The most common mistake on a roll-up is placing key information low. In a fair or lobby setting the bottom forty centimetres usually sits behind people and tables; a logo or contact detail placed there is never seen. The top third draws attention, the middle band carries the message, and the lower band takes only secondary information.
The mechanism matters more than the material. On economy cassettes the fabric curls over time and will not hang straight; for work that will be reused, a sturdier cassette and heavier fabric pay for themselves within a few events. For a single occasion the economy option is reasonable.
A vinyl banner is a different job: because it carries wind load outdoors, it tears when hung without accounting for hemmed edges, eyelet spacing and, where needed, wind slits.
The media surface is chosen for the lighting of the room. A gloss face reflects the overhead spots of an exhibition stand and becomes unreadable from certain angles, while a matt face stays legible under the same light. Because it is read from close range, image resolution is also kept higher than for a poster.
Storage decides the lifespan of anything meant to be reused. Stored upright, the cassette keeps the media rolled and under tension; left flat or with weight on top, the edges curl and never fully recover. That is why the carry case is treated as part of the job rather than an accessory.
Technical options
- Roll-up sizes
- 85 × 200 cm, 100 × 200 cm, 150 × 200 cm
- Fabric
- Matt film, blockout (opaque backing)
- Banner
- Vinyl, hemmed edges with eyelets
- Related
- X-banner, pop-up stand, promo counter
Related services
Frequently asked
Which area of a roll-up should stay clear?
The bottom forty centimetres or so should carry no critical information, since it disappears behind an audience. A few centimetres at the top also need to be left for the cassette.
What is blockout fabric for?
It stops backlight making the print translucent. In front of windows or in bright halls, standard fabric lets the reverse show through as a shadow; blockout removes that.
Can I reuse a roll-up at the next event?
Yes, provided the design carries no dates or one-off campaign details. Keeping variable information on a separate X-banner or counter graphic extends the life of the main stand.
What are the standard roll-up sizes?
The most common cassette widths are 85, 100 and 120 cm, with height usually around 200 cm. Narrow spaces use 60 cm, while wide stand backdrops go to 150 cm and above.
Should I use a roll-up or a banner?
A roll-up stands on its own base and sets up in minutes, which suits events that move often. A banner is hung or tensioned, offering a larger surface but requiring a fixed mounting point.
How soon is a roll-up ready?
The graphic prints in one piece so that part is fast; the wait, if there is one, sits with the hardware. Cassettes in standard widths are usually held in stock, but wide or double-sided models may need ordering. During trade-fair season that stock clears quickly, so giving early notice on its own shortens the schedule.
Is the roll-up hardware shipped as well?
That is optional. A roll-up is two separate parts: the printed graphic and the cassette that carries it. Most of the weight sits in the cassette, so sourcing the hardware locally and sending only the graphic reduces what has to travel. Fitting a graphic into a cassette needs no special tools, which is why the split causes no trouble in practice.
What is checked on a roll-up proof?
This job prints as a single piece and is fixed into the cassette, so replacing only part of it later is not possible; even a small correction means reprinting the whole graphic. That is where the weight of the proof comes from, and written details head the checklist: the phone number, the address and the domain — the places where a single wrong character costs the most.
At what size should the roll-up file be prepared?
Preparing it at final size removes any need to enlarge later. Because this work is not examined from close up, photographs do not need very high resolution; keeping type and logo as vectors matters more, since the first thing a viewer registers is how crisp the edge of the lettering is.
Can a single roll-up be ordered?
It can, and quantity makes very little difference on this product. The reason is that most of the cost sits not in the graphic but in the cassette and mechanism produced for each unit; printing ten brings a scale gain on the printing side but not on the hardware. Ordering as many as you actually need is therefore usually the sensible route.