How Flags are Made

Because of its importance, the job of making flags is usually given to a flag-maker. Flag-makers have existed since at least the beginning of the Roman Empire when Emperor Augustus required makers to follow strict guidelines in making standards for the legions.

Land-based flagmakers work with bunting and other materials while online companies use modern techniques such as screen printing. Flags can either be custom made or mass-produced; both methods are used today with each having advantages and disadvantages depending upon factors such as time constraints, order quantity, budget, etc.

During Bunting creation fibers are cut using a paper cutter that is fitted with sharp metal blades or an electric blade designed specifically for cutting fabric. The blades press through layered fabric leaving a clean edge. The paper cutter is used to cut both sides of the fabric at the same time, ensuring that each piece is precisely symmetrical.

In pre-industrialized countries fabrics were hand loomed and colors were only natural; by using dyes from local plants and minerals this way it was almost impossible for any two flags to be exactly alike. Today with advanced technology mass production allows for consistent patterns in color distribution resulting in specific designs and logos or even full landscapes being printed on bunting.

Using computer software that matches colors the design, which has been made into a template, can be scaled and rotated as needed while the printing process plays out identically every time creating an infinite number of virtual flags before every single one of them is made. Color selection can be just as precise with designs being chosen to match exactly the colors of a company’s logo or other similar details. (https://aaneslandtre.no/)

During this stitching process great care must be taken not to damage any already finished sections of bunting; for instance if one end of a piece accidentally gets caught on the wrong side it must be removed and the stitch resumed from the right sides together. (https://aaneslandtre.no/rekkverk/)

Clear instructions are included with each order to ensure that all steps remain consistent and produce a professionally made product. The flag-maker is in charge of checking that each step has been completed correctly before passing it along for further processing. Quality control is also performed by quality assurance which ensures the flags meet all industry standards required. (https://aaneslandtre.no/flaggstang/)

This process is repeated until every piece has been stitched together creating a long continuous strip of fabric, each section having one finished edge and two unfinished ones. Additional stitching can then take place if needed.

Parts like raw edges need to be hemmed while parts like grommets are already finished. To ensure the fabric remains strong and durable enough to be used in weather conditions it is now run through a machine that applies polyurethane (PU) coating onto the entire length of bunting.

The PU coating process includes: passing the bunting through an infrared oven which melts the plastic onto one side, allowing it to cool down as it travels over rollers and then repeating on the other side before being cut into two even lengths using a rotary blade; once cut each piece of bunting can be fully assembled by simply threading them through eyelets (holes punched) in appropriate places such as at regular intervals along their edges or after every few sections or stripes so that they hang correctly.

The last stage of construction can vary depending on how much customization was requested by the client. For instance if using already printed flags, grommets or keyholes could be used rather than making them from scratch.