How to design a banner online

To design a banner online with us, open any banner product page, press Design it online, add your logo and details, pick a layout, then check and approve it: the approved design goes into your basket with no design fee. It is free to design and preview, and you only pay for the printing. This guide walks through each screen, what the checks mean and the few things worth changing before you approve.

Before you start #

Have three things ready: your logo file (a large PNG or an SVG gives the sharpest print), the exact words, and the size. If you are unsure about size, our guide on what size banner you need will save you a reprint. On PVC banners, which start from £38.45 for 4 ft × 2 ft (1219 × 610 mm), you can also choose eyelets, hemming and cable ties on the product page before or after you design.

You do not need an account to design a banner online. Your draft is saved in your browser on that device, so you can close the designer and come back to it later on the same computer or phone.

How to design a banner online, step by step #

1. Open the designer. On the product page, find the panel headed “Design your banner online” and press Design it online. The designer opens full screen at the size selected on the page, and you can change the size from the menu at the top.
2. Upload your logo. The first screen is “Step 1: upload your logo”. Drop in a PNG, JPG, SVG or PDF. No logo yet? Choose “No logo? Use my company name as a wordmark” and carry on.
3. Fill in Your details. Type your company name, a line about what you do, your services (one per line), phone, email, website and address. Every layout fills itself from these, and they are remembered on that device for your next design.
4. Choose what it is for, then a layout. In the Templates tab, pick a purpose such as My business, Trade services, Grand opening, Sale or offer, Now hiring, Event, To let or Site information. Then choose a layout style: Modern, Bold, Trade, Corporate, Colour block, Classic and more.
5. Edit the words and colours. Use the Words tab for a headline, a short line, a list and a call to action. Click anything on the banner to change it: drag to move, pull the corners to resize, double-click text to rewrite it. The colour choices taken from your logo sit in the side panels.
6. Clear the checks. Open the Checks list and deal with anything marked in red. Each message has a “Show me” link that selects the item on the banner.
7. Review and approve. Press Review and approve, look at the Preview, Mock-up and To scale views, tick “I approve this design” and press “Approve and attach to my order”.
8. Add to basket. Back on the product page, set quantity and turnaround, then add to basket. The artwork line reads “Designed online by you” at no charge.

The guides on the canvas #

A small legend at the bottom of the screen explains the three lines you will see:

• Red line: cut. The finished edge of the banner.
• Dashed line: keep text inside. The safe area. On a hemmed banner with eyelets, anything outside it can be lost in the hem or near an eyelet.
• Dotted line: bleed. Background that runs past the cut so the edges never show white.

Eyelet positions are marked as a guide on screen and never printed. The grid button at the top right turns the guides on and off, and there are undo, redo and zoom buttons beside it. Our guide to bleed and safe area explains why those margins exist.

What the design checks look for #

While you design a banner online, the designer runs checks all the time and shows a count on the Checks button. Red items stop you approving; amber items are advice.

Check	What it means	Stops approval?
Sample text	Words such as “YOUR COMPANY LTD” or “01234 567890” are still there. Fill in your details or edit them.	Yes
Empty logo box	A layout has a logo space but no logo. Upload one or delete the box.	Yes
Text past the edge	Part of a line would be cut off.	Yes
Outside the safe area	Something sits beyond the dashed line.	No, but move it in
Small capitals	Letters too small to read from about 10 m on a banner, with a suggested height.	No
Low resolution	A logo or photo will be under 100 dpi at banner size and may print blurred.	No
Overlap or contrast	Text covered by a logo or shape, or too close in colour to its background.	No

If the capitals warning appears, take it seriously. A banner is read from across a road or a car park, and a short headline in big letters beats a long one in small letters. Our guide to letter height and viewing distance has the numbers.

Tips for a banner that reads well #

When you design a banner online it is tempting to fill every space. Resist it: these habits matter more than the layout you pick.

• One message. Company name, what you do in three to five words, and a phone number is plenty for a 6 ft × 3 ft (1829 × 914 mm) banner.
• Phone number big. It is usually the one thing people need to read from a distance.
• Strong contrast. Dark text on a light background or the reverse. Avoid text over busy photos.
• Delete what you do not need. An address or email can go if the banner is on your own premises.
• Mesh for exposed spots. If it is going on a fence or scaffold, a mesh banner lets the wind through. The same designer works on mesh.

After you design a banner online and approve it #

Approving saves your print-ready file with the item, and we print exactly that design, so there is nothing more to wait for once your order is in. The screen preview carries a small “InstantBanners preview” watermark; the print file does not. After payment the high-resolution PDF is attached to your order and you can download it from My Account. If you only want the file and not the printing, the approved screen offers the print-ready PDF on its own for £9.99. Want to change something later? Open the designer again, edit and re-approve. Our guide on how to approve your design covers the approval screen in more detail.

Putting a banner up outside? Most small business banners on your own premises are fine, but the government’s guide to outdoor advertisements and signs explains when consent is needed. Still not sure about wording or size? Call us on 0161 315 1151 or send us a message.