Custom banner sizes: when a standard banner will not fit

Custom banner sizes are for the spaces standard sizes do not fit: the strip of railing between two gateposts, the narrow wall above a shop door, the exact width of a stage. If you measure carefully and set the artwork up at the right size, a made-to-measure banner costs no more effort than a standard one.

This guide covers when a custom size is worth it, how to measure, the limits we can make, and the layout traps that come with long, thin or very large banners.

Standard or custom banner sizes? #

Start with the standard sizes. A 6 ft × 3 ft (1829 × 914 mm) or 8 ft × 4 ft (2438 × 1219 mm) banner fits a lot of spaces, is already set up in the designer and is quick to order. Our guide to what size banner you need covers the common choices.

Go for custom banner sizes when:

• The banner has to fill a fixed space exactly, such as a panel between posts or a frame.
• A standard size would leave an obvious gap or overhang.
• The space is very long and thin, like a fascia or the top of a fence.
• You are matching an old banner that is being replaced.

The limits for custom banner sizes #

Our custom size banners can be made anywhere from 300 mm on a side up to 16 ft 5 in (5000 mm) wide and 9 ft 10 in (3000 mm) high. You choose the material in the options: 440gsm PVC, 260gsm mesh for windy spots, or 400gsm PVC-free. The same custom range is available on our main PVC banners and mesh banners pages, where you type your own width and height.

For anything bigger than 5000 × 3000 mm, ask us through the quote page. Very large banners are usually better as two or more panels that butt together, which are easier to hang and to move.

How to measure for a custom banner #

Measure the space, then decide how the banner will fix to it. The banner size is not always the same as the space.

1. Measure width and height in millimetres with a tape, at the top and the bottom, because walls and fences are rarely square. Use the smaller figure.
2. Take off room for the fixings. If the banner ties to posts at each end, it needs to be a little narrower than the gap so the ties have somewhere to go. Allowing around 50 mm each side is a sensible start for cable ties.
3. Check for obstacles like downpipes, signs, hinges and gate latches.
4. Write the size down as width × height, width first. Swapping them is the most common custom sizing mistake we see.

Our step-by-step article on how to measure for a banner has diagrams for fences, walls and frames.

Proportions: what reads well #

Some custom banner sizes are awkward to design for. A banner that is 10 times wider than it is tall leaves very little height for lettering, and a tall thin banner has very little width.

Long and thin

For fascias and fence tops, keep to one line of text: your name and one short message, or your name and a phone number. Make the lettering as tall as the banner allows after leaving a margin top and bottom. A logo at one end and a phone number at the other works well.

Tall and narrow

For pillars and gaps between windows, stack the content: logo at the top, a short list in the middle, contact details at eye level. Avoid long words that would need to be squeezed small to fit the width.

Very large

Large banners are read from further away, so fewer, bigger words work better than more detail. Photos need to be sharp at full size, which means starting from a large original. Our artwork guidelines give the resolution we look for.

Setting up artwork for custom banner sizes #

Build the artwork at exactly the size you order, or at an exact scale such as 1:10, and say which in your order notes. Keep text and logos at least 5 cm in from every edge where the hems and eyelets go, and let backgrounds run to the edge.

If you use our online designer, type the custom size on the product page first and the designer opens at that size with the safe area marked. If you upload a file, a person checks its size, resolution and bleed for free before anything is printed, and will tell you if the file does not match the size you ordered.

Oversize delivery and custom banner sizes #

Size affects delivery. Banners over 3 m on any side are oversize and add £15 once per order, however many oversize items are in it. If your space is 3.1 m wide, it can be worth asking whether a 3 m banner with slightly longer ties would do the same job.

Otherwise, UK mainland delivery is £7.95 per order and free when your goods total is £99 or more after discount codes; artwork fees do not count towards that total. Mainland Scottish Highlands postcodes add £10, and Northern Ireland, the islands, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight are quoted first.

Permission for large or permanent banners #

A banner on the outside of a building counts as an outdoor advertisement. Many small and temporary banners can go up without an application, but size, position, lighting and how long it stays up all make a difference, and the rules are stricter in conservation areas. If you are ordering one of the larger custom banner sizes for a building front, check with your local council before you order. The government publishes a plain guide to outdoor advertisements and signs that explains the categories.

If you rent the building, ask the landlord too. It is much easier to agree the size before the banner is printed than after it is up.

Common custom sizing mistakes #

• Width and height swapped on the order.
• Measuring the space and forgetting the room needed for ties or posts.
• Artwork made at a different ratio from the banner, so it has to be stretched or cropped.
• Small text on a very long banner that nobody can read from the road.
• Going just over 3 m when a slightly smaller banner would fit and avoid the oversize charge.

Get those right and custom banner sizes are as straightforward as any other banner. If you are not sure, measure twice and send us the numbers before you order.