Default Currency
UPLOAD FILES
888-315-9617
When exhibiting at a trade show or public event, having beautiful and professionally done marketing materials is everything. Although vector art has a clean appearance and can be used on any size of media, photographs are often the best (or only) way to get your message across.
Having enticing images can add a lot to a display, but sometimes, it can be hard to find the right pictures at the right price that don’t have copyright laws attached to them.
But wait, what is copyright?
Copyright is “a legal right created by the law of a country that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution, usually for a limited time” (retrieved from Wikipedia). Copyright is a form of intellectual property, applicable to any expressed representation of a creative work. This means that if a photo has been copyrighted, then you, the user, are not legally allowed to use it without purchasing or being granted those rights.
Are all photos copyrighted?
No, there are some photos that are in the “public domain” and are free for personal or commercial use. This means that you don’t have to buy rights to use the photos for either personal use, commercial use, or both!
Why use stock photos on a display?
It can be hard to find art and photos high quality enough for large format printing. Photos copied or saved directly from the web are 72 dpi, which might look great on your computer screen, but will turn out fuzzy or pixelated on a large print. We recommend using photos that have a resolution of 100-300 dpi (dots per inch) to ensure the best print quality possible. When selecting photos for your display, it’s best to use a picture that is as close to the actual size it will be printed at as possible.
If you’re planning to use a single photo to cover the entire background of your artwork design, the image size and requirements will vary from product to product, depending on the final print size:
- For Banner Stands, your photo should be at least 100 dpi (300 dpi is preferred) and the size should be at least 50” high, so that it can easily be expanded to fit the graphic specifications.
- If you’re looking for a photo that fits the background of a 10ft Trade Show Display, look for images that are high resolution (300 dpi or more) and at least 60″ x 60″ so they can be stretched to fit a 10ft pop up display.
- Trying to find a photo large enough to cover a 20ft Portable Display may be a bit of a challenge, but look for photos that are as large in size as you can find and 300 dpi, so they can be sized up and expanded to cover the entire canvas.
- For Outdoor Flags, the photo should be 100-300 dpi and at least 15″ x 30″ in size.
Large format and dye sublimation prints are produced in CMYK, so saving photos and final artwork as CMYK files is critical in making sure your printed piece looks the same as it does on your computer screen.
Where can I find these free photos?
There are a lot of options out there, so it’s important to always read the fine print on the photo licensing.
Some sites that offer free photos for commercial use include:
And if you don’t have your own graphic designer to put these photos on your display, our team of talented designers can take care of that for you! Check out the Design Services we offer from one of our fantastically creative in-house designers HERE.
