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Artwork guidelines for print-ready exhibition graphics
Follow these guidelines to make sure your files print exactly as you intend. Not sure? Send us your files and our team will check them for you. Agencies and studios supplying files for a client can use the same guidelines too. See exhibition stands for agencies.
Artwork guidelines at a glance
How to prepare your artwork for print
Five steps from blank template to printed graphic.
Find your template
Download the PDF template from the product page. It is drawn to the exact size of that product.
Design to it
Run backgrounds out to the bleed and keep text and logos inside the safe area.
Export your PDF
Save a High Quality Print PDF with colours in CMYK, images at 72-125 DPI at full size and the "High Quality Printing" setting.
We check and print
Supplied files are checked for resolution and DPI. Artwork we design comes with a proof to approve.
File formats we accept for print-ready artwork
We ask for "High Quality Print" PDF files from both PC and Mac software, exported at the "High Quality Printing" setting. If you can't generate one, contact us about the accepted alternative software-generated formats below.
"High Quality Print" PDF
The format we ask for first. A PDF file exported at the "High Quality Printing" setting from PC or Mac software.
Adobe Photoshop .PSD
Include all layers, paths, channels, links and fonts so the file opens exactly as you built it.
Adobe Illustrator .AI
Convert text to outlines and include all linked images. Do not embed images in the file.
InDesign and QuarkXPress
Not recommended for large format printing. We only accept "High Quality Printing" PDFs generated from these programs.
Logos and text drawn as vector graphics in Adobe Illustrator stay sharp at any size, and converting text to outlines means we never need your font files. Photos are raster images made of pixels, so check their resolution at full size before you export.
Artwork templates with the bleed area and safe area marked
Artwork templates in PDF format for all graphic sizes are on our website, free to download. Each template is drawn for its own product and shows the bleed, safe area and visible graphic area for every printed part.
Where to find your template
- Open the product you are ordering.
- Choose the Artwork Templates tab below the product details. On some products it is called Downloads.
- Download the PDF (some products also include AI and InDesign versions in a .zip) and design straight onto it.
Design your print to the exact size with our free template. It shows the bleed, safe area and visible graphic area for this product.
What the template lines mean
Bleed area
The bleed is the area of background that runs past the trim line. Cutting is never perfectly exact, so artwork that stops at the edge can leave a thin white line.
Trim line
The finished size of the graphic, where it is cut.
Visible graphic area
The part of the print people see once the graphic is fitted to the hardware.
Safe area
Keep text, logos and contact details inside this line so nothing important is trimmed or hidden.
Image resolution and DPI at full size
The best results are achieved when images are between 72 and 125 DPI at final print size (full size). DPI means dots per inch, the number of dots printed in each inch of the finished graphic.
Images submitted at higher than 125 DPI create larger file sizes without any visible gain in print quality. You do not need 300 DPI for large format print, so there is no reason to send a higher resolution file.
Check the DPI with the image placed at the size it will print, not the size it appears on screen.
CMYK colour, RGB conversion and Pantone
All colours must be defined in CMYK, the cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks used in the printing process. Significant colour changes can occur when artwork is converted from RGB to CMYK, so proof your colours before submission.
Illustration. Bright RGB colours can shift when converted to CMYK.
Sending your artwork files
All files sent by FTP or email should be compressed. Send your finished files to contact@standcentral.com.
- A "High Quality Print" PDF, or an accepted alternative
- Every colour in CMYK, with Process Black for black
- Images at 72-125 DPI at full size
- Built on the template for your product
- A colour layout, or a .jpg, screen-optimised .pdf or screenshot marked "proof"
- Everything compressed as a .zip, .rar or .sit file
Artwork designed by us or supplied by you
FREE artwork design or proofing on every order. Send your artwork and we'll proof it, or our team will design it for you at no extra cost.
Our in-house design team creates your artwork
- We design your artwork at no extra cost.
- We send a proof for you to check and approve.
- Up to three rounds of amends, so you can request changes before anything goes to print.
You supply the finished artwork
- You build it on the template for your product.
- We check it for resolution and DPI.
- Once you approve it, it goes to print as supplied.
We don't amend customer-supplied files, so the design must be final and correct before you send it. Once approved, it goes to print as supplied.
Proof prints, if required, are approximately 12″ × 12″. Please allow additional production time when proofs are needed.
Turnaround time
Printed and dispatched within 5 days with express options available.
Need help with your artwork?
FREE artwork design or proofing on every order. Send your artwork and we'll proof it, or our team will design it for you at no extra cost.