Banners and roll-ups: preparing a large-format file
Resolution, scale, margins and eyelets: the rules change when artwork is read from a distance.
Translation under review.
Large-format artwork is seen from a distance. The rules are not those of a business card: resolution can drop, margins must grow. This guide covers banners and roll-ups.
| Point | Recommended value |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 100 to 150 dots per inch at full size |
| Scale | Full size, or 1:10 with ten times the resolution |
| Safe margin on a banner | 5 cm with no text or logo on every edge |
| Bottom of a roll-up | 10 cm with nothing important |
| Colour and format | CMYK, PDF |
Resolution
From two metres the eye cannot see the dots of an image at 100 dots per inch. Sending a 3 × 2 m banner at 300 dots per inch makes a file of several gigabytes with no visible gain.
Working to scale
For a large banner, build the file at one tenth: 30 × 20 cm for 3 × 2 m. Keep 1,000 to 1,500 dots per inch on images in that case, and put the scale in the file name.
Eyelets and edges
Eyelets go in the corners and along the edges. Keep text and logos 5 cm from the edges so that no eyelet goes through them.
Roll-ups
The bottom of the artwork stays rolled inside the base of the roll-up: put nothing important there. Place the main message in the top third, at eye level.
Text
Embed fonts in the PDF or convert them to outlines. To be read from five metres, make letters about 2 cm tall at least.