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What is a shipping core?

The shipping core is a rigid cardboard tube. When your order ships, your flexible print (adhesive, poster, lightweight banner) is rolled around this tube. The design travels rolled, never folded.

Why it matters: a crease on a printed material never comes out. The mark stays visible, and the ink cracks along the fold line. Rolled around a core, the material keeps a wide, even curve: it arrives with no mark and no ink cracking.

Cross-section view: graphic rolled around the cardboard core, compared with a folded graphic whose ink cracks at the fold Rolled on a core (cut) Folded: to be avoided Rolled graphic Core (cardboard tube) Ink cracking on the fold line
In cross-section: rolled around the core, the graphic keeps a smooth curve. Folded, the ink cracks along the crease.

Two options at checkout. On a core without cutting: €4.00 per m². Square-cut to size, rolled on a core: €6.00 per m². Upon receipt, unroll the print and lay it flat for a few hours before installation: the material will regain its flatness.

When should you choose the cardboard core?

  • For any printed flexible material: adhesive vinyl, poster, lightweight banner. This type of graphic is rolled, never folded.
  • On a core without cutting: €4.00 per m².
  • Square cut to size, rolled on a core: 6.00 € per m².
  • Upon receipt: a few hours laid flat before installation, and the material regains its flatness.

You will find these options on our flexible materials, such as the PVC banner. And before starting the print run, think about the print proof : it is what approves your file before it is rolled onto the core. Curious about another term? The glossary is there for that.

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