Do you choose a trade fair wall with magnetic tracks or rather one with fabric?

Exhibition wall with fabric

Exhibition walls can be found in many types. They can be divided into:

  1. Exhibition walls with a print on fabric
  2. Exhibition walls with printing on (rollable) magnetic tracks

Both types of stock exchange systems have their own characteristics, properties, advantages and disadvantages. I will list them for you in this article:

Exhibition walls with magnetic tracks – the history

It was in '89 when I first came into contact with a so-called pop-up exhibition wall. The idea behind it was, and still is, very fascinating. With a compact, lightweight aluminum frame you can conjure up a complete exhibition wall or presentation wall in 10 minutes. Ideal for trade fairs, events and other places where you wanted to promote your company. 

The print was then made on square, plastic panels. The printing techniques were very limited, usually analog photo enlargements or lettering. Because the final image was divided over quite a few of these (almost square) panels, it was interrupted by many seams. You never had a sleek wall with a seamless image.

Sometime in the 1990s, the first pop-up exhibition walls with magnetic tracks appeared on the market. In contrast to the square panels that were attached to the frame with clips, vertical printed “lanes” were magnetically “glued” to the frame. Because the lanes were attached tightly to each other, a fairly seamless whole was created. An additional advantage was that the sides of the (pop-up) frame were also finished with magnetic tracks. As a result, the frame itself was no longer visible, which looked much tighter. 

Because this solution was a lot nicer than the frames with the separate, square panels, the exhibition walls with magnetic tracks slowly but surely supplanted the other exhibition walls.

Exhibition walls with magnetic tracks – the present

Now, 25 years later, pop-up exhibition walls with magnetic tracks are still popular. The frames have been further perfected and the printing techniques for printing the magnetic tracks have also undergone an enormous evolution. The current generation of exhibition walls with magnetic tracks are therefore more user-friendly, more durable, more beautiful and cheaper than ever. For these reasons, these walls are still widely used at trade fairs, conferences, (indoor) events. These pop-up exhibition walls are very suitable for brands or companies that want to temporarily present themselves professionally without having to build all kinds of large or heavy constructions, displays or walls.

The walls are transported in a handy rolling case and can usually be assembled into a beautiful eye-catcher in 10 minutes. And after the presentation or fair, these are broken down again and neatly stored in the supplied case, ready for the next fair, promotion or presentation. 

Exhibition walls with fabric

Fabric has become a very popular print medium for many applications. For example, at our sister company isyfair, 90% of the prints for the exhibition stands are printed on fabric. Printed fabrics are cheap, lightweight, reusable, environmentally friendly and have a warm appearance. 

Printed fabrics have also become very popular with (pop-up) exhibition walls. With some of these exhibition walls, the printing can be illuminated from the back, which gives a particularly nice effect. 

Exhibition wall with fabric vs exhibition walls with magnetic tracks – the advantages and disadvantages at a glance:

Advantages of exhibition walls with fabric:

  • Fabric has a warm appearance
  • Fabric prints for exhibition walls actually never break. They can wrinkle, but these creases can also be removed (steam/ironing, etc.)
  • Printed fabrics are cheaper than printed plastics or magnetic tracks
  • Because they are semi-transparent, fabrics can also be lit perfectly from the back, creating a “light box” effect which can be very beautiful
  • Printed fabric is relatively insensitive to moisture
  • Exhibition wall prints on fabric can almost always be made in one piece. As a result, even large images, logos and texts are sleek and seamless.
  • Fabric is (much) lighter in weight
  • Fabric is easier to store, store and ship
  • Printed fabrics are relatively environmentally friendly, although this also depends on the inks used. At isydisplay, we only use water-based inks for this reason.
  • Most printed fabrics are washable.

Disadvantages of exhibition walls with fabric 

  • The resolution of images printed on fabric is lower than images printed on plastic. Images therefore look less sharp than the same image on plastic magnetic tracks
  • Fabric is "matte", which means that fabric has a different appearance than printed plastics, and the exhibition wall looks slightly less brilliant than a exhibition wall with magnetic tracks. Although I must point out that exhibition walls with fabric that are lit from the back (so-called backlighting) often look more brilliant than exhibition walls with magnetic tracks.
  • Fabric can wrinkle
  • Fabric is not light-tight so the background can show through. For this reason, I always recommend aiming spotlights directly on the fabric, or using backlighting (LED lighting from the back). Preferably do not place exhibition walls with fabric in front of a window or other light source.

Advantages of exhibition walls with magnetic tracks 

  • The images of prints on magnetic tracks have a much higher resolution than images on fabric and are therefore much sharper and more detailed, especially when viewed up close. On average, the resolution of images on magnetic tracks or plastic is 2x higher, for example 150 dpi vs 75 dpi (depending on the image and the size on which it is used)
  • In addition to the higher resolution, images on magnetic tracks also have a higher degree of gloss, even when using a matt laminate over the print. This also makes the prints look sharper
  • Isydisplay magnetic tracks are light-tight. Even placed in front of a window or other light source, they do not let light through.

Disadvantages of exhibition walls with magnetic tracks 

  • Exhibition walls with magnetic tracks cannot be lit from the back (or only to a very limited extent) (backlighting). For backlighting, fabric is much more suitable than plastic.
  • Magnetic tracks must be neatly rolled up to ensure that they do not "kink" or fold. Unlike fabric, folds or kinks in plastic/magnetic tracks can hardly be removed. 
  • Sending magnetic webs is more difficult and expensive than sending printed fabrics because they have to be sent in protective tubes and because the volume is larger.
  • This makes magnetic tracks more expensive than printed fabrics
  • Magnetic tracks consist of 3 different layers that are combined into 1 panel in different processes and using heat. The printing and fitting of magnetic tracks is more complex, time consuming and requires more knowledge and craftsmanship. The raw materials for magnetic tracks are more expensive than those of fabric. For these reasons, printed magnetic tracks are more expensive than printed fabrics.

Overview models isydisplay exhibition walls:

Isydisplay exhibition walls with fabric:

Isydisplay exhibition walls with magnetic tracks

You can order all our exhibition walls directly in our webshop. Do you first want to know more or come and see and try the different exhibition walls, or do you want our advice? Please contact us, we will be happy to help you.

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