Key takeaways
- Photos and rosters are the real deadline, so collect them a week before you plan to order.
- Order senior banners and Big Heads 3 to 4 weeks before each senior night, from February through April.
- Senior banners print on 15oz vinyl, hemmed and grommeted, with $5 flat shipping on banner orders.
- Big Head prints ship free.
- Awards and plaques are laser engraved in house, so the final name list has to be right before we start.
- Order graduate yard signs and party banners by mid April for a May graduation.
The spring print calendar
Spring is crowded. Basketball and soccer seniors get honored in February and March. Baseball, softball, tennis, track and golf follow into April. Then banquets, then graduation in May. Here is the order most schools and booster clubs follow.
- January: pick one point person per team, set the photo deadline and pull rosters.
- February and March: winter and early spring senior nights. Order banners and Big Heads 3 to 4 weeks before each one.
- March and April: spring sports senior nights. Same 3 to 4 week window.
- Early April: banquet programs, awards and plaques for late April and May banquets.
- Mid April: graduate yard signs, party banners and family orders.
- May: graduation. Everything should already be in hand.
Football and fall sports run on a different clock. That one is in the football season print checklist.
When to send photos and rosters
Printing is the fast part. Proofs come back in 1 to 2 business days. The slow part is getting 30 photos from 30 families. Set the photo deadline a week before your order date and hold it.
- One point person: one coach or parent collects every photo and approves every proof.
- Same style: ask for the same pose and orientation, vertical for banners, front facing for Big Heads.
- Originals only: send the original photo file, not a screenshot or a photo texted through three phones.
- Roster: one list with every name spelled the way it should print, plus jersey number, sport and graduation year.
Our job ticket takes 20 files at 100MB each, originals only with no compression. A big class may need two tickets. If a photo is too small to print well, we will tell you on the proof. The print ready files guide explains what makes a file usable.
| Item | Order by | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and rosters | 1 week before you order | Originals only, one point person |
| Senior night banners | 3 to 4 weeks before senior night | 15oz vinyl, 2x4 or 3x6 ft |
| Big Head prints | 3 to 4 weeks before senior night | Ship free |
| Banquet programs | 3 weeks before the banquet | Final award list first |
| Awards and plaques | 3 to 4 weeks before the banquet | Laser engraved in house |
| Graduate yard signs and party banners | Mid April | $5 flat shipping on banners |
Senior banners
Senior banners hang on the fence or the gym wall for senior night, then go home with the family. Most families hang them again at the graduation party.
- Material: 15oz vinyl, hemmed and grommeted, so it hangs flat outdoors.
- Sizes: 2x4 and 3x6 ft are the common senior banner sizes. 4x8 ft is available for a team or class banner.
- Shipping: $5 flat shipping on banner orders, or pick up in Hutto.
- Pricing: quoted on the ticket.
Use one template for the whole team, with the same layout, font and colors. Swap in each photo and name. The set looks sharp on the fence, and every family gets the same quality. More sizes are on the signs and banners page.
Big Head prints
Big Heads are oversized face prints the student section and parents hold up. On senior night they end up in every photo from the stands.
- Use a clear, front facing photo with even light and no sunglasses.
- Crop tight to the head and shoulders. We handle the cut line.
- Order the whole team at once so the set matches.
Big Head prints ship free. Sizes and pricing are quoted on the ticket. Some booster clubs sell them to parents as a small fundraiser. Browse them in the print shop.
Graduate yard signs
Graduate yard signs go in the front yard the week of graduation. Some PTAs and booster clubs order one for every senior and deliver them as a surprise.
- Material: coroplast, the corrugated plastic used for most yard signs.
- Size: 18x24 inches is the common yard sign size.
- Stakes: H stakes push into the ground and hold the sign up.
- Two sided: worth it so neighbors see it from both directions.
A class order is easiest when the design is one template with a name field. Send the name list as text, not a photo of a handwritten list. Order by mid April so signs are in hand well before May. Yard sign pricing is quoted on the ticket.
Banquet programs, awards and plaques
Sports and academic banquets need a printed program and a table of awards. Both depend on the same thing, a final list of names and honors.
- Programs: send the order of events, the award list and any sponsor thank yous 3 weeks before the banquet.
- Awards and plaques: laser engraved in house in Hutto. Order 3 to 4 weeks out.
- Spelling: engraving is permanent. Check every name on the proof, twice.
Coaches sometimes hold award winners until the last week. If that is your team, order the plaques and blank plates early and send the names when you have them. Program and award pricing is quoted on the ticket. See what else we engrave and print on the promotional products page.
Graduation party banners
Families order these on their own, usually in April. A party banner hangs on the garage, the fence or behind the food table.
- Sizes: 3x6 ft for a garage or fence, 4x8 ft for a photo backdrop.
- Content: name, school, class year and one great photo. That is plenty.
- Shipping: $5 flat shipping on banner orders, or pick up in Hutto.
Schools can help by sharing the school logo file with families, so every party banner uses the real mascot and not a blurry copy from the web.
Hosting a big party or a class celebration outdoors? An event tent (10x10 and up) starts at $999 with free design and free shipping, and it gets used again for every family event after. Pair it with the senior banner from the season and the yard sign from the front lawn, and the whole party matches.
A sample countdown
Say baseball senior night is a Friday in mid April. Here is how the work stacks up, counting back from the game.
- 5 weeks out: the point person sends a photo request to every senior family, with one deadline.
- 4 weeks out: photos and the roster are in. Open the job ticket for banners and Big Heads.
- About 4 weeks out: proofs come back in 1 to 2 business days. One person checks every name and number.
- 3 to 4 weeks out: approve and pay so production can start.
- Senior week: banners and Big Heads are in hand, and banners go on the fence before warmups.
Run the same countdown for every sport. Put each team on the calendar in January and the spring stops feeling like one long rush.
Who pays and how
Senior season mixes school orders and family orders. Keep them on separate tickets.
- School and club orders: tax exempt organizations are handled on the ticket. Put PO numbers on the ticket too.
- Net terms: Net 15 or 30 for approved organizations.
- Family orders: each family opens its own ticket and pays with cash, check or card. A parent paying personally is usually not tax exempt.
A booster club or PTA is usually its own nonprofit, separate from the district, so it needs its own exemption on file. Start any of it with a job ticket.