Print KitA design checklist for banners and boards
A banner has about three seconds. Design for someone walking or driving past.
The checklist
- One message. The shop name and what it sells, or one offer, not a list of fifteen things.
- Big letters. A common rule of thumb is about one inch of letter height for every ten feet of reading distance. A banner to be read from fifty feet needs letters about five inches tall.
- Contrast. Dark on light or light on dark; avoid red on green or yellow on white.
- Few fonts. One or two plain, heavy fonts. Thin and fancy fonts vanish at distance.
- A phone number large enough to read, written once.
- An address or direction if it is not obvious: "next to the post office".
- Spelling. Read every word aloud, and have someone else read it too. A spelling mistake on a banner stays for a year.
- Empty space. Leave room around the text; crowded banners read as noise.
Test it before you print
Look at the design on your phone from arm's length, then at a distance of two or three metres. If you cannot read the main words, make them larger. Show it to someone who has not seen it and ask what the shop sells.
Check the facts
Offers, dates and prices must be true and must match what you will do. Do not use brand logos or photos that you have no right to use. Rules on advertising and on signboards differ by place, so check them.
Plan for weather
Outdoors, ask for material that does not fade or tear, tie it tightly, and leave a small gap for wind if it is large.
Common questions
How many words should a banner have?
As few as will do the job. Seven to ten words is plenty for a roadside banner.
Should I put all my services on it?
No. Put what brings people in. Services can be listed on the shop door or a flyer.
Keep going
Everything on this site is made in your browser: nothing you type or upload is sent to us. Barcodes are made by this page's own code: print one sheet and test-scan a few before you print many. Example names, prices and numbers are made up. No tax, numbering-body or legal rule is stated here. Checked 14 November 2026.