Custom Balloon Printing Guide

Custom balloons are the perfect decorative highlight at any special event or celebration. They are a colourful and unique way to capture people’s attention and create a light-hearted atmosphere – all at a relatively low cost.

Unlike off-the-shelf balloons, custom balloons add a special touch of personality to any space by showcasing a picture, logo or message of your choice.

At Specialty Balloon Printers balloons are our specialty and we’ve been printing custom balloons for over 30 years! So if you’ve never had the experience of ordering your own personalised balloons and you’re curious about the process, we’ll take you through what to expect.

Ordering Your Custom Balloons: Step-By-Step

Step 1: Decide On Their Use

Have a think about your upcoming event or celebration and decide what you will use your custom balloons for. By having an idea of where and how you would like to use your balloons, choosing between balloon options later on will be a breeze!

Step 2: Prepare Your Artwork

Once you’ve decided on how you would like to use your balloons it’s time to start preparing your artwork. You’ve got the option of adding a photograph, message or even a logo to a balloon surface. If you prefer, there’s even the option of mixing and matching.

Grab your photograph files or finalise your print-ready artwork to be sent to us. If you aren’t sure about your design or need some help with things like colour choices, specs and font options, you can always reach out to our team of designers who can guide you through the next steps.

Step 3: Choose A Material

Balloons usually come in one of two materials: latex rubber and foil. Both of these options also come with different benefits.

Most people tend to purchase latex balloons because they are less expensive than foil balloons. However, foil balloons have a much higher helium retention and can stay fully inflated for several days. By comparison, latex balloons on the other hand generally stay inflated for 8-12 hours.

Step 4: Select A Shape

Custom balloons come in various shapes, so the end result you are after (or what occasion you are using your balloons for) may ultimately decide what balloon shape is best for you to choose. For a heartfelt or romantic occasion, a heart-shaped balloon may be in order. For other events and celebrations, a standard round-shaped balloon is a great one-shape-fits-all option.

For a fully customisable and unique balloon shape, talk to our team about creating a custom-shaped foil balloon.

Step 5: Choosing A Balloon Finish

Balloons come in a wide range of colours and finishes. At Specialty Balloons, we offer standard (solid colour), metallic (pearl semi-see-through finish) and crystal (see-through) balloon colour options for our 30cm latex balloon range.

For a more vibrant, eye-catching option, our custom foil balloons have a reflective shiny surface.

Step 6: Choose A Size

At Specialty Balloons, we stock different sized balloons to suit different needs. As a general rule, the size of your venue will have an influence on the balloon size you choose.

For more intimate events in smaller spaces or even just at home, the standard 30cm or 40cm sized round balloons will do the trick. For larger venues and when you need that “wow” factor, you can always go with the larger 72cm round balloons.

Step 7: Select A Neck Direction

Neck up or down? If you’re looking to inflate your balloons with helium, choosing the “neck down” option with the print above the neck will be the best choice for you.

If you are just filling your balloon with ordinary air and would like your print to appear below the balloon neck, choose the “neck up” option.

Step 8: Which Side Should I Print On?

Another thing to consider is if you would like your print to appear on one or both sides of your custom balloons. Having your print appear on two sides of your custom balloons is a great way to capture people’s attention and get your message across.

Step 9: Choosing An Ink Colour

Choosing what colours to print your design with can be a lot of fun. At Specialty Balloons, we mix our very own high-quality ink so you can choose from thousands of PMS colours to create the perfect custom balloon.

Step 10: Upload Your Artwork

This is where you supply a copy of your artwork for printing in EPS, AI, JPG or PNG format to us. For an easy transfer of multiple documents, combine all your documents into a zip file.

Step 11: Some Additional Things To Consider

Here are some additional things to consider with regards to your order:

• What date is the order required by?
• How many balloons should I order?
• Should I get some additional accessories such as balloon sticks and cups or ribbons?

Why Work With Specialty Balloons?  

There’s plenty of reasons to create your custom balloons with Specialty Balloons – from our price-beat guarantee, speedy turnaround times and our free delivery offer for Australian orders over $50. Not to mention we make creating custom balloons super easy and have been doing so for many years.

Discover why we’re Australia’s favourite balloon supplier. Call us today for a free quote or visit our website and browse our wide range of custom balloon products and accessories.