Too often, Carey Snyder has observed what he calls “a lackadaisical attitude toward flag ceremonies.”
His passion for the American flag and a desire to improve flag ceremonies both inside and outside Scouting inspired him to create a 42-slide PowerPoint presentation called “It’s a Grand Old Flag.” In the presentation, which he’ll send you for free, Snyder explains the importance of respecting our flag and what it stands for.
After all, writes Snyder in the introduction to his presentation, “We, as the premier organization for youth, have an example to uphold.”
Snyder is a volunteer in the Sam Houston Area Council and agreed to let me summarize parts of his presentation into 10 things to know about flag etiquette.
All Scout flag ceremonies should be solemn events, but they shouldn’t all be the same.
For Tigers, plan a flag ceremony that’s short and simple. For older Cub Scouts, add a few more lines.
For Boy Scouts, suggest the boys plan something more elaborate and deeper in meaning, perhaps with additional comments by an adult or a more senior Scout.
The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water or merchandise.
However, contrary to an urban legend, the U.S. Flag Code does not state that a flag that touches the ground should be burned or retired.
The American flag is great enough as it is. That’s why the flag “should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.”
In other words, leave it be.
No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen and members of patriotic organizations, like the BSA.
The flag patch worn on Scout uniforms and the flag patch worn on military uniforms face different ways. This is why.
When carried in a procession, the American flag is to:
When displayed, the American flag:
The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
Separation is appropriate when the flag is large, or when you have only a few flags and a large number of Scouts who wish to take a substantive part in the ceremony.
More on flag retirement here.
Unless the flag pole is lighted, it should be lowered at dusk. Again, special care should be taken that no part of the flag touches the ground.
In this country, we have special way we fold our flag. The American flag — and only the American flag — is folded into a triangle.
Boys’ Life shows us how it’s done.
A properly folded flag should show only a triangular blue field of stars — unlike the one in the stock image above. The flag, when folded, is then carried held against the chest with the arms crossed and folded against the chest. The triangle points up.
Want Carey Snyder’s full flag etiquette presentation? Send him an email with “Flag Presentation” in the subject.
When you give to Scouting, you are making it possible for young people to have extraordinary opportunities that will allow them to embrace their true potential and become the remarkable individuals they are destined to be.
Donate TodayThere are many options out there for custom fabric printing. To choose the process best for you, learn about these 3 popular kinds of printing methods - silk screening, digital printing, and dye sublimated printing. These processes work great with most cloth materials, but in this article we'll discuss the options as they pertain to flag printing.
With this method, flags are printed using large-format automated silk screen printing machines. These printing machines allow manufacturers to produce each item accurately and quickly, but due to the lengthy setup process they generally require a minimum order of 10 flags. Silkscreening is a good choice for simple vector graphics made up of mostly shapes and/or few colors required.
Next, the flags are heat treated. This is done not only to make the printed images look better but also to fix the inks against harsh weather, making them last longer. The inks permeate through the fabric, creating almost 100% coverage on the reverse side.
Lastly, flags are trimmed and hemmed before a reinforcing strip is applied to the top and one side of the unit. The grommets are then inserted and the finished item is packed up for shipment. Your silk screened flag is ready to go!
With this type of fabric printing, your custom artwork is printed digitally on a large format inkjet printer. A big advantage to choosing a digitally printed flag is there are generally no minimum order requirements (unlike the silkscreen process). Whether you want 1 or 21 flags, you have the freedom to choose any quantity. Digital printing methods can print photographs and fine details too, providing more options when selecting your flag. However, a digitally printed flag does not offer the same ink penetration as does silk-screening, so your flag will look noticeably lighter on the reverse side. This can be fixed by purchasing a double-sided flag if necessary: Two digitally printed flags are sewn back to back, providing the same density of color.
After printing, flags then go through a series of baths from cold to hot water and are dried.
Finally, the flags are trimmed and hemmed before a reinforcing strip is applied to the top and one side of the cloth. Grommets are then inserted and the flags are packed up for shipment!
Flags printed with the dye sublimation process combine the best of both worlds. You get the richness in color from silkscreening with the photographic abilities of digital printing. How does dye sublimination work? Your artwork is initially printed onto transfer paper with the reverse image of your final graphic. Then, the image is transferred with a heat press onto polyester fabric at temperatures hitting 375° F. While the fabric is heated under this high temperature and pressure, the dyes turn into gases which permeate and solidify into the flag's fibers. The design is now permanently fixed so it can be washed without risk of damaging the image's quality.
There are generally no minimum ordering requirements for dye sublimated flags. Since this printing process dyes through the fabric, the opposite side will display about 15% lighter and in reverse. A double-sided dye subliminated display requires two panels sewn together and separated by a pocket or opaque liner to avoid the other side showing through.
One of the most important reasons for purchasing a banner flag is the advertising "effect" that wind motion has on the flag. A subtle "wave motion" blowing through your banner flag is both aesthetically appealing and attracts attention. For this reason, many flags are printed on knitted polyester designed specifically for that use.
Beware of flags printed on vinyl or other heavy weight materials! We love digitally printed vinyl for banner stands, it is a very good material for this purpose, but it was not designed for flags.
If you need more help determining which type of custom fabric printing is best for your advertising needs, just ask our team! We're always happy to answer any questions, and we can even help you create your flag design. Check out our Design Services for more information.
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