Retractable banner stands: standard, deluxe, wide, double-sided or table-top?

A retractable banner stand is the one display almost every exhibitor, office and event team ends up owning. It packs into a bag, goes up without tools, and stands about as tall as a door. But "a banner stand" covers several quite different products, and the graphic you print for it has rules of its own.

This guide explains how the stand works, compares the five types we carry, and covers the film, the artwork, set-up and packing, re-skinning, and choosing for a trade show, a lobby or an event.

How a retractable banner stand works

Every roll-up stand has the same three working parts: a base cassette that holds the graphic on a spring roller, a pole that stands up behind the graphic, and a top rail that grips the top edge and hooks onto the pole. Other names you will see for the same thing are pull-up, pop-up, cassette or roller banner, as the UK supplier Granthams notes in its guide to roller banners.

The cassette

The base is a long aluminum housing with a sprung roller inside. The bottom of the graphic is fixed to a strip on that roller, called the leader. In Smartpress's graphic installation sheet, the banner is pressed onto an adhesive strip on the leader, and a pin holds the spring while the graphic is fitted. Once the pin comes out, the spring pulls the graphic down into the base. That same spring is what lets the banner wind itself away after each show.

Because the graphic is rolled up inside the base, it is protected between uses. The supplier 4over4 lists this as the main difference from an X-frame stand, where the print stays out in the open, rolled or laid flat (retractable vs X-frame stands).

The pole

The pole comes in sections joined by an elastic cord inside, so the pieces stay together and click into one length. Its foot goes into a socket at the back of the cassette. Vistaprint's retractable banner page advises that if the banner leans forward, the pole should be reseated so it connects with both holes in the base. The pole is the stand's backbone: if it is not fully seated, the whole display leans.

The top rail

The top rail is a thin bar that clamps or sticks to the top edge of the graphic and has a hook in the middle. You pull the rail up and drop the hook over the top of the pole. According to 4over4's set-up guide, on some stands the rail locks onto the pole, while on basic stands it simply rests on a pin, so the feel varies from model to model. Granthams adds that both the top and bottom bars must be attached straight and true; a crooked bar can twist or kink the film.

The five types side by side

Our three full-size stands are all 79 in tall, roughly 6 ft 7 in. What changes is the width, the base and the number of faces. The table-top roll-up is the same idea shrunk to fit on a counter.

Standard (33.5 × 79 in)

The standard retractable banner stand is the everyday choice. The graphic is printed on anti-curl matte PET film. The base is silver anodized aluminum with two swivel-out feet, the pole is a 3-piece bungee-corded rod, and it travels in a padded black nylon shoulder bag. The whole kit weighs 8 lbs (3.6 kg). It comes as a complete display, as a replacement graphic on its own, or as the cassette and bag only.

Deluxe (33.5 × 79 in)

The deluxe stand carries the same size of graphic on a heavier, weighted teardrop base with no fold-out feet. Screw levelers underneath let it stand upright on thick convention carpet or an uneven floor. With no feet sticking out, it sits close to a wall and leaves nothing for visitors to trip over. It weighs 11.5 lbs, has chrome-accented end caps, and comes in a deluxe padded travel bag. You can order the complete unit or a replacement graphic.

Premium wide (47.5 × 79 in)

The premium wide stand is nearly 4 ft across (120 × 200 cm). A graphic that wide needs more support, so it has a reinforced cassette and two 3-section bungee poles at the back, with the top rail hooked onto both. It weighs 10.5 lbs and packs into a box of 4 × 6 × 50 in. Our catalogue suggests it for a compact backdrop, the back of a 10 ft booth, a photo spot or a speaker's stage. Its catalogue page says one person can set it up alone.

Double-sided (33.5 × 79 in, two faces)

The double-sided stand has two rollers inside one central base, and pulls up two full 33.5 × 79 in graphics back to back. The print is on 8oz anti-curl blockout media with a matte finish, so one face does not show through the other. You supply two files, which can be the same design or two different ones. 4over4's single vs double-sided comparison puts it simply: a single-sided stand suits a spot against a wall or in a corner, where the back is never seen, and a double-sided one suits open floors and busy aisles.

Table-top roll-up (11.25 × 17 in)

The table-top roll-up is a miniature retractable stand for checkout counters, reception desks, registration tables and trade show tables. It has a small silver aluminum cassette with a spring roller inside, a 2-piece pole, and a print on anti-curl grey-back blockout PET film. It weighs 1.25 lbs and arrives with the graphic already in the cassette, so you only fit the pole and pull the graphic up.

Not retractable: the table-top X-stand

The table-top X-stand is often shopped alongside the roll-up but works differently. Fibreglass arms clip into a central hub and hold a 10 × 16 in printed graphic tight by four small corner eyelets. There is no cassette to protect the print, but it weighs only 0.75 lbs and the graphic swaps in seconds. A full-size 24 × 63 in X-stand works the same way. 4over4's comparison calls X-frames the light option for budget and one-off promotions, and retractables the stand built for repeat use.

The graphic: why the film matters

A banner for a fence is hemmed: its edges are folded over and stitched. A banner that rolls into a cassette cannot be hemmed, because the hem would not roll evenly. Laird Plastics, a plastics distributor, explains on its PET greyback banner page that without a hem, an ordinary PVC banner will curl at the edges sooner or later, and presents PET film as the material that stays flat without hemming tape.

Granthams calls polyester (PET) the most stable display film and the one least likely to curl, and recommends it for banners that go up and down often. It also lists the trade-offs: PET usually costs the most, hybrid films mix PVC and PET to save money while keeping some stability, and polypropylene is cheaper again but less stable. Curl is not only about the film. Granthams points out that it can also come from how a laminate was applied or from a crooked bar.

That is why our full-size stands use anti-curl film: matte PET film on the standard, deluxe and wide stands, 8oz anti-curl blockout media on the double-sided stand, and grey-back blockout PET film on the table-top roll-up.

Grey back and blockout

The pole stands right behind the graphic. With a thin white-backed film, light from behind can show the pole as a dark stripe through the print. Granthams recommends a grey back for exactly this reason, and Laird describes its grey blockout back as stopping light from passing through and shadows from showing. On a double-sided stand, blockout is what keeps the back design from ghosting through the front one.

Laying out the artwork

Not all of a 79 in banner works equally hard. The bottom edge sits in or near the base, the lower part is blocked by people and furniture, and the selling happens up where people look.

The bottom edge: how much is hidden?

Here the sources disagree, because cassettes differ. Smartpress's banner stand graphics guidelines say 6 in of the artwork is covered at the bottom where it attaches to the base, and 0.5 in at the top for the hanger. 4over4's hidden area FAQ gives about 0.5 in at both top and bottom for its stands. The lesson is simple: build the file to the template for the stand it will go in, not a template from somewhere else.

For our stands, the catalogue gives these settings:

• Standard: artwork exactly 33.5 × 79 in, plus 1 in of bottom bleed that sits inside the cassette. Keep text and key graphics at least 2 in up from the bottom. 150 DPI minimum, CMYK.
• Deluxe: 33.5 × 79 in with 1 in of bottom bleed inside the base. Fonts outlined, CMYK, 150 DPI or more.
• Premium wide: 47.5 × 79 in. Keep text 2 in inside the edges and 2 in above the base.
• Double-sided: two files, 33.5 × 79 in each. They can be the same design or two different ones.
• Table-top roll-up: 11.25 × 17 in with 0.5 in of bottom bleed. 300 DPI, CMYK.
• Table-top X-stand: 10 × 16 in, 300 DPI, CMYK. Keep text 1 in away from all four corners, where the eyelets go.

If you are not sure whether a photo has enough pixels for the size, run it through our resolution checker. General file settings are in the artwork guide.

Keep the message high

Guides on roll-up design agree that the top of the banner does the work. The print firm Infowerk's roll-up design tips note that viewers look at the top or centre first, so the top third should catch attention, and that important information does not belong in the lower part, where it is unlikely to be read. 4over4's article on banner design ideas goes further: it says the bottom 10 to 12 in of a floor stand sits behind people, chairs and table legs, and suggests a single claim near the top.

A practical way to split a full-size banner:

• Top third: your logo and one short headline. This is the part people see over the crowd and across the aisle.
• Middle: a picture of the product or service, one or two supporting lines, and a QR code or web address. 4over4 suggests linking a QR code to a specific page, such as a price list or booking form, rather than your home page.
• Bottom: colour, pattern or background only. Nothing that has to be read.

Letter size depends on distance. 4over4's article uses a rule of 1 in of capital-letter height for every 10 ft, which is more generous than the rule in our viewing distance tool. Rules of thumb differ, so for a headline you need people to read from across an aisle, err on the larger side. Body text small enough to need a close look will not be read at a busy show.

Setting up and packing away

Set-up is the same on almost every model. These steps follow the University of Iowa's retractable banner instructions and 4over4's set-up guide. Always check the sheet that came with your own stand, since locks and hooks vary.

Setting up

1. Pick level floor. 4over4 suggests holding the base still with one foot.
2. Open the feet if your stand has them. On the deluxe, use the screw levelers underneath instead if the floor or carpet is uneven.
3. Assemble the pole. Let the elastic cord pull the sections together, check every joint is fully closed, then push the foot of the pole into its socket until it seats.
4. Raise the graphic. Vistaprint advises using both hands and pulling up from the centre, without jerky movements. Lift in one steady motion.
5. Hook the rail over the top of the pole. On the wide stand, hook both ends onto the two poles.
6. Square it up to face the way people walk past.

Packing away

1. Unhook the top rail from the pole while holding it firmly.
2. Walk the graphic down. Keep hold of the rail and let the spring roll the banner into the base slowly. 4over4 warns against letting the print snap back, since rough handling can damage the spring mechanism; Vistaprint adds that the top bar should not be allowed to slam into the cassette.
3. Check the print for scrapes or fraying as it goes down, as Vistaprint suggests.
4. Break down the pole and fold the feet in.
5. Pack everything together in the carry bag, pole included, so no part goes missing before the next event.

If something is not right

• The stand leans. 4over4 says the usual causes are an uneven floor or a pole that is not fully seated. Move to level ground and push the pole fully into its socket. Vistaprint's fix for a forward lean is to make sure the pole connects with both holes in the base.
• The banner will not stay up. The rail's hook is probably not fully over the pole. Lower the graphic a few inches, seat the hook squarely and lift again.
• The edges curl. 4over4 says a slight curl after tight rolling in transit is normal and usually settles if the banner stands overnight. If the curl stays, the film may be the cause; anti-curl PET film is the fix.

Replacing the graphic or buying new hardware

A banner stand has two parts with different lives: the hardware, which you can reuse for years of events, and the graphic, which goes out of date when your offer, branding or event changes. 4over4 notes that most retractable stands accept a replacement banner on the same base, while with an X-frame it is usually cheaper to reprint the whole unit.

How a graphic is changed

Changing the print is called re-skinning. Smartpress's installation sheet shows the job: the stand is laid on a clean, flat surface, the top rail is opened and the new banner clamped into it, the bottom of the banner is pressed evenly onto the adhesive leader, any bubbles are smoothed out, and only then is the pin removed while tension is held on the banner, so it rolls slowly into the base. It is fiddly but not difficult, and the main risks are a crooked banner on the leader, which Granthams warns can twist or kink the film, and an uncontrolled spring.

You do not have to do it yourself. Our standard stand's catalogue page says you can order a replacement graphic at any time and we will install it into your existing cassette. Replacement graphics are listed for these stands:

• Standard: graphic replacement skin only.
• Deluxe: graphic skin replacement only.
• Premium wide: graphic skin replacement only.
• Double-sided: a pair of replacement graphics.
• Table-top X-stand: graphic insert replacement only. The table-top roll-up is listed as a complete unit; ask about a new graphic on your quote.

When hardware only makes sense

If you print your own graphics or need a spare base, buy the stand without a print. Our hardware-only stand is a spring-loaded aluminum roller cassette for graphics 33.5 in wide and up to 80 in high. It has a 3-section shock-corded pole with a metal support collar to stop leaning, a padded nylon bag, and your choice of a flat adhesive top bar or a clip-on snap bar. It comes as single units or in master cartons of six. The standard stand can also be ordered as the cassette and bag only.

A useful rule: if the stand still stands straight on level ground and the graphic rolls up and down smoothly, replace the graphic and keep the hardware. If the base is damaged, parts are missing, or you need a different width or a second face, that calls for new hardware, because a 33.5 in graphic will not fit a 47.5 in cassette, and a single-sided base cannot become a double-sided one.

How to choose for trade shows, lobbies and events

Trade shows

Read the show's booth rules first. Many are based on guidelines from IAEE, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. As published on the AFP conference's IAEE guidelines page, a linear (inline) booth may reach 8 ft only in its rear half; everything in the front half, toward the aisle, is limited to 4 ft, and displays should not block neighbours' sight lines. Shows can adjust these; DistribuTECH's booth rules say they are based on IAEE guidelines, modified for that show.

A 79 in stand is over 6 ft tall, so where a show uses those rules it belongs in the back half of an inline booth, not at the aisle edge. Check your own exhibitor manual; it has the final word.

• One or two standard stands are the simplest booth kit: one for the name, one for the product. They can also stand on either side of a table.
• The premium wide stand works as a compact backdrop for the back of a 10 ft booth, or behind a speaker.
• A table-top roll-up on the table puts your name at eye level for people standing at it.
• The deluxe stand suits a polished booth on thick carpet, thanks to its levelers and the absence of feet to trip over.

For the whole booth, from backdrop to table cover, see our trade show booth checklist and the trade show planner.

Lobbies and offices

A stand that lives in a lobby may stay up for weeks and gets walked past from every side. The deluxe is the tidy choice here: no feet sticking out, levelers for uneven floors, and a base that sits close to a wall. If people approach from both directions, as in a hotel queue, a mall corridor or a showroom, the double-sided stand gives each direction its own face. At a reception counter, the table-top roll-up or the table-top X-stand carries a single message, such as a check-in instruction or a current offer.

Events, registration and pop-ups

When whoever is on shift sets the stand up, the standard stand's light weight and simple base help. At registration and check-in, a double-sided stand can be read from both sides of the queue, and a table-top roll-up on the desk tells each guest where they are. For a one-off promotion whose graphic changes every time, an X-stand is the cheapest to refresh.

What to send with your quote request

• Which stand you want, and how many.
• Whether you need a complete display, a replacement graphic for a stand you already own, or hardware only. For a replacement, tell us which model you have.
• Your artwork at the size for that stand, or your logo and wording if you need a layout. For a double-sided stand, say whether both faces are the same.
• Where the stand will be used: the show, venue or lobby, and any material rules from the exhibitor manual.
• Your event date.

Production time depends on the product — your quote gives you a firm date before you approve anything. Nothing prints until you approve the proof. Compare every stand on the retractable banner stands page, or send your files through our quote form.