What’s Difference between Nylon and Knitted Polyester Flags?

When creating a custom flag you are often asked to choose your fabric. At Aurora, we offer two options, nylon and knitted polyester (Sometimes called polyknit, duraknit and others) both are very similar in appearance. But there are a few key differences.

Nylon

Nylon is strong, lightweight, weather resistant and fast drying. Nylons appearance is more opaque due the tighter weave of the threads in the material- this creates a more vibrant print.

The Government of Canada specifies 70D nylon as the official material that all of their Canadian flags must be printed on. Because of this, the industry norm in Canada has always been nylon for all types of flags. At Aurora Flags, our standard material is a high quality 200 denier nylon (200D).

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Pros:

-Vibrant
Graphics look amazing printed on Nylon
-Consistent
-Nylon is the standard flag material for Canada.

Cons:

-Slightly more expensive to produce.

Knitted Polyester

Knitted polyester is strong, slightly heavier, weather resistant and fast drying. Knitted polyesters appearance is coarser due to the looser weave of the material.

Knitted polyester’s lower cost and faster production time make it ideal for quick and economical print runs.

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Pros

-Fast turnaround
-Less costly
-Consistent
-Polyester is the standard flag material for the Europe and the rest of the world.
-Durable

Cons

-Less Vibrant

Applications

Flags: Nylon and knitted polyester are considered comparable. Nylon will provide a more vibrant print.
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Street Banners: Nylon is the preferred material with street banners as the fabric is stationary (unlike a flag which is always moving). The tighter weave in nylon will make the graphic more vibrant. If knitted polyester is used for street banners, the installed banner may look washed out or slightly transparent.
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Fence Banners: Knitted polyester is the preferred material for short-term applications as it allows for more air flow through due to the wider fabric weave. For longer term applications vinyl or mesh vinyl is preferred.

 

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