Before you choose a print shop or exhibit house for your graphics needs, read these four tips for getting great-quality exhibits.
By Daniel Chaddock, President of E&E Exhibit Solutions
The right graphics are essential to your trade show display’s success. After all, low-quality graphics can make even a show-stopping design look amateurish – and will also offer less durability, requiring more frequent replacement.
But what should you look for when selecting a trade show exhibit graphics company? At E&E Exhibit Solutions, we believe there are four key factors to the graphics equation:
Printer Quality + Materials Quality + Color Management + Service Level = Overall Value
Top-level graphics production teams focus on quality over quantity of work – which means trade show graphic departments like ours may cost a bit more than your neighborhood sign shop, but you’ll also get more attention to detail and product quality than you would at a high-volume graphics shop.
When choosing a trade show display graphics company, we recommend asking these key questions first:
What kind of printing technology do you use?
- It’s important that your print shop use the latest machines and printing technologies. Read more about large-format printer quality.
- Using the maximum quality settings available is also very important. While most print shops lay down ink with four passes, our printers actually use eight passes. The difference in color and clarity is huge – like watching a show in high-definition rather than on a standard TV.
What materials do you use and how do you select them?
- The quality of the paper and laminate materials used has a direct effect on both the color quality of your graphics and their durability.
- Trade show graphics companies extensive research and continuous testing provide customers with the best combination of materials. This will cost a bit more, but it’s worth it in the long run.
Does your print department use color management software?
- Color-matching and profiling systems, such as our Chromatix Digital Printing system, ensure your graphics are printed with accurate PMS colors, so you can feel confident your booth will match your other marketing materials.
- These systems also avoid manual color adjustment, which helps reduce production time.
- With color management software, we can save your color profiles for future graphics jobs, reducing production time and errors in the future as well.
- These systems are a major investment for trade show graphics companies – and your neighborhood shop might not have them.
What kind of experience does the staff I will be working with have?
- Production staffers at many high-volume print shops may not have specialty training in trade show exhibit graphics.
- A full-service trade show exhibit company will know the precise dimensions to fit your trade show display.
- In a custom print department like ours, trimming and finishing are done by hand – ensuring a picture-perfect final product.
- A great trade show graphics company will often allow you to work directly with production staff, rather than only speaking with sales – so you know the experience and knowledge of your production staff.
- When it comes to your trade show graphics, the bottom line is simple: look for a trade show graphic supplier that stresses quality in all aspects of the process – from printer technology and materials to training and software – and you’ll enjoy better efficiency, more accurate color and more durable, longer-lasting graphics.
See our tips for trade show exhibit graphics, or contact us today.
Since 1994, Daniel Chaddock has consulted on effective trade show exhibit designs, custom exhibit rental designs (in authorized states) and use of displays for trade show marketing. He is currently President of E&E Exhibit Solutions, a trade show display company with expertise in custom portable exhibits and custom modular displays. You can reach Daniel via email to Daniel@exhibitsusa.com or call 800.709.6935.
