Summary: 850 x 2000 mm is the size most people mean when they ask for a roll up banner, and it is the standard across most of our pull up banner range. It is not automatically the right one. The format that works for you depends on how much floor space you have, how far away people will be standing, and how much you need the banner to say.

Below you will find a size comparison first, because that is the decision that changes everything else, then the practical roller banner design and artwork advice: visual hierarchy, font sizes, contrast, the bottom zone that disappears into the base, and how to get a print-ready file to us without a reprint.

What roll up banner sizes are available, and which one should I choose?

Summary: Our standard pull up banner sizes run from 850 x 2000 mm up to 1200 x 2000 mm, with wider formats available for high-impact displays. Height is almost always 2000 mm; width is the variable you actually choose.

Typical finished size	Best suited to	What to consider
850 x 2000 mm	General events, offices and retail promotions	The widely used, versatile size
1200 x 2000 mm	Wider promotional displays	Needs more floor space
1500 x 2000 mm	Large graphics, backdrops and high-impact displays	Heavier and less convenient in tight venues
2000 x 2000 mm	Backdrops and the widest display walls	Needs the most floor space
850 x 2000 mm double sided	Open spaces with traffic from both directions	Check stand depth, weight and available floor space

Dimensions and availability differ between suppliers and between stand models, so a "standard" size on one website may not match another. Confirm the exact finished size against the Printroom product specification for the stand you are ordering before you start designing. Our Economy Roller Banner is 850 x 2000 mm single sided with a carry case included, and our Wide Pull Up Banners cover 1200, 1500 and 2000 mm widths.

For most portable event requirements, 850 mm wide is the sensible choice. It fits a standard shell scheme corner, it travels in the boot of a car, and one person can carry it across the RDS car park without a second trip. Go wider when visual impact matters more than portability, such as a product launch or a stage-side display. Choose a double-sided stand where people approach from two directions, like a hotel foyer or a corridor between halls.

Which roller banner size is best for an exhibition, shop or event? Work through these points in order:

Floor area. A 3 x 2 m shell scheme with a table already in it will not comfortably take a 1500 mm banner.
Viewing distance. Further away means bigger type and fewer words, not a bigger banner.
Portability. If you are doing a run of regional events, weight and case size matter more than width.
Venue layout. Check whether the banner sits against a wall, in the open, or beside a doorway.
Content volume. More to say is a reason to cut content, not to buy a wider stand.
Multiple banners. Two or three matching 850 mm banners in a row often read better than one wide one.

How do I design an effective roll up banner?

Summary: An effective roll up banner has one message, a clear hierarchy from top to bottom, and nothing important in the bottom 150 mm where the base sits. People read it while walking past, so treat it like a billboard, not a brochure.

Split the graphic into three zones. The top third carries your logo and the main message, because that is what sits at and above eye level. The centre carries one benefit or offer, stated plainly. The lower area, above the base, carries your call to action and one contact route. Keep essential content clear of the bottom of the graphic, roughly the bottom 150 mm, since that section sits in or near the cassette and can be hidden by the base or by the table in front of it.

What information should you actually include? Brand, a short headline, one key benefit, a relevant image, a call to action, and a website or contact detail. That is the whole list. Resist paragraphs, multiple offers competing for the same glance, and decorative background elements that make the type harder to read. If you are working through a wider set of materials, our branded banner design checklist covers the same discipline across formats.

Legibility comes down to size and contrast. At full scale, a headline of around 100 pt or more reads from several metres. Supporting text sits comfortably around 40 to 60 pt. Anything smaller should be reserved for details nobody needs to read at distance, such as terms or a street address. Typeface choice and real viewing distance shift these numbers, so treat them as a starting point rather than a rule.

Use high-contrast combinations: dark type on light, or light type on a solid dark panel. Mid-tone text on a photograph almost never works.
Stick to your brand colours, and add one accent colour for the call to action if your palette is subtle.
Leave generous white space. Empty area is what makes the headline visible.
Use high-quality imagery, cropped tight. One strong image beats three small ones.
Check the design at 10% scale on screen, then print an A4 version and look at it from four or five metres.

QR codes work well on roller banners, as long as they can actually be scanned. Use a high-contrast code with a clear quiet zone around it, make it large enough to scan without anyone crouching, and place it between roughly 1.2 and 1.6 m from the floor so it is within comfortable reach. Point it at a mobile-friendly page, not a PDF, and scan the code from the final artwork file before you send it to us. A code that resolves to a dead URL wastes the whole banner.

What dimensions, bleed and file settings should my artwork use?

Summary: Design to the finished visible size of your chosen stand, add bleed, and keep logos, QR codes and important text inside the safe area. The product specification for your specific stand always takes priority over any generic measurement you find online.

Three measurements matter, and they are not the same thing:

Finished visible size. What the audience sees when the banner is fully extended, for example 850 x 2000 mm.
Bleed. Extra background beyond the trim edge so no white slivers appear after finishing.
Safe area. The inner margin where text and logos live, including that lower zone near the base and a margin at each side.

Some stands also need an extra panel of graphic at the bottom that stays permanently inside the cassette. That length is set by the hardware, which is exactly why the product specification matters more than a round number.

Set the document up at full size, or at an approved scale, add bleed, and supply a print-ready PDF with fonts outlined or embedded and transparencies handled correctly. Send us artwork to size as a high-resolution print-ready PDF and we will check it before printing. If you need us to make changes, we may ask for the editable source file as well. Our guide to full bleed printing explains how bleed behaves if the concept is new to you.

On images and colour: use high-resolution originals sized for the final print, and never scale up a small web graphic to fill a two-metre height. A logo pulled from a website at 400 px wide will look soft no matter what you do to it. Build the file in CMYK rather than RGB, because RGB blues and bright greens can shift noticeably once converted for print. Check the product page for your chosen stand before you start, rather than after you have finished laying out.

Which banner stand and print material should I choose?

Summary: Stand quality decides how many events your banner survives, and material decides how flat it hangs. Match both to how often you will actually use it.

Stand type	Best for	Points to weigh
Standard or economy	Occasional use, one-off promotions, short campaigns	Lighter cassette and base; fine for a handful of events
Wide format	Greater visual impact, backdrops	Heavier to carry, needs more floor space
Double sided	Two-way visibility in open spaces	Two printed faces; grey-back film prevents show-through
Interchangeable	Reusing the same hardware across campaigns	Swap the printed cartridge, keep the base

When you compare stands, look at cassette construction, base weight and stability, pole strength, how smoothly the graphic retracts, whether replacement graphics are available, what warranty applies, and whether the carry case is padded or a thin sleeve. If you expect to use the stand a dozen times a year, the padded case pays for itself the first time it gets thrown into a van.

Our standard pull up banners are printed on a stay-flat, anti-curl block-out polyester grey-back film. The grey backing stops light and the reverse image showing through, and the anti-curl construction means the graphic hangs flat rather than rolling at the edges after a few uses. For a lower-plastic option, our eco friendly pull up banners use a graphic made from 100% recycled fibres from waste plastic bottles, with base hardware containing 30% recycled plastic.

You may also see B1 certification mentioned. B1 refers to fire performance classification, and some exhibition organisers and indoor venues require display graphics to meet it. Do not assume every banner material carries it. Check the current certification for the specific product you are ordering, and if an organiser has asked for documentation, tell us before you place the order so we can confirm what we can supply.

How portable are roll up banners, and how should I set up and store one?

Summary: A roll up banner goes from bag to standing display in under a minute, which is why it remains the default portable display for exhibitions, conferences and sales visits. Most damage happens during retraction, not during use.

Setting one up follows the same sequence on almost every model:

Place the base on a flat, level surface and rotate out any stabilising feet.
Assemble the support pole and locate it in the base.
Pull the graphic up evenly, with both hands, keeping it square.
Hook the top rail onto the pole and check the graphic hangs straight.

The whole unit retracts into its own cassette and travels in a carry bag, so it moves easily between a conference room, a trade stand and a temporary retail display. If you are packing for a show, our exhibition checklist covers what else to bring.

Handle it properly and it will last. Guide the graphic back into the cassette slowly with one hand supporting the rail, and never let it snap down, because a fast retraction creases the print and can damage the spring. Keep fingers clear of the mechanism, and never force a pole that will not seat; check the alignment instead.

Store the banner dry, in its case, either upright or securely flat, away from radiators, damp and direct sunlight. Standard indoor roller banners need protecting from wind and rain, so do not leave one outside a venue entrance because it looked fine for the first ten minutes.

How do I send my roller banner design and order it?

Summary: Choose the stand, design to its finished size, send us a print-ready PDF, and approve the proof. We check artwork before printing, but the content is still yours to proofread.

Choose your size and stand from the pull up banner range.
Check the finished size on the product page for that stand.
Prepare the artwork at size, in CMYK, with fonts outlined and bleed added.
Send us artwork to size as a high-resolution print-ready PDF.
Select quantity and delivery, and complete the order.
Approve the proof, then we print.

An artwork check covers the technical side: file size and scale, colour mode, resolution, bleed, whether fonts have been handled, and whether anything critical sits too close to the trim or the base. It does not cover your copy. Nobody but you can confirm that the phone number is right, the event date is correct, the URL has no typo and the QR code points where it should. Read every line out loud before you send it, and scan the code from the file.

Where an email proof is part of the job, production starts once you approve it, so a slow approval moves your delivery date. Keep the order number or job reference to hand for any queries, since it makes tracking a specific job much faster than describing the design.

Turnaround and delivery are two separate clocks. Production is the time we need to print and assemble; delivery is the time in transit afterwards. Next-day delivery is available on many orders, and most orders are produced and delivered within a working week. Check the current production estimate and order cut-off time for your chosen product, and if you are working to a fixed event date, tell us the date rather than the deadline you calculated backwards from. If anything about the file is uncertain, talk to our production team before you order.

What are the frequently asked questions about roll up banners?

Are roll up, roller and pull up banners the same thing?

In practice, yes. Roll up banner, roller banner and pull up banner all describe the same retractable display: a printed graphic that pulls up from a weighted cassette and hooks onto a support pole. What differs between products is the stand itself, the width available, the base weight and the quality of the mechanism, not the category.

How much does a roll up banner cost in Ireland?

Price depends on the size, the stand specification, the material, how many you order, whether you need artwork support, plus VAT and delivery. A single economy stand and a run of wide double-sided banners sit in very different places. We quote per job, so check the live product page for your chosen size or ask us for a quote with your size and quantity.

Are roller banners suitable for outdoor use?

Most standard roller banners are designed for indoor use only. Wind catches the graphic like a sail, which can tear the print or pull the whole stand over. For forecourts, entrances and outdoor events, use a purpose-built model such as our outdoor pull up banner, which is double sided at 850 x 2000 mm with a heavy weighted base and ground stakes.

Can I change the graphic without buying a new stand?

Yes. An interchangeable stand takes a replaceable printed cartridge, so you keep the hardware and swap the graphic between campaigns, seasons or events. It suits teams running several messages a year from the same base.

What should I do with a roller banner once the campaign ends?

If the stand is still sound, order a replacement graphic rather than a whole new unit. Old printed graphics have a surprising number of second lives, and we have collected a few ideas for reusing an old roller banner rather than sending it to landfill.

Are you ready to create and print your roll up banner?

Summary: Pick the size that fits your floor space, confirm its finished size, design one clear message, and check the file before you send it.

Choose the size: 850 x 2000 mm for most events, wider for impact.
Confirm the finished size for that specific stand, not a generic one.
Design simply: logo and headline up top, one benefit in the middle, call to action above the base.
Check everything: spelling, dates, phone number, URL, QR code destination.
Send us a print-ready PDF at size, in CMYK, with fonts outlined.

Browse the full pull up banner range to compare stands and sizes, or contact us for a quote with your size, quantity and event date. We have been producing large-format print and display for Irish businesses for over 20 years, our team checks every file before it goes to print, and next-day delivery is available on many orders.

Tips for Designing a Roll Up Banner