Which banner material to choose — the display spot decides

The same artwork can end up on a façade, in a shop window, in a backlit lightbox or in an office reception. In each of these places it works in different conditions and calls for a different material.

Frontlit works outdoors in daylight. Blockout stops show-through. Backlight comes alive in an illuminated frame. Airtex Greyback fits interiors where a more elegant look matters.

Choosing a banner material does not start with “which one is better”. It starts with: where will it be displayed, how will it be lit, and how long does it need to last.

Before you choose — answer three questions

• Outdoor or indoor?
  The most basic split. Outdoor materials must survive rain, wind and changing temperatures. Indoor materials can be lighter — but have different aesthetic demands.
• Daylight, artificial light or backlighting?
  A façade banner in daylight is one case. A shop-window banner with sun coming through is another. Artwork in a backlit lightbox is a third. Each needs a material that behaves differently.
• One side or two sides of display?
  If the banner is seen only from the front, a standard material is enough. If the back shows through the window glass, or the banner is viewed from both sides, you need blockout.

Frontlit — the standard for outdoor display

Picture a large banner on a building façade or a roadside fence. Sun, rain, wind — the material works for months without replacement. Frontlit is built for it: 450 g/m² and resistance to weather. Available in any size, so you match the format to the exact structure.

It is a universal outdoor material: façades, fences and advertising structures. It works in daylight. For a shop window where the back shows through — no. For a backlit lightbox — no.

→ Frontlit in the shop

Blockout — when show-through ruins the graphic

Picture a banner in a shop window on a sunny day. With standard frontlit, sun coming from outside pushes through the material and the graphic loses clarity from within. Blockout has an internal barrier layer that stops light passing through — the front stays legible regardless of light coming from behind.

It works in shop windows and glass walls, and in exhibition and trade-fair systems. If the banner needs to be legible from both sides — for example in a walkway at a fair — choose the double-sided variant.

→ Blockout in the shop

Backlight — when the graphic should glow after dark

Picture artwork mounted in a backlit lightbox — in a shop window, a restaurant or a shopping mall. As dusk falls or lights are dimmed, the frame glows from within and the material must transmit light evenly. Backlight has the right translucency: the graphic does not look like a projector slide, but like a glowing print — saturated colours, a message legible at any hour.

Applications: lightboxes, shop windows, hospitality, beauty salons, receptions and commercial interiors as backlit décor. Backlight works best when lit — without light the graphic stays visible but loses saturation and contrast, so it is not a material for ordinary daytime display.

→ Backlight in the shop

Airtex Greyback — when interior aesthetics matter

Picture a premium reception, a showroom or a display area with high aesthetic standards. Standard frontlit indoors looks like an outdoor banner brought inside — the plastic sheen and PVC texture do not suit a premium space. Airtex Greyback has a textile finish that gives a soft, elegant look — closer to printing on fabric than on film.

The grey back reduces show-through from the background. It fits showrooms, points of sale, salons, shopping malls and trade-fair stands — where a standard banner would look too technical.

→ Airtex Greyback in the shop

Four materials in one table

A quick comparison to help you decide.