The first trade show I attended as part of a client team was instructive in the worst possible way.
The client had a beautiful brand. The logo was well-designed, the colours were distinctive, the whole identity was tight. Then I walked up to their exhibition stand and saw the 3×3 metre fabric backdrop.
The logo was pixelated. Not subtly degraded — visibly, obviously pixelated from three metres away. Every visitor to that stand saw it before they saw anything else. The client had sent their website PNG to the exhibition company. The exhibition company had scaled it up to fill the backdrop and either hadn't noticed or hadn't said anything.
That backdrop cost around £600 to produce. They couldn't reprint before the show. For two days they exhibited under a blurry logo at an event where their buyers were specifically evaluating their professionalism.
That doesn't need to happen to you. Here's what actually needs to go to a trade show print vendor.
Why Trade Show Print Is Different
Most everyday print — business cards, brochures, leaflets — is produced at close viewing distances. A business card is held at arm's length. A flyer is read at a desk. At those distances, a 300 DPI raster image is more than sufficient.
Trade show graphics are viewed at a distance — typically 1 to 5 metres. This changes the resolution requirements dramatically. Large-format print for viewing at distance is typically produced at 72–100 DPI at print size, which sounds low but is appropriate because the viewing distance compensates.
The critical issue is the physical dimensions. A roll-up banner is typically 85cm × 200cm. A fabric backdrop might be 3m × 2m. When you try to use a 400px wide PNG — which is perfectly adequate for a website — as the basis for a 3-metre wide graphic, the image needs to be scaled up by a factor of 20 or more. The pixels become visible.
The solution isn't higher-resolution raster files. The solution is vector files. A vector logo has no pixels — it's defined by mathematical paths that scale to any size without any quality loss. A correctly prepared vector file will look sharp at 85cm and equally sharp at 20 metres. See what is a vector file for the technical explanation.
What to Send for Each Format
Pull-Up / Roller Banners (typically 85×200cm or 100×200cm)
Logo requirement: Vector file — specifically EPS in CMYK, or a high-resolution AI file. The print vendor's software will place and scale your logo within the overall banner design.
Resolution for any raster elements (photography, etc.): At least 150 DPI at the finished print size. For a 85cm wide banner, that means any photographic background should be at least 85cm × 150 = roughly 5,000px wide at the finished size before downsampling for print.
Colour mode: CMYK. Provide your CMYK values for brand colours rather than relying on automatic conversion from RGB.
Common mistake: Sending a PNG from the website. It will print blurry. Every time.
Fabric Backdrop Banners (typically 3m×2m to 6m×3m)
Fabric backdrop printing (also called tension fabric or SEG fabric) requires vector logos and high-resolution imagery at production size.
Logo requirement: Vector (EPS, SVG, or AI). No rasters.
Colour note: Fabric printing uses dye sublimation, which uses a different colour process than offset or inkjet. Fabric typically prints slightly less saturated than paper. If colour accuracy is important, ask your vendor about the colour profile to use and request a proof swatch before approving the full run.
File preparation: Provide the entire design file, not just the logo. Most exhibition companies offer design services or templates. If you're bringing a pre-designed file, provide it as a print-ready PDF with bleeds (typically 5-10mm) and crops specified.
Shell Scheme Panel Graphics
Shell scheme is the modular exhibition stand system used in most conference centres. Individual panels are typically 100cm × 250cm. Graphics are usually printed on vinyl with adhesive backing.
Logo requirement: Vector.
Key dimension issue: Shell scheme panels have structural elements — frames, clips, fittings — that can obscure content at edges. Ask your vendor for their specific template or safe-zone specification before designing. Most have a 5cm safe zone inside the panel edge. If you design to the full bleed without knowing this, critical content (including your logo) may be partially hidden by the frame.
Table Throws and Fabric Table Covers
Table coverings are typically dye sublimation printed to a specific table size. These are sewn and folded, which means the print must accommodate seam positioning.
Logo requirement: Vector. The logo will typically appear centred on the front panel.
Ask the vendor for: Their specific template file showing where seams fall and which areas are most visible when the cloth is on the table.
Vinyl Floor Graphics
Floor vinyl requires extremely durable, anti-slip-treated print. The viewing angle is nearly vertical and viewers are often moving past rather than stopping to read.
Logo requirement: Vector. Keep logo elements simple — fine detail in a floor graphic is rarely visible in use.
Important note: Floor graphics in public venues may need to meet slip-resistance standards. Confirm with your venue that the vinyl supplier's product is venue-approved before ordering.
The Conversation to Have with Your Print Vendor
Before submitting anything, ask your vendor these questions:
"What file formats do you accept and prefer?" Most professional large-format vendors prefer: print-ready PDF with crops and bleeds, or native application files (AI, INDD). If they say "any file is fine," treat that as an invitation to provide incorrect files and expect substandard results.
"What resolution do you need for photographic elements?" The answer should be a DPI specification at production size. If they say "just send what you have and we'll make it work," that means they'll upscale whatever you send and print it.
"What colour profile should I use?" Most large-format print uses ISOcoated_v2 or similar. Fabric dye sublimation often uses specific profiles. Ask before preparing your file, not after.
"Can you provide a digital proof before printing?" For anything over £100, you want to see a soft proof (PDF preview showing colour and layout at scale) before approving. For anything over £300, consider requesting a physical proof sample or at minimum a printed swatch of your brand colours on the target material.
Quick Reference: What to Prepare
Before any trade show, prepare this package for your print vendor:
- Vector logo files: EPS in CMYK, AI with fonts outlined, SVG as backup — for each logo version you'll need (horizontal, stacked, icon)
- Documented CMYK values for every brand colour
- Any photography at 150 DPI minimum at production size, in CMYK
- Print-ready PDF of the full design file if you're supplying the design rather than asking the vendor to design it — with bleeds, crops, and the correct colour profile embedded
If you're working from a logo that only exists as a PNG or JPEG, get it vectorized before the show. The cost of professional vectorization is a fraction of the cost of reprinting a large-format graphic. See AI logo vectorization for what that process involves.
Trade show coming up and your logo isn't print-ready?
We prepare logos for large-format print — vector files in the exact formats exhibition companies need, with CMYK colour specs ready to hand over.
Use vector files — EPS in CMYK or AI with fonts outlined. These formats scale to any size without quality loss, which is essential for large-format print where logos may be printed at 1 to 6 metres wide. Never send a PNG or JPEG from your website for trade show printing. Even if the file looks good on screen, the resolution is inadequate for large-format use and the logo will print blurry. If your logo only exists as a PNG, have it professionally vectorized before the show.
Because the file you sent was too low resolution for large-format printing. A typical website logo might be 400-800 pixels wide. A trade show banner might need to be scaled to 850-3000 pixels wide at print resolution. When a raster image (PNG, JPEG) is scaled up that much, the individual pixels become visible — which is what produces the blurry, pixelated result. The permanent fix is a vector logo file, which is defined by mathematical paths rather than pixels and scales to any size perfectly.
Large-format graphics are typically produced at 72-150 DPI at print size, not the 300 DPI used for close-viewing print. This sounds low but is appropriate because trade show graphics are viewed at a distance. The critical factor is having a vector logo — not a raster image scaled up. For photographic backgrounds or images, provide at least 150 DPI at the finished print dimensions. Ask your specific vendor for their preferred resolution specification before submitting files.
Prepare these files before contacting any print vendor: EPS file of your logo in CMYK colour mode, AI file with all fonts outlined, and your documented CMYK values for each brand colour. If you don't have these files and only have a PNG or JPEG version of your logo, have it professionally vectorized first. Also have both your primary (dark on light) and reversed (light on dark) logo versions available — different exhibition contexts use different backgrounds.
Not directly. Canva exports PNG or PDF files in RGB colour mode, which are not suitable for large-format trade show printing. A Canva logo needs to be: exported as a PDF or SVG, opened in Adobe Illustrator, converted to CMYK colour mode, fonts outlined, and then re-exported as a print-ready EPS or PDF. If you don't have access to Illustrator, a professional vector conversion service can prepare your Canva logo for trade show use. The Canva design is a starting point; the production files need to be prepared separately.
Either approach can work. If you provide your own design: supply a print-ready PDF with bleeds (5-10mm minimum), crops marked, CMYK colour mode, and correct resolution for any photographic elements. Request a digital proof before approving. If the exhibition company designs it: provide your vector logo files, brand colour CMYK values, any required photography at production resolution, and your brand guidelines or visual reference. Always request a digital proof before printing and review it at the scale it will actually be printed.
Quick Answers
Order at least 3 weeks before the show. The print itself is typically 5–7 business days, but factor in design finalization, file submission, proof approval, and shipping. If you're ordering fabric backdrops or anything that needs installation hardware (frames, SEG channels), add another week. Rush orders exist but are expensive and leave no margin for reprints if something is wrong. Starting the file preparation process 4–6 weeks out is the right cadence for most trade shows.
Yes, if the graphics are generic enough. A branded backdrop with your logo and a broad positioning statement can travel to multiple shows. Anything event-specific — dates, venue, show name — needs to be reprinted. Roll-up banners are typically designed for reuse and are durable if stored correctly (rolled, not folded, in the carry case). Fabric backdrops are also reusable but require careful folding and washing instructions may apply. Build your evergreen graphics for reuse and only reprint event-specific elements.
A pull-up (roller) banner is a retractable banner typically 85×200cm that stores in a base unit and extends via a pole. It's portable, sets up in under a minute, and suited for smaller stands or side panels. A fabric backdrop (tension fabric or SEG) is a larger format print on stretch fabric mounted to an aluminium frame — typically 3×2m or larger. It looks more premium, has no wrinkles when properly tensioned, and requires assembly. For a serious exhibition stand, fabric backdrops are standard; pull-ups work for smaller presence or additional branding panels.
Check with your event organiser. Most trade shows are held in exhibition centres that require exhibitors to have public liability insurance. Your existing business insurance may cover exhibition activity, or you may need a short-term exhibitor's policy. The materials themselves (stands, print, display equipment) may or may not be covered under your business contents insurance. Address this before the show — damage to or loss of display materials without coverage can be expensive.
First, determine whose fault it is: if you provided a CMYK print-ready file and the colour doesn't match the CMYK values you specified, the printer is liable. Contact them immediately, send the original file alongside the incorrect print, and request an urgent reprint. If you sent an RGB file or didn't specify CMYK values, the error is in the file preparation — the printer made a judgement call and you have less leverage. For future orders, always provide CMYK files with documented colour values and request a digital proof before approving.