Roller Banners: Are They Worth It for Small Businesses?
You've booked the exhibition.
You've got the flyers.
You've remembered the business cards.
You've even bought shoes that don't look like they've spent the last three years walking the dog.
Then you arrive, look at your table and realise something.
Nobody can actually tell who you are.
Enter the humble roller banner.
Nearly two metres of portable advertising that rolls into a bag when you're finished with it.
Simple. Useful. And considerably easier than carrying a billboard around.
What is a roller banner?
A roller banner — sometimes called a pull-up banner — is a large printed graphic housed inside a portable aluminium base.
When you need it, you simply pull the graphic upwards and attach it to the supporting pole.
When you've finished, it retracts back into the base.
The whole thing can then be packed into its carry case and taken to the next event.
No tools.
No complicated assembly.
No standing in an exhibition hall wondering where screw number 37 goes.
Where can roller banners be used?
This is where they're particularly useful.
A roller banner isn't something you necessarily use once and throw away.
Businesses use them at:
Exhibitions
Trade shows
Networking events
Markets
Conferences
Reception areas
Open days
Wedding fairs
Recruitment events
Charity events
Retail displays
Presentations
Community events
If the information on the banner isn't tied to a particular date, it can potentially be reused again and again.
Are roller banners good for small businesses?
They can be excellent.
Small businesses don't always have enormous exhibition stands, expensive displays or giant marketing budgets.
A roller banner gives you a large amount of branded space without needing any of those things.
Put one beside a simple table and suddenly you've got a proper display.
It can communicate:
Who you are.
What you do.
What you look like.
And most importantly...
Which table people are supposed to walk over to.
What size is a standard roller banner?
One of the popular sizes is approximately 800mm wide × 2000mm high.
That's two metres tall.
Which is considerably more difficult to ignore than a business card.
The vertical format gives you enough room for a strong logo, headline, imagery, key services and contact details.
But having lots of space doesn't mean you should fill every millimetre of it.
What should I put on a roller banner?
This is where people sometimes get carried away.
A roller banner is not your entire website printed vertically.
People may only look at it for a few seconds.
Keep the message simple.
A good business roller banner will normally include:
Your logo
People need to know whose stand they're looking at.
A strong headline
Tell them what you actually do.
Not:
WELCOME TO SMITH & SONS LTD
Try:
COMMERCIAL ELECTRICAL SERVICES ACROSS THE NORTH WEST
Now someone walking past immediately understands the business.
A few key services or benefits
Three or four is plenty.
You don't need to list every service you've offered since 1987.
Strong imagery
One excellent photograph generally works better than twelve tiny ones.
Contact details
Website, telephone number, social media or a QR code.
Give interested people somewhere to go next.
What shouldn't I put on a roller banner?
Everything.
Seriously.
One of the easiest ways to ruin a perfectly good roller banner is trying to use every inch of available space.
Tiny writing might technically fit.
That doesn't mean anybody standing three metres away can read it.
Avoid:
Huge paragraphs
Long lists of services
Too many photographs
Tiny contact details
Multiple competing headlines
Excessive QR codes
Every social-media icon known to humanity
Think of your banner as a conversation starter, not an instruction manual.
Where should the important information go?
Remember that the bottom of a roller banner is relatively close to the floor.
That's probably not where you want your most important message.
Keep the logo, headline and key information towards the upper and middle sections where they're naturally easier to see.
The lower section is better suited to supporting branding, websites or less important information.
And if the banner will sit behind a table, remember that the table may physically obscure some of the lower design.
It's surprisingly easy to forget that when you're looking at artwork on a computer screen.
Can I use the same roller banner more than once?
Absolutely.
In fact, that's one of their biggest advantages.
Avoid putting a specific event name or date on the banner unless you genuinely only want it for that event.
A general business banner containing your brand, services and contact information could potentially attend dozens of events.
Monday:
Business networking.
Saturday:
Local market.
Next month:
Trade exhibition.
After that:
Reception area.
Same banner.
That's pretty good value from one piece of print.
Roller banners and flyers work brilliantly together
A roller banner attracts attention from a distance.
A flyer gives someone something to take away.
Business cards provide an easy way to keep your contact details.
That's why these products often work particularly well together at exhibitions and events.
Think of it like this:
Banner: “Hello! We're over here.”
Flyer: “Here's what we do.”
Business card: “Here's how to find us afterwards.”
None needs to do the entire job by itself.
How much does a roller banner cost?
Prices vary depending on the banner system, material, size and supplier.
At Print Pot, our current promotional price for a premium 800 × 2000mm roller banner is £45.
That includes:
Full-colour printed graphic
Aluminium roller-banner stand
Carry case
Artwork check before production
So yes.
The big thing AND the bag.
£45.
I've never ordered a roller banner before. What do I need?
You don't need to know everything before contacting us.
Tell us:
What is the banner for?
Exhibition, shop, event, reception, market etc.
What would you like it to say?
Even if that's currently just a rough idea.
Do you already have artwork?
If so, send it over.
When do you need it?
This bit matters.
Production and delivery times can vary, so telling us the actual deadline means we can advise what's realistically achievable.
A real person can then look at the requirements and help you work out the next step.
No roller-banner qualification required.
So, is a roller banner worth buying?
If your business regularly attends events, exhibitions, networking meetings, markets or open days, we'd argue they're one of the more useful pieces of reusable promotional print you can own.
They're large enough to get noticed.
Small enough to transport.
Quick to put up.
And when you've finished?
Roll it down.
Stick it in the bag.
Pretend carrying a two-metre advertisement around is completely normal.
Ready to stand out?
Print Pot's 800 × 2000mm premium roller banners are currently £45, including the stand and carry case.
Got artwork already?
Send it over.
Haven't got the foggiest idea what should go on the banner?
That's fine too. Give us a shout.
We'll help you work out the printy bit.
Print Pot
Real People. Real Advice. Really Good Print.