Almost every flag that disappoints its owner was specified correctly on the print and incorrectly on everything else.

Four decisions carry the outcome. Work through them in this order, because each one narrows the next.

Shape is decided by the wind you actually have

The curved feather flag is the default because movement is what catches an eye. It needs air, though: on a still day in a sheltered courtyard it hangs down the pole and the artwork folds in on itself.

The teardrop is tensioned back to a fixed point, so it holds its outline with no wind at all. That makes it the honest answer for indoor halls, courtyards and anywhere surrounded by buildings. The rectangle and the blade give the largest flat print area, which is what you want when the flag has to carry an address or an opening time rather than a logo.

Height is decided by what stands between the flag and the reader

2.4m is a shopfront and indoor size. 3.4m is the all-round default and covers most sites. 4.2m and 5m exist for one reason: to clear parked cars, so the flag is still visible from a road when the forecourt is full.

Taller is not automatically better. A 5m flag needs meaningfully more ballast, and on a site with nothing to block the view a 3.4m flag reads just as well for less money and less carrying.

One side or two

A single-sided flag is one printed panel. The ink drives through the weave, so the reverse reads as a mirror image at roughly eighty per cent strength. For a symmetrical logo that is completely fine and nobody notices.

For text, it is not fine. The double-sided build sews two printed panels either side of an opaque liner so both faces read correctly. The liner is the part that matters — two panels back to back without one will ghost in bright sun, which looks worse than a mirror. The cost is weight: roughly double, so it needs more wind to fly and more base to stand.

The base is the decision people skip

Grass takes a ground spike, which is the cheapest option and the most stable by a wide margin. Hard standing takes weight instead — a folding cross base with a fillable ring, or a water bag that empties for transport.

A permanent kerbside position is best served by a slot mount set into concrete. And on a forecourt, the wheel plate slides under a parked tyre and uses the vehicle as ballast, which is why dealerships use almost nothing else.

Whatever the base, it must let the pole rotate freely. That single feature is the difference between a flag that streams downwind and a flag wrapped around its own mast by Tuesday lunchtime.

What to send when you ask for a quote

Shape, height, quantity, whether it needs to read on both sides, the surface it will stand on, and vector artwork. That is enough for real pricing the same day.

If you are not sure about the shape, describe the site — open forecourt, sheltered courtyard, indoor hall — and the answer usually picks itself.