Custom Meter Boards and Life-Size Standees
At a busy conference, trade show or open house, your guests decide in seconds where to go and what to look at. Clear, eye-catching signs make that easy for them, and they make your event look well run.
Custom printed meter boards and life-size standees are one of the most affordable ways to do both. Here’s what they are, where they help most, how to choose the right size and how to keep the cost down.
What Are Meter Boards and Life-Size Standees?
A meter board is a freestanding sign that carries information: a welcome message, directions, an agenda or sponsor logos. It’s usually rectangular, but it can be cut to a custom shape such as an arrow or your logo.
A life-size standee is the same kind of sign cut to the outline of a person, mascot or product. Its job is to catch attention and get people to stop, look or take a photo.
Both are lightweight and stand on their own, so you can put them almost anywhere without a wall, easel or hardware.
Custom Meter Boards & Standees for Events
Think about the moments when your guests might feel lost or might walk past something you want them to see. That’s where a sign earns its place.
- Conferences and trade shows: Welcome attendees at the door, thank sponsors where people actually stop, and pull visitors into your booth.
- Directional signage: Arrows at every corridor split keep guests moving and spare your staff the same question a hundred times.
- Open houses and real estate events: Guide buyers from the curb to the front door and point out the features you want them to notice.
- Corporate events and employee gatherings: Welcome your team and reinforce the message of the day.
- Retail promotions and product launches: A life-size standee of the product or spokesperson draws shoppers in and ends up in their photos.
- Retail promotions and product launches:A life-size standee of the product or spokesperson draws shoppers in and ends up in their photos.
- Retail promotions and product launches:A life-size standee of the product or spokesperson draws shoppers in and ends up in their photos.
- Schools, universities and public events:Help first-time visitors find their way around large campuses and venues.
Not sure how many signs you need? Trace a guest’s route on the venue map and plan one sign wherever someone has to choose a direction, then add your welcome, agenda and sponsor boards.
Choosing the Right Size and Options
Most meter boards fall between 24 x 36 inches and 4 x 8 feet. Choose by where the sign will stand and how far away people need to read it.
- 24 x 36 inches: session room signs and tabletop signs.
- About 3 x 6 feet: directional and sponsor signs in corridors.
- About 39 x 79 inches:welcome, registration and agenda boards.
- 4 x 8 feet: large welcome boards and booth panels.
Pick double-sided printing when people will approach from both directions, such as in an open foyer, and single-sided when the board stands against a wall.
One thing to plan for: Ultraboard is made for indoor use. If your signs will stand outside, ask about our outdoor graphics instead.
Why We Print Directly on 1/2-Inch Ultraboard
We print your graphics straight onto 1/2-inch Ultraboard with a flatbed UV printer, instead of printing on a separate sheet and mounting it to a board. Here’s what that means for you:
Sharp, full-color graphics: photos, logos and small text stay crisp and readable from across a room.
Nothing to peel or bubble: there’s no mounted layer, so edges stay clean through setup and teardown.
Easy to carry, sturdy when standing: the board is rigid enough to stand on its own and light enough to move around the venue.
Ready to reuse: Ultraboard resists dents and stays flat, so signs for annual events can come back out next year.
It also removes a production step, which helps keep your cost down. Learn more about our UV and latex hybrid printing.
Bases Cut from the Same Board
A sign only helps if it stays standing. We use our I-CUT digital cutting machine to cut each sign to shape and cut its base from the same Ultraboard.
For you, that means a base that matches the sign, no extra stands to buy or keep track of, and feet sized to the board so taller signs stay stable. It’s a simple setup that also costs less than separate display hardware.
Keeping Your Signage Budget Under Control
Event signage doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive to work. The price of each board comes down to a few things you control:
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Size, and whether it’s printed on one side or two
Shape: a custom outline takes more cutting than a rectangle
Quantity: the price per board drops when you order several
Timing: rush orders, delivery and on-site setup add to the total
A few simple habits help too. Keep your boards the same size and change only the artwork. Reuse sponsor and welcome boards at annual events by updating just the dates. Order one or two spare arrow boards without room names, because room changes happen. If you’d like a reusable design, our design team can set up a template for you.
Life-Size Standees: Make Your Brand Hard to Miss
Life-size standees work best where you want people to stop: as a photo spot at a party or gala, a greeter at your booth entrance, or a product launch display in a store.
For a great result, start with a sharp, full-length photo. Our digital imaging guidelines explain the file setup. Make sure you have permission to use the person’s image or the brand artwork.
Planning Signage for a Chicago-Area Event?
We’re based in Bensenville, close to O’Hare and Rosemont, and we work with event planners across Chicago and the suburbs. Our installation team can place your signs on site if you’d rather not carry them in yourself.
Whether you need a single life-size standee or a full set of directional signs, tell us your event date, venue and the signs you have in mind. We’ll recommend sizes and materials and send you a quote and production schedule.
