Paper versus Plastic Posters: Pros and Cons

Have you heard of the phenomenon of plastic posters? If you have not, then now you know there is such a thing. Besides the usual glossy full color posters, poster printing companies now offer plastic posters. It is actually a natural evolution for poster printing. Plastic itself as a medium has plenty of properties that make it ideal for posters. In addition, in some aspects it can be economical. However, there are still some issues about the use of plastic, especially environmental ones. With "inconvenient truths" being spread, there are a lot of pros and cons to plastic poster printing. This mini article will pick out the truth and lies for you so that you are well informed of this issue. If you or your company print posters all the time, this information will be doubly significant. So read on and be enlightened. Plastic over paper First, we go to plastics. Plastic posters have several significant advantages over the paper kind. This can be summed up into one word. That is Durability. Unlike its paper counterpart, plastic posters are very durable. They are resistant to most forms of moisture, be it water, food, drinks and other liquid substances. In addition, dirt and dust are no problems when you use plastic. Its very material as well defies the typical deterioration that most paper posters endure. Plastic posters will not fade and they will not bend or tear easily. Overall, it is a very though material that can really take on many environmental effects. Because of this ability, plastic posters have the extra advantage of long life. Like all other plastic materials, a plastic poster will not degrade naturally. It is a plastic and it will last virtually forever unless it is heated, surgically cut, or flash-cooled. So barring those extreme effects, a plastic poster can carry its message maybe even long after many generations have passed. Paper over plastic With all that praise for plastic however there are significant drawbacks. Due to its long life, plastic posters if not taken cared off properly becomes part of the environmental problem. Unlike paper posters which will eventually biodegrade, a plastic poster can become the many items that are building up in landfills across the country. With people being increasingly aware of their environment, it is no surprise that plastic posters sometimes get a second consideration before any decision about poster printing is done. Besides the environmental risks, a few special and well-equipped poster printing companies can only do plastic posters. If you are lucky, you can search for a plastic poster printing company near your location. If you are determined enough, an online printing company may have plastic poster printing as an option. Barring these situations however, you may be hard pressed to find a printer that can do it. Almost any printer out there on the other hand can print paper posters. Recommendations With all the arguments though, choosing plastic or paper printing for posters actually depends on your main goal. If your posters need to last a long time, and if it will be exposed to harsh environmental effects, then plastic poster printing is the best choice. Just be sure that it will be used responsibly and that it will not be thrown to the trash. Capitalize on its longevity and print posters that have a long-term use. This should minimize their impact on the environment. If however your poster is just for your normal run of the mill promotional campaign then you may want to just print paper posters, which will biodegrade eventually. Whatever you choose however, always remember that you can always print responsibly. Take into account your goals and of course the effects of your poster printing on the environment. We all can balance our concerns and our wants. We just need to plan things clearly and responsibly. So? Is it paper or plastic? Katie Marcus writes information about poster printing and plastic posters technologies.