Exhibition Stand Graphics: Artwork, Print and Approval Checks

Exhibition stand graphics should help visitors understand your offer and help the production team deliver the right artwork on the right surface. Start with the message, location and viewing conditions, then agree the supplier’s template, file requirements and proofing process. A large file or a familiar colour code alone does not guarantee a good printed result.

This guide covers artwork and production checks. For the wider structure and its configurations, use the modular stand planning guide.

Brief the message before preparing artwork

Give the designer the event, intended audience, products, stand plan and visitor activities. Identify what people need to recognise from the aisle and what they will read when they stop. A clear company name and relevant offer may serve the first task; detailed specifications belong where someone can comfortably examine them.

Allocate a purpose to each graphic. Mark the main identification, product explanation, demonstration instructions and meeting information on the layout. Check whether displays, shelves, furniture, people or open doors will obscure them. Avoid making every surface compete for attention.

Agree who supplies approved wording, logos, photography, translations and usage permissions. Review English and Spanish artwork separately for meaning and layout: translated text can occupy different space. Record the approved version and the person authorised to release it for production.

Use the production template for each surface

Request the supplier’s current template for the actual panel, fabric frame, lightbox or other product. A floor plan is not a print template. Confirm finished dimensions, artwork scale, bleed, safe areas, visible area, seams, panel joins and any fixing or trimming zones.

• Label every artwork file to match a panel or location on the stand plan.
• Keep essential text and logos clear of joins and areas that will be hidden.
• Check alignment across adjoining panels using the manufacturer’s tolerances.
• Confirm whether repeated configurations need different artwork sizes.
• Ask how the supplier wants fonts, linked images and colour information delivered.

Get written clarification when a template is ambiguous. Enlarging an earlier graphic to a new wall size can change proportions, crop important information or expose an image that lacks sufficient detail.

Check image resolution at the finished size

Pixel dimensions, physical size and resolution are linked. Adobe’s image sizing guidance explains that enlarging an image without resampling reduces its resolution, while upsampling estimates additional pixels. It does not recover original detail that was never captured.

Ask the printer for the required resolution at final output size, taking account of the product and viewing distance. State whether artwork is supplied at full size or at a reduced scale. A blanket demand for “300 DPI” without those details is an incomplete production instruction.

Vector artwork can help preserve sharp edges for suitable logos and drawings. However, a PDF, EPS or Illustrator file can also contain raster images. Check its contents and export settings rather than assuming the filename guarantees unlimited enlargement. Review images at an appropriate output scale before approval.

Agree colour expectations and a meaningful proof

Ask which colour space, profiles and file settings the production workflow requires. Compare a physical proof or approved sample on the intended material where colour is important. A screen preview cannot show every effect of the substrate, ink, finish, illumination and printing process.

Pantone explains coated and uncoated references using the effect of different paper surfaces on appearance. A named reference communicates an intended colour; it is not a promise that every exhibition material will reproduce it identically.

For backlit graphics, review a sample under the intended lighting conditions. Agree acceptable variation and the proof’s limits with the supplier. Record whether approval covers content, positioning, colour, material or all of these.

Select material and print process together

Describe the intended installation, lighting, handling, transport and reuse. Ask the supplier to propose a compatible material and printing process with supporting specifications. Dye sublimation can be a digital printing process, so “digital versus dye sublimation” is not a complete comparison.

Confirm fixing method, surface finish, opacity or light transmission, cleaning instructions and relevant event documentation. Do not infer fire performance or suitability from a broad label such as fabric, vinyl or board. Identify the actual product and any required evidence in the current event manual.

For environmental claims, ask what the specific product contains, how many planned uses it can realistically support and which collection or recovery route is available. “Water-based ink” or “recyclable material” alone does not establish the impact of the complete graphic or prove that it will be recovered locally.

Control delivery, installation and future use

Schedule artwork approval backwards from the supplier’s confirmed production, shipping and installation dates. Allow for a proof and corrections where required. There is no single lead time that applies to every graphic, event and delivery route.

Deliver a labelled artwork register with the approved files. Check the received graphics against it, photograph any issue and agree who can authorise a replacement. Follow the product’s packing and care instructions: some materials can be folded, while others require rolling or different protection.

After the event, record condition, storage location and whether information remains current. Reuse graphics only when both the physical product and the message fit the next event. Dates and offers can be useful when intentional; make replaceable elements part of the design if information will change.

Questions to resolve before printing

Does every graphic need 300 pixels per inch?

No universal figure fits every large-format product. Ask the printer for requirements at the stated final dimensions and artwork scale.

Can a PDF still contain a low-resolution image?

Yes. The document format does not determine the quality of every image inside it.

What should I send to Adam Expo Stand?

Send your stand plan, graphic locations, approved message, brand assets and event dates. Request the relevant production templates and an agreed proofing and approval process.