Event & Exhibition Printing Checklist: Everything to Order and When

Event printing fails in a predictable way: everything is remembered except one item, and it's remembered three days out. This checklist works backwards from event day so nothing joins the 48-hour panic — though for what it's worth, same-day printing exists precisely for that panic.

The checklist, by zone

Draw them in (seen from distance):

• Roller banner — £75 with stand, the exhibition workhorse
• PVC banner for outdoor pitches and fence lines
• A-board at the entrance or aisle
• Foamex panels for the stand back-wall

Engage at the stand:

• Flyers — 500 A5 for £65; the take-away offer
• Posters for stand walls (A2/A1)
• Price lists or menus, laminated to survive the day
• Product one-pagers in a presentation folder for serious conversations

Convert and follow up:

• Business cards — 250 for £48; never run out at an event
• Lead-capture postcards or offer cards with a code unique to the event
• Branded stickers for bags and giveaways

Team & logistics: printed t-shirts so staff are findable; signage for parking/way-finding if you run the venue.

The timeline (work backwards from event day)

When	Do
3–4 weeks out	Book stand graphics: banners, boards, garments — the items with the longest lead
2 weeks out	Approve artwork for flyers, cards, price lists (file checklist)
1 week out	Print the paper items; laminate anything handled all day
2–3 days out	Walk the checklist physically — lay everything out in one pile
Day before / morning of	Same-day rescue for whatever the pile revealed (order by 1pm)

Budget priorities if money is tight

1. One good roller banner (visibility is the point of being there)
2. Business cards (the follow-up)
3. One flyer with one offer and a trackable code Everything else is enhancement. A £200 print budget covering those three beats £600 spread thin.

Make the event measurable

Put an event-specific code or QR link on the flyer and offer card — it's the only way to know whether the stand paid for itself, and the same principle as leaflet-drop tracking.

FAQs

What's the minimum print kit for a first market stall? A roller banner, business cards, and one A5 flyer with an offer. Under £200 all-in at the prices above.

How far ahead should exhibition graphics be ordered? Banners and boards 2–3 weeks out for comfort; paper items one week; and the 1pm same-day cut-off exists for everything the final check reveals.

Reusable or event-specific graphics? Design banners generic (no dates, no stand numbers) so one £75 banner serves every event for years; make the cheap paper items event-specific.

Can one supplier handle the whole list? Yes — that's the point of the checklist: one order, one collection from Tacket Street, nothing forgotten. 01473 933888.