product, have ICC profiles available for digital printing. However, decoration techniques for awning substrates are often determined by what kind of durability clients expect.

 

Other new developments have reduced material weight, which is a concern to anyone involved with shipping and handling. Cooley’s Weathertyte Lite, for example is now offered in an 11-ounce version that is still suitable for a wide variety of applications, like retractable awnings, lightweight banners and Bimini tops. And lighter is also thinner, which means these fabrics take up less room to store and ship.

 

CONSULTING THE INDUSTRY

To get a better handle on what’s out there, I asked a few manufacturers for an update on materials that are best suited for commercial signage and graphics awnings. While the responses below are not all-inclusive in an industry-wide sense, they are representative of the advances that fabric manufacturers have made in material composition for awnings. They are also indicative of the most popular decoration applications technologies available for awning materials that are intended to be used for graphics and signage. Here’s what I found:

 

What are your company’s most popular awning fabrics that are suitable for graphics applications?

 

Kevin McKinley

VP of Sales, Arlon Graphics LLC

Arlon’s most popular products for awnings are ColorKote TC, Wide Flex 6 and our Screen Printed graphics for awning applications. Wide Flex 6 is a wide-width flexible substrate that is used with vinyl film applications as well as digital printing.

 

ColorKote TC is a colored fabric in which customers can eradicate the areas where they desire white text or wish to inlay vinyl films.

 

Screen printed graphics is one of our most popular applications. This is due in part to the fact that we can offer the corporate identity customers the ability to display their images on an awning and have it last more than three years. Since awnings are subject to a lot more UV exposure, digitally printed graphics do not last much longer than three years. Screen printing allows customers to have their awning designs last up to nine years.

 

Screen printing is a popular method for applying graphics to awnings and holds up well against UV and other harsh environmental conditions. (Courtesy Arlon Graphics LLC)

An awning with logos and graphics on a storefront not only advertises the business, but can also function as a structural element that provides additional all-season shelter. (Courtesy Herculite)

James Gay

Director of Marketing, Fisher Textiles

Fisher Textiles offers several fabrics for awning applications. SI 6000 Duck is a canvas duck fabric that is 100 percent polyester, 70" wide and weighs 8.8 ounces a square yard. It offers a rugged canvas look with tremendous amount of outdoor durability. It is compatible with UV curable, true solvent, mild solvent and eco solvent printers.

 

SI 8300 Hercules is a woven texturized yarn fabric that produces extremely vibrant color. It is 100 percent polyester, 58" wide and weighs 9.7 ounces a square yard. It too is compatible with UV curable, true solvent, mild solvent and eco solvent printers.

 

Sunbrella IJ10 is made from 100 percent solution dyed acrylic yarns. It weighs 10 ounces a square yard and is available in 60" widths. It’s excellent for awnings, and is compatible with UV curable, true solvent, mild solvent and eco solvent printers. Soon Fisher Textiles will be introducing a new awning fabric that is weatherproof, flame retardant, waterproof and compatible with UV curable and dye sublimation printing. 

 

Craig R. Zola

Awning Fabrics Business Manager, Herculite

Coastline Plus has been an industry standard fabric for front-lit commercial awnings for over 30 years. Suitable for graphic application, Coastline Plus is top coated with a specially formulated and proprietary treatment called Rain Kleen that acts as a barrier between the fabric and graphic decorations. This coating prevents plasticizer migration, which is the leading cause of pressure-sensitive graphic failure. Other decoration methods include: solvent based digital printing, heat transfer films, heat sealed and inset vinyls, applique, screen printing and hand painting.

 

Canopy FS is Herculite’s leading translucent backlit vinyl. These structures are typically lighted from underneath for night signage. This fabric is coated with PVDF, which also accepts various forms of graphic applications including solvent based digital printing, heat transfer films, heat sealed and inset vinyls, applique, silk screening and hand painting and pressure-sensitive adhesive vinyl.

 

Diane Rose

Advertising Manager, Cooley Group

Cooley’s most popular awning products are our Cooley-Brite and Weathertyte product lines. Although each offers a very different look for a wide variety of awning applications, Cooley-Brite is an eradicable fabric, essentially for backlit applications and Weathertyte is a textured fabric designed as a high performance alternative to solution-dyed acrylics fabric. Both are well suited for PSV applications. Cooley offers PSV joint warranties with manufacturers like 3M, Avery and Arlon. Additionally, both white Cooley-Brite and Weathertyte fabrics are inkjet printable and offer great printed graphic quality images.

 

An attached awning made by digitally printing Cooley Weathertyte; provided by Zebra Awnings. (Courtesy Cooley Group)

How have these materials advanced in recent years?

 

Kevin McKinley

“In recent years we have not so much seen advancements in materials as much as customers trying to execute more difficult images on awnings. Digital printing has its limitations in that with an overlaminate, the warranties are generally three years. Corporate customers often come to us after seeing the awnings we do for Panera Bread and ask how we can help them accomplish their corporate awning image and have it last seven or more years. Screen printing inks are much more robust than digital printing inks.”

 

James Gay

“The biggest advancement for us has been with the coating. It is applied to hold the inks in place and enhance the vibrancy of color. With these new coatings all colors are deeper and more vibrant.

 

“Your readers should know that there are new requirements for awning fabrics regarding flame retardancy, for both indoor and outdoor use. In the case of using it outdoors, most must meet IFAI’s voluntary specification CPAI 84—A Specification for Flame Resistant Materials Used in Camping Tentage—as well as other weathering tests by the AATCC including Impact Penetration (AATCC 42-2007) and Water Repellency (AATCC 70-2010 and AATCC 22-2010).”

 

Editor’s note: IFAI is the Industrial Fabrics Association International; and AATCC is the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. 

 

Craig R. Zola

“Surface technology innovation in the last few years relating to texture and top coating has improved digital graphic resolution and graphic adhesion. Herculite’s commercial grade awning fabrics carry five- to eight-year warranties against UV fade and degradation. Surface innovation has helped close the gap between fabric and graphic life expectancy.”

 

Diane Rose

“Cooley is always refining and improving chemistry as printer and ink technologies change, and we’re developing new advancements to our awning fabrics. We continually improve them, working closely with well-known printer manufacturers like HP, Roland, Seiko and others to make sure our materials are approved and compatible with many major printer platforms.”