Preparing your artwork for outdoor and PVC banners

Outdoor and PVC banners are large-format prints, finished with hemmed edges and eyelets for hanging, and read from a distance. That finishing is why banners need much bigger margins than other print: a wide bleed for the hem to fold around, and a generous safe zone so nothing is lost in the hem or punched by an eyelet. Here is how to set it up.

File format

  • PDF preferred, ideally PDF/X-4, with fonts embedded or outlined. A high-quality JPEG is also accepted for banners.
  • Keep text and logos as vector where you can, so they stay sharp at full size.

Size, bleed and safe zone

  • Set your file up at the finished banner size. For sizes, ask us for a quote.
  • Add 25mm bleed all round. This gives the material to fold into the hem.
  • Keep text and anything important at least 36mm inside the edge. The edges are hemmed and eyelets are punched around the perimeter, so content any closer risks being folded into the hem or caught by an eyelet.

Resolution

  • Aim for 300 ppi at full size where that is practical. On a large banner it often is not, and 150 ppi is fine because banners are viewed from a distance. Do not go below 150.
  • Vector text and logos stay sharp at any size, so this applies to photos and other raster images.
  • If your software struggles at full size, set the file up at a reduced scale with the ppi multiplied to match. For example, half size at 300 ppi equals 150 ppi at full size. Tell us the scale you have used.
  • Do not upscale a small photo to fill the space.

Colour

  • Set your file to CMYK.
  • Pantone or spot colours will be converted to CMYK, which can shift colour, so convert them yourself first for predictable results.

Your file checklist

  • PDF (PDF/X-4) or a high-quality JPEG, fonts embedded or outlined
  • Full banner size, with 25mm bleed
  • Text and logos kept 36mm inside the edge, clear of hems and eyelets
  • Photos ideally 300 ppi, 150 ppi minimum, at full size
  • CMYK colour, with any Pantones already converted

Sending your file

  • Banner files are usually large, so most people use a file-transfer service such as WeTransfer, then send a quick email to say it is on the way.
  • Smaller files (under 10 MB) can be emailed.
  • Local? Bring it in on a USB stick.

Proofs and approval

  • We send a PDF proof before printing, so you can check the layout and that nothing important sits too close to the edge.
  • On-screen colour depends on your own monitor, so the proof confirms layout and content rather than an exact colour match.
  • Please check your proof carefully. Anything you approve is what we print, errors included. You are also confirming you hold the rights to any images or logos used. Approval is given in writing and is contractually binding for the work. Full details are in our terms and conditions.

Turnaround

Usually 4 to 5 full working days from proof approval.

If we come back to you, it is usually one of these

  • Important content sits too close to the edge, where the hem or an eyelet would catch it.
  • No bleed, or less than the 25mm the hem needs.
  • Photos are low-resolution, below 150 ppi at full size.
  • The file is RGB, or has Pantones that will shift on conversion.
  • Fonts are not embedded or outlined.