Music stand banners are an important part of a band’s appearance, helping create a smart, consistent look at concerts, competitions and other performances.
Whether you’re ordering a complete new set for a brass band, updating banners for a school or college ensemble, or simply replacing one that’s been damaged or lost, there are a few things worth considering before placing your order.
At AB Print Group, we produce custom embroidered music stand banners in the UK, with no minimum order. That means you can order a single replacement banner, add to an existing set or commission a completely new set.
Here’s what to consider when choosing music stand banners for your band or ensemble.
Embroidery gives music stand banners a traditional, professional finish that works particularly well for brass bands, orchestras, schools, colleges and ceremonial bands.
Unlike temporary printed materials, embroidered banners are made as textile products designed to be handled, transported, stored and used repeatedly.
Your band’s logo, crest or emblem can be reproduced in embroidery, with the fabric, braid and fringe selected to complement your existing colours.
A well-designed set of banners helps create a consistent appearance across the whole band, particularly important when you’re performing on stage, competing or appearing at public events.
Not every music stand is the same.
Different stands can have different widths, depths and desk shapes, so it’s important that your banners are designed with the stands they’ll actually be used on in mind.
When requesting a quotation, it’s helpful to provide:
AB Print Group can produce banners to suit a wide range of music stand styles, helping ensure the finished design sits correctly when the band is performing.
Colour is an important part of any band’s identity, particularly where banners need to complement uniforms, jackets or an established colour scheme.
Music stand banners can be produced using a choice of fabric colours, together with coordinating or contrasting braid and fringe.
When briefing your banners, consider:
If you’re adding to an existing set, send us photographs or, where possible, an existing banner to work from. This gives us the best opportunity to make your new banners sit comfortably alongside the originals.
There is no minimum order for AB Print Group music stand banners.
This is particularly useful when you don’t need a complete new set.
You might need:
You can, of course, order a complete matching set at the same time.
Our continuity of supply also means that if you need additional banners in the future, we can produce further banners to complement your original order.
Our embroidered music stand banners are used by a wide range of musical organisations, including:
The same principles apply whether you’re looking for a single replacement or a full set: the banners need to fit your stands, reproduce your identity clearly and look consistent across the ensemble.
AB Print Group also produces hand and machine embroidered presentation banners and pennants, so if you require other embroidered banners alongside your music stand banners, these can be discussed as part of the same project.
One example of our work is a set of 50 embroidered music stand banners produced for Ravnanger Brass Band in Norway.
The project was completed through Tor Banners, part of AB Print Group, continuing a tradition of specialist music stand banner production stretching back more than 40 years.
You can read the Ravnanger Brass Band music stand banner case study to see the finished banners and find out more about the project.
If you’re looking for something similar for your own band, school or ensemble, you can find out more about our custom embroidered music stand banners, including the options available and how to get in touch.
Before getting in touch, it helps to have a few details ready:
Don’t worry if you don’t have everything. We can talk through the options with you and advise on what we need to produce your banners.
Whether you need one replacement music stand banner or a complete matching set, AB Print Group can help.
Our music stand banners are made in the UK and available with no minimum order, with a choice of fabric, fringe and braid colours to create a design that suits your band, school or organisation.
Ready to match fabric, fringe and braid to your stands? Start on our music stand banners section, then contact us, email hello@abprintgroup.com or call 01924 473481. Whether you need one banner or a full set, there is no minimum order to get the conversation started.
Scratch cards are a popular choice for charity, school and community fundraising campaigns. They’re familiar, portable, easy to distribute and can be used at events, in shops, through direct mail or as part of a wider fundraising campaign.
But a successful fundraising scratch card starts with a clear print brief.
From the size and quantity to the scratch-off latex panel, prize structure, security and packing, giving your printer the right information from the outset helps ensure your scratch cards look professional, keep prize information concealed and arrive ready to distribute.
Here’s what to include when asking for a quote for custom printed fundraising scratch cards.
Before deciding on the specification, think about how the scratch cards will actually be used.
Scratch cards can be produced for charity fundraising, school fundraising, competitions, special offers, in-store promotions, direct mail campaigns, exhibitions and door drops.
Tell your printer:
This gives your printer a much clearer understanding of the campaign and helps them recommend an appropriate print and finishing specification.
Producing a scratch card involves several stages of printing and specialist finishing.
At AB Print Group in Batley, West Yorkshire, we produce custom scratch cards in-house, combining litho or digital printing with specialist screen-printed latex, followed by trimming, packing and secure despatch.
For the scratch-off area, consider:
If your cards are being digitally printed, tell your printer at the quotation stage. At AB Print Group, digitally printed scratch cards use a gloss laminate on the latexed side to help prevent raised toner from making concealed information visible through the scratch-off panel.
Fundraising cards sometimes carry higher-value prizes or limited winning panels. AB Print Group follows procedures for high-value prizes as part of the production flow.
Your printer will need to know:
At AB Print Group, we have established procedures for producing scratch cards involving high-value prizes and can provide secure packing and despatch as part of the production process.
Your organisation remains responsible for the competition or fundraising rules, terms and conditions and any applicable legal requirements, so these should be considered separately when planning the campaign.
How your scratch cards are packed can be just as important as how they are printed.
For example, a school or charity may want cards supplied in individual bundles for different fundraisers, branches or locations rather than receiving the entire quantity in one bulk pack.
Before requesting a quotation, consider:
Providing this information at the beginning allows packing and distribution to be included in the quotation rather than added later.
There isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all quantity.
The right print run depends on the size of your campaign, how the cards will be distributed and whether you expect to repeat the promotion.
A small school or local charity campaign will have very different requirements from a national fundraising promotion.
AB Print Group can produce scratch card campaigns in a range of quantities, with production capacity extending to runs of more than one million cards.
If you’re unsure about the most economical quantity, tell us how you plan to use the cards and we can advise on a suitable production route.
If you’re requesting a quotation for charity or fundraising scratch cards, providing the following information is a useful starting point. Use this as a one-page brief to AB Print Group:
If you already have artwork, you can send a print-ready PDF with your enquiry. If not, send your logo, wording and an outline of what you’re trying to achieve and we can discuss the artwork requirements with you.
AB Print Group produces custom printed scratch cards at our Batley site in West Yorkshire, with printing, specialist latex application and finishing handled in-house.
We produce scratch cards for charities, schools, businesses, promotions, competitions, direct mail and other applications, from smaller campaigns through to high-volume production.
Keeping the process under one roof gives us greater control over print quality, specialist finishing, security, packing and despatch.
If you’re planning a charity or fundraising scratch card campaign, send us the details above and we’ll help you work out the most suitable specification.
When the checklist is filled in, send it through our contact form, email hello@abprintgroup.com or call 01924 473481. Our team can talk through latex, security packing and how the full in-house process fits your fundraising timeline.
For the full service overview, including commercial and promotional uses beyond charity, see custom scratch card printing at AB Print Group.
Good packaging doesn’t always need to be elaborate. For many products, the priority is a well-designed pack that protects what’s inside, presents the brand clearly and works for the way the product will be displayed, handled or distributed.
For other products, packaging is a bigger part of the customer experience. A premium gift box, specialist finish or more substantial construction can help communicate quality before the product has even been opened.
At AB Print Group, our packaging printing service covers everything from folding cartons, printed sleeves and retail packaging to gift boxes, presentation packaging and high-end branded packs.
So, how do you decide which type of packaging, board and finish is right for your product?
Start with the product rather than the finish.
A lightweight retail product sitting on a shelf may only require a simple printed folding carton or sleeve. A heavier product, presentation item or gift may need something more substantial.
Before choosing the material, think about:
These practical considerations help determine the structure and board before you start thinking about decorative finishes.
There isn’t one board that’s right for every packaging project.
At AB Print Group, we work with a range of materials including folding box board, fluted board and paper over board.
Folding box board is widely used for printed retail cartons, product boxes and sleeves. It can be printed, creased and cut to create a wide variety of packaging shapes and is a good starting point for many retail products.
Fluted board provides additional structure and strength, making it useful where the product or packaging requires greater rigidity or protection.
Depending on the specification, it can also be used creatively where a more substantial construction is part of the design.
Paper over board is commonly associated with more substantial presentation and gift packaging. A printed or decorative outer paper is wrapped over a rigid board to create a stronger, more substantial feel.
It’s often considered when the packaging itself is intended to form part of the product presentation rather than simply contain it.
You don’t need to know the exact board specification before speaking to your printer. Tell us about the product, how the pack will be used and the look you’re trying to achieve, and we can discuss suitable materials and construction methods.
Specialist finishes can make packaging more distinctive, but they need to have a purpose.
Foil blocking can highlight a logo, product name or particular design element, while embossing or debossing introduces a tactile element by raising or recessing part of the design.
These finishes can work particularly well for:
AB Print Group offers specialist finishing including foil blocking and embossing in-house, giving us greater control over the production and finishing process.
That doesn’t mean every pack needs a specialist finish. Sometimes good structural design, strong artwork and the right board will do more for the finished product than adding another process simply for the sake of it.
If you’re developing new packaging, a prototype or dummy can be extremely useful before committing to production.
It gives you an opportunity to check:
This is particularly valuable for new product launches, bespoke packaging, sleeves and presentation boxes where small structural changes can make a significant difference.
AB Print Group can produce dummies, mock-ups and hand-assembled prototypes, as well as CAD drawings that your design team can use to create the artwork.
If possible, supplying a physical product sample is useful. If that isn’t available, accurate product dimensions are a good starting point.
Most bespoke packaging needs to be cut, creased or shaped before it can be assembled.
AB Print Group has both die-cutting and digital CAD cutting capabilities in-house, giving us flexibility depending on the packaging design, material and quantity required.
Digital CAD cutting can be particularly useful during development and prototyping because designs can be cut directly from a digital file without first producing a physical cutting forme.
Die-cutting uses a purpose-made cutting forme to cut and crease the printed board into its finished shape and can be particularly effective for repeat production.
The best method depends on the individual project, so you don’t need to specify CAD cutting or die-cutting when you first enquire. Tell us what you’re producing, the quantities involved and whether the design is finalised, and we can recommend an appropriate production method.
Premium packaging becomes particularly valuable when the pack is part of the product experience rather than simply a way of containing it.
Products such as gifts, fragrances, drinks, luxury goods and presentation items may benefit from a more substantial box construction and specialist finishing.
Options can include:
AB Print Group has experience producing short and long-run packaging for high-value products including perfumes and spirits, alongside gift boxes, promotional packaging and presentation cases.
The important point is that premium doesn’t automatically mean adding every available finish. The board, structure, print and finishing should work together to suit the product, brand and budget.
You don’t need to arrive with a finished packaging specification.
A useful initial brief would include:
If the structure hasn’t been finalised, send a product sample or accurate dimensions and tell us what you’re trying to achieve. We can then discuss materials, prototypes, CAD and finishing options before moving into production.
From straightforward printed cartons and sleeves to bespoke presentation boxes and premium gift packaging, the right solution starts with understanding the product and what the packaging needs to do.
AB Print Group combines packaging design and cardboard engineering expertise with litho, digital and screen printing, CAD cutting, die-cutting and specialist finishing, with extensive production capabilities available in-house at our Batley site in West Yorkshire.
For more information, visit our packaging printing page, then get in touch, email hello@abprintgroup.com or call 01924 473481 to discuss your project.
To find out more, please call, email or send our enquiry form. We look forward to speaking with you.
