What size banner do I print?

September 10, 2012 8:28 AM

What size banner do I get printed? Laminate or not?

I need a large banner printed for a televised press conference. It will be held up by 2 or 3 people behind a speaker on a podium, with a few tv cameras pointed at it. What is an optimal size for TV cameras to pick up the whole banner and have it stand out? Also, it will be used at several different events over the next month, both indoor and outdoor. Do I want it laminated or will the reflection show up in the cameras? Thanks for your input.

posted by caveatz to media & arts (5 answers total)

It depends how much text you have. One word or logo doesn't need to be too big to be picked up. OTOH, a paragraph of text may need to be larger. Print a couple of 11x17 sheets of the text at 100% size and run a test with a digital camera and a zoom lens.
posted by JJ86 at 8:48 AM on September 10, 2012

Not sure about the size, that depends on the content of the banner. But if you want to use it indoor and outdoor you want to have it laminated for durability. Also, you can ask for a matte laminate so it won't be as shiny and reflective as regular laminate.
posted by blacktshirtandjeans at 9:39 AM on September 10, 2012

Are you hoping for the press conference background look? Then you need to figure out how much of the background the cameras are picking up. Essentially, what's in the shot -- two people sitting at a table? One person at a podium? Two people shaking hands? If the banner contains information that needs to be legible to people watching this later, I think that depends on the message.

I'd also consider getting a stand rather than having people hold the banner. If people are holding it, the banner will move while it's being filmed. I've used this site for banner printing, and they did a good job, although the banner clips on their stands were flimsy.
posted by gladly at 9:56 AM on September 10, 2012

If the banner is printed on paper, you should laminate it for durability. Matte lamination is available, and would eliminate the reflection problem. Printing on vinyl rather than paper is also an option, although it may be more expensive than matte laminated paper.
posted by paulg at 1:48 PM on September 10, 2012

You can get the banner printed on vinyl or canvas. If the banner is not left out in the rain or sun constantly, canvas is nice (and matte.) Vinyl stands up to the elements longer. Probably a about 6 feet wide and 4 ft high would cover a medium shot. If the camera is very far away and the shot is a wide shot, your banner should be bigger. If only closeups will be shown, smaller would work.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:41 PM on September 10, 2012