Helium Balloons - A Short History
Would you believe latex balloons for promotional purposes are printed whilst inflated. It's actually quite a complicated process. The balloons are inflated with air and held in a clamp. They are then squashed down onto a screen which cleverly delivers the image nicely onto the balloon.
Once printed the wet ink needs to be dried before it can be deflated. If it is deflated too soon the ink will stay moist for hours and as a result they will stick together. An automatic printing machine will be able to inflate them a little more after printing to help faster drying, the balloons are then generally blown dry.
This method of drying was never a problem during the early days when all latex balloons were printed using what's known as the offset method. Offset printing used rubber plates and rollers for the application of a thin layer of ink to the inflated balloons. As a result, the ink dried instantly. A nice fast printing method but unfortunately the quality was sub-standard. The printed versions looked reasonable when they were flat but once inflated the ink faded.
Demand began to increase and as a result the need for better quality arrived, and so screen printing became the norm. The screens give a thicker build of ink and a supreme quality. White ink on Black became possible, this was not an option with the offset method.
As balloon printing at weddings, birthdays and corporate events continued to grow in popularity, so did the need for accessories. Soon self sealing valves were available as most people found it extremely difficult to tie more than 100 balloons. The initial valves on the market required a little inward 'push' to seal them and later these were superseded by instant sealing valves.
The valves are simply inserted into the bottom of the balloons once they have been printed. The moment they are helium filled they become the ideal promotional item, a moving advert that appeals to everyone - but costs very little.
As balloon printing took off demand grew for releases and races. A release is the perfect spectacle at schools, Football grounds and corporate launches.
As a result this brought new environmental issues to the industry. A code of conduct was duely created and the new self sealing valves were not allowed for use during a release. Everything had to be totally biodegradable.
In today's market place it has never been simpler to purchase and source promotional balloons. You can easily order them printed, with helium gas and accessories by sending a simple email. The print quality and durability has been tried and tested to deliver excellent performance and float times.
About the Author
The author resides in Surrey in the UK and works in the digital design industry. For further information on anything relating to helium balloons he recommends visiting: http://www.balloon.co.uk/
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