Exhibition Printing Checklist: What to Print and When to Order

For an exhibition stand, most businesses print one or two roller banners, a few leaflets or flyers to hand out, business cards, and sometimes a foamex board or poster for the stand wall and stickers to give away. Plan back from the show date: add the dispatch time for each item, counted in working days from the day you approve your proof, to 1 to 2 working days for mainland delivery, then allow spare days. Roller banners, for example, are dispatched 5 working days after proof approval.

The exhibition print checklist

Dispatch times in the table cover each product's standard options and are read from our live price list. The product page and your basket show the exact time for the options you choose. Mainland delivery usually takes a further 1 to 2 working days after dispatch, as an estimate: the courier sets the final time.

Plan back from the show date

We can't promise an arrival date, because the courier sets the final delivery time. What we can do is show the timings up front, so you can plan:

1. Finish the artwork. Use our free templates, which mark the trim, bleed and safe area for every product.
2. Upload and check. Every upload gets a free automatic check for size, bleed, colour mode, resolution and fonts. Fix anything it flags straight away.
3. Approve the proof. The dispatch clock starts when you approve the on-screen proof. If you add a manual proof, it starts when you approve the proof we send you, so allow for that exchange.
4. Dispatch. Count the dispatch time for your options in working days: Monday to Friday, not bank holidays.
5. Delivery. Most mainland deliveries arrive 1 to 2 working days after dispatch.
6. Spare days. Add margin for proof changes and the unexpected, and deliver to an address where someone can sign for it.

If we dispatch later than the time shown for your options, for a reason on our side, we give you credit worth 10% of the order's print price for a future order, without you having to ask. That does not cover courier delays after dispatch, or delays from late or changed artwork. Our delivery page has the details. If your show is close, contact us before you order.

A simple order of work

• First: roller banners and any foamex boards. They are the biggest pieces, and you will want to see them before the show.
• Next: business cards, which rarely change between shows.
• Last, once details are final: leaflets with show offers, price lists and anything with dates on it.

Approve everything in the same week where you can, so every item is on its way together.

Roller banners

A roller banner is the standard sign for a stand: it stands on its own base and rolls back into it, so one person can set it up where nothing can be fixed to the walls. Ours come fitted to a standard stand with a carry bag. 850mm suits most stands; 1000mm gives about 18% more width. Put your name and one clear message in the top half, at eye level, and keep text out of the bottom 160mm, which the base can cover. Our roller banner template marks those zones, and our page on exhibition roller banners has a worked example. Roller banners are for indoor use only.

If you exhibit more than once a year, leave dates and prices off the banner so it works for every show.

Leaflets, cards and giveaways

• Leaflets: A5 is a common hand-out size; DL fits a jacket pocket and a DL envelope. Quantities start at 100.
• Business cards: 85 x 55mm on 400gsm silk as standard, with matt or soft-touch laminate as options, and other sizes, speciality cards, foil and raised spot UV if you want a card that stands out. Bring more than you expect to need.
• Stickers: a 50mm logo sticker is an easy giveaway, and sticker sheets are quicker to hand out in numbers.
• Programmes and catalogues: stapled booklets from 50 copies; see event programmes.

Posters and foamex on the stand

A poster is paper (170gsm silk as standard), so it needs a frame, a board or clips. A foamex board is a rigid 5mm panel that stands on an easel or hangs from the stand wall without curling, which makes it the better choice for panels you reuse. Both suit product panels, price lists and floor plans. See event posters for sizes and uses.

Outdoor shows

For a county show, a fete or a market, rain and wind change the list: roller banners and silk, gloss or satin posters are indoor items. Use PVC banners, tied to railings or a marquee frame, and correx boards for direction and car park signs.

On the day

Bring spare cable ties and tape, set the stand up the day before if the venue allows it, and keep the carry bag for the roller banner. Our page on event and exhibition printing covers signs and programmes for organisers.

Questions

What should I print for an exhibition stand? Most stands need one or two roller banners, leaflets or flyers to hand out, and business cards. Many also use a foamex board or poster for product panels, and stickers as giveaways. Order the banners first, then cards, and leaflets with show offers last once the details are final.

How far ahead should I order exhibition printing? Add the dispatch time for each item, counted in working days from proof approval, to 1 to 2 working days for mainland delivery, then add spare days for proof changes. Roller banners are dispatched 5 working days after approval. Approving your proof promptly helps, because the clock starts then.

Can you guarantee delivery before my show? No. Delivery after dispatch is an estimate, because the courier sets the final time. If we dispatch late for a reason on our side, we give you credit worth 10% of the order's print price for a future order. If your date is tight, contact us before you order.

Which roller banner size is best for a trade show? 850 x 2000mm suits most stands, beside a table or in a corner. 1000 x 2000mm gives about 18% more width for a larger stand or a stage. If you stand two banners side by side, choose the same width for both. Check the organiser's stand rules first.

Can I use a roller banner at an outdoor event? No. Roller banners are made for indoor use and can blow over in the wind. Outdoors, use a PVC banner tied to railings or a frame, in mesh if the site is exposed, and correx boards for direction signs.

Is delivery free for exhibition print? Yes, to UK mainland addresses, on every product. For Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands and islands, the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, we quote delivery before you order. We email tracking when your order is dispatched; there is no collection point.