Legal Graphics
Our high quality printing is perfect for legal graphics and trial exhibits. Our exceptional high resolution color output and superior accuracy can produce stunning trial graphics where even the smallest details are razor sharp. Combined with our wide variety of printing materials and quality finishing services, such as lamination and mounting, we are able to offer the highest quality available, while meeting your toughest deadlines and budgets. We have many options for legal graphics that are fade resistant, waterproof and scratch resistant so they will survive a fair amount of abuse, while being economical enough for short term use.
This page describes our services for legal graphics and trial exhibits. For other applications for our large format digital printing services, look through the main menu above under printing services.
If you would like to get prices on printing and shipping, or place an order, click the Pricing/Order button next to each item in the Printing Materials tab. The Pricing/Order wizard will prompt you for the necessary information such as quantity, dimensions and finishing options to show you prices in real time, and allow you to enter you state and zip code to see the shipping costs. If you're ready to order, you can provide additional information such as how you're sending files or if you need design work, if you want a proof, and how you want us to handle cropping of your files if necessary, and then add the print to your shopping cart. You can also compare product prices in the wizard by clicking the Products tab and selecting different materials from the drop down menu to see how the price changes.
The information below shows the variety of materials we offer for legal graphics and trial exhibits, our recommendations for the best materials to use in different situations, answers to common questions, and explains how to place an order.
This symbol denotes a eco-friendly option. These materials are generally PVC free, recyclable, and printed with water based inks as an earth-friendly option.
- Printing Materials
- Our Recommendations
- FAQ
- How to Order
Below are the most popular materials we offer for legal graphics and trial exhibits. Look at the Our Recommendations tab for suggestions on the best materials for different situations.
Blue Back Poster Paper – 6.5 Mil
The blue backing on this economical media makes it highly opaque, while the satin finish provides brilliant, true-to-life color quality. Specially designed for outdoor billboards, poster printing and kiosks, it features water and scratch resistant durability and is also easily foldable without risk of scratching or rupturing. Available in widths up to 54".
Approx. longevity of 6 months to 1 year outdoors, and up to 20 years indoors.
Indoor/Outdoor Poster Paper - 10 mil
This heavy weight latex-saturated wet strength paper is tear resistant, water proof, fade resistant, and scuff and scratch resistant, making it an excellent choice for indoor and outdoor poster size prints and billboards. This paper can also be applied with standard wallpaper paste for an inexpensive short term wallpaper solution. Available in widths up to 54"
Approx. longevity of 6 months outdoors, and up to 20 years indoors.
Synthetic Satin Photo Paper - 7 mil
This synthetic paper is tear proof, water proof, fade resistant, and scuff and scratch resistant, making it an excellent choice for indoor and outdoor color poster printing without the need for lamination. It doesn't have quite the print quality of our high end photo papers, but is otherwise a great product that is also environmentally friendly. Available in widths up to 54".
Approx. longevity of 2 years outdoors and up to 25 years indoors.
Satin Photo Paper - 9mil
This photo paper is our least expensive, yet it provides excellent image quality and color depth without the glare issues of high gloss papers. Great for posters, prints, and indoor signs. Can be laminated and mounted on a variety of substrates such as posterboard, Sintra, or Gatorfoam. Available in widths up to 60".
Up to 200 year indoor longevity if kept away from direct sunlight.
Economy Calendered Matte Vinyl - 4 mil
With an outdoor longevity of up to 3 years, this removable adhesive backed vinyl is excellent for outdoor retail sales signs and POS poster graphics. It has a blockout layer for excellent hiding power and the matte finish helps reduce glare. Can also be used indoors for sign and point of purchase displays. Will adhere to any smooth surface such as Alumalite, acrylic, Sintra, metal, or painted wood surfaces. Available in widths up to 60".
Longevity of up to 3 years outdoors, 5-25 years indoors.
SignUp - 12 mil
SignUp is a revolutionary product for special events, show-rooms, window graphics, exhibitions, POS aids, film studios and all sorts of temporary communication needs. This product makes posting easy, just stick it directly to any surface, and you can unstick and restick it for perfect positioning and fast, bubble and crease-free installation, indoors or out. UV and weather resistant. Available in widths up to 54".
Outdoor longevity of 1-3 years, indoor longevity of 2-20 years.
Finishing Options
This panel contains information on finishing options for legal and trial graphics.
Satin Eco-Friendly Polypropylene Laminate - 3 Mil
This satin finished pressure sensitive laminate offers surface protection for long-lasting, durable graphics with materials that are free of PVC (vinyl) or heavy metals. The absence of heavy metals or phthalates reduces the risk of damaging the health of humans or the environment. Compared to PVC laminating films, polypropylene provides better image clarity for more accurate, vivid colors. This film is a great option for indoor graphics at children’s museums, or other environments, where visitors are encouraged to touch the displays. This laminate is intended for indoor use, but can be used outdoors for up to 6 months.
Vinyl Laminate - 4 Mil
This pressure sensitive laminate is available in gloss, luster or matte finishes, with the matte finish being the most popular as it has a sand texture like polycarbonate that diffuses glare without muting the colors of the print. Laminates offers surface protection and can change the finish of your print to suit the display environment. When a high-gloss finish is desired, and glare is not a concern, gloss is the appropriate choice. Keep in mind that a gloss finish will show flaws, scratches and fingerprints more than any other laminate. Luster and matte offer the same protection without these disadvantages.
Polycarbonate Laminate - 5 and 10 Mil
These pressure sensitive laminates, also know as Lexan, are the most durable available. They resist scratches, abrasion and chemicals, and their textured velvet finish hides fingerprints and diffuses glare. They also provide a unique optical technology that prevents the laminate from making the print darker or dulling the color.
Permanent Adhesive
While not technically a laminate, this pressure sensitive adhesive applied to the back turns any print into a decal, complete with peel-off release liner. We can apply the adhesive and either send the print rolled for mounting to the surface of your choice, or mount the print for you to a variety of substrates. See the Mounting Materials section below for more information.
Posterboard
This paper board comes in 22x28 and is an economical mounting material for short term posters that need enough rigidity to stand up in a poster frame or other sign holder. Other sizes are available on a special order basis.
Foamcore
This 3/16 inch thick foam board has a polystyrene core with paper facing. It's great for short term displays or those on a tight budget, but it's too easily dented when handled for long term or abusive environments. Available in black, or white by request.
Gatorfoam
This foam board has a styrofoam polystyrene core with a Luxcell veneer and is available in thicknesses of 3/16 and 1/2 inch. It's much more durable and harder than foamcore making it more suitable in situations where it will be handled frequently, but the corners will still dent with impact so careful handling is recommended. The faces are also archival so it's great for long term display of prints. Available in black, or white by request.
Sintra
This expanded PVC plastic board is available in a variety of thicknesses, but 3mm and 6mm are the most popular for mounting. It's water resistant and fire retardant, making is desirable for display applications. Since it's a solid board, it's more durable than foamcore or gatorfoam, but it's also heavier and not as rigid. It also expands and contracts with temperature changes, up to .05 mil/ft per degree F.
Legal Graphics
For the most durable on long lasting legal graphics, we recommend the Image Pro Satin paper, laminated and mounted on one of our mounting substrates. This combination is the longest lasting and more durable we offer. However, many trial exhibits are not left on display for any length of time, and the extra fade resistance and durability of this combination may be overkill for many situations. Any of the latex printed materials, such as the Blue Back Poster Paper, Indoor/Outdoor Poster Paper, Economy Calendered Adhesive Vinyl and Synthetic Satin Photo Paper, can be used without lamination, although a laminate will protect them from scratches and abrasion, so they are excellent choices when you want to save the cost of lamination. Our favorite is the Economy Calendered Adhesive Vinyl, because it has excellent image quality and is extremely cost effective when mounted on posterboard or foamcore because it already has an adhesive back. This makes it inexpensive enough to be used as a throw-away graphic, yet it doesn't look cheap. It's waterproof, scratch resistant, fade resistant, and comes in both matte and gloss finishes, so it's an excellent all around choice.
For mounting materials, we recommend Gatorfoam for a durable, rigid graphic. Foamcore and posterboard can also be used as an economical alternatives, but neither is as durable. Sintra is a PVC plastic that is very durable and the corners won't dent like posterboard or foam boards, but it has some flex in it, especially in the thinner versions, so it's not as rigid as a foam board. Also, if a corner is impacted hard enough, it will break, and it's heavier so that's something to keep in mind of you have many trail exhibits you need to transport.
The SignUp is a unique material that will let you temporarily stick a legal graphic or trial exhibit to a smooth surface. It's like a giant post it note, but the adhesive covers the entire back surface so it can be temporarily attached to virtually any smooth surface without any fear of damage. If you keep the plastic release liner and replace it on the adhesive side, you can remove and reuse this material as often as necessary. A terrific alternative when a rigid graphic is too cumbersome or an easel isn't available.
Normal turnaround time is 4-5 days. During the order process you will be asked if you have a specific due date, and if you do, we will adjust your shipping method, if necessary, to get your order to you on time. If you need your order even quicker, we also have a rush service. If you authorize rush charges, we can get your order shipped the same day or the next day. Rush charges are typically 50% of your order up to a maximum of $75. If we're able to meet your deadline without bumping other jobs, we won't actually charge the rush charge, but you must authorize the rush to guarantee delivery.
That depends on the specific material you choose. We can print at our highest quality up to 64" wide, and at our standard quality up to 98" wide, but different materials are available in different sizes. Look through the descriptions of the materials in the Printing Materials tab to find how big each material can be printed.
When you're ready to order, you can use the Pricing/Order button next to each item in the Printing Materials tab, and the Pricing/Order wizard will prompt you for the necessary information such as quantity, dimensions and finishing options, and allow you to see the shipping costs. If necessary, you can click the Products tab in the wizard and choose a different material from the same product type in the drop down menu.
You will also be asked to indicate how you are sending your files and how you want us to handle cropping, if necessary. You will also be allowed to choose whether or not you want a proof, and if so, what kind of proof you would like. You can choose a reduced size printed proof for $30, which will be printed on the same material as your final print, or you can choose to have us evaluate your file to look for any potential problems and send a pdf proof for $15. A reduced size printed proof of the overall design is good for proofing color, or we can print a section of the graphic at full size so you can see how an image will look when blown up. If we feel the file will print poorly or your file doesn't scale to the correct size, we will always contact you to discuss your options before printing, so if you've already examined your files before sending them, a proof is often not necessary, but since custom printed graphics cannot be returned, a proof is your best way to verify what the final print will look like in advance.
Lastly, there is a Special Instructions field where you can provide any information you think we may need to process your order correctly.
Once you've provided all the required information, you can add the item to the shopping cart where you can either check out, or choose to continue shopping to return to the page you came from. On the shopping cart screen you can see all the items you've added to your order, delete any that you don't want, and have a chance to upload your file.
You don't need to create an account to complete your order, but doing so will allow your account history to be maintained for future reference and ordering convenience. The only account information that is stored are your billing, shipping, and e-mail addresses, and this information is secure and confidential. Creating an account WILL NOT result in unwanted e-mails from us, or anyone else.
To finish your order, you will be asked to specify either normal turnaround time for your order, or provide a specific due date. If you do specify a due date, you will also be given the option to authorize rush charge for your order. If you need your order completed in less than the normal 4-5 day turnaround, you should authorize rush charges to ensure you get your order on time. Rush charges are 50% of your order total, up to a maximum of $75. If we don't have to bump other jobs to meet your deadline, you won't be charged the rush fee, but if you don't authorize the charges, we'll do what we can to complete your order on time, but won't go so far as to bump other jobs. If you specify a due date, we will adjust the shipping method, if necessary, to ensure your order arrives by the date you specified. In this case, extra shipping charges may apply.
Next you will be asked to select the shipping method, and finally the payment type. You should know that your credit card is not being charged when you submit the form. We are collecting the information for your order, but you will not be charged until we have verified your order to make sure there were no mistakes made. That way, if there are aspects of your order that change, we can adjust the order and the shipping cost, if necessary, before you are charged.
Once you click the Order button, you will receive an order summary via e-mail for your records, and we will receive your order and the process can begin.
As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please Contact Us and we'll be happy to help you with the process.