Does PVC still belong in your pop-up?
Many brands know exactly how their pop-up should look. Far fewer are told what its graphics are made of.
Brands put enormous care into their products, packaging and sustainability goals. But temporary graphics often pass through several partners, and the material may never be discussed.
That is how PVC can end up in pop-up graphics without anyone consciously choosing it. If you don’t know whether your graphics contain PVC, you’re not alone.
👀 PVC on the windows?
And not only on the windows. Temporary graphics can cover the entire pop-up — including floors, counters and display units. Yet PVC may be specified by a printer, agency or production partner before the brand ever sees the finished space.
Not because the brand wanted PVC. Because nobody stopped to ask.
This isn’t about blaming brands. It’s about making sure they know they have a choice.⚡
We have a challenge — and we’d genuinely like your advice 💬
PVC can enter a pop-up campaign without the brand ever consciously choosing it. Our challenge is making that material choice visible before the campaign goes into production.
❓ How can we get this information in front of brands early enough to make a difference?
Would a clear cost comparison, physical samples or a material question in the campaign brief help? Who should we be talking to — brands, agencies, printers or retail designers?
🩷 STAFIX® GRIP: Ready to look beyond the raw material price?
A printed graphic is more than its raw material. Its real cost includes printing, finishing, installation, removal, cleaning and possible reuse.
🦍Spoiler alert: The €57 extra for GRIP dissapears in cleaning alone.
The real cost of a 20 m² pop-up
How we calculated it
- Raw material before printing: indicative prices of €1.75/m² for conventional PVC — the midpoint of the €1.50–2.00 range — and €4.60/m² for STAFIX® GRIP. For 20 m², this gives a raw-material cost of €35 for PVC and €92 for GRIP.
- Printing and finishing: estimated at €20/m² for both materials, or €400 for the full 20 m². The same price is deliberately used for all three alternatives so that the comparison isolates the effect of material choice and campaign execution.
- Professional installation: €1,050 for both PVC and GRIP. The calculation uses a published starting rate of approximately €52.50/m² × 20 m². The same installation price is deliberately used for both materials to model a fixed installation package from a printer or installer.
- Store installation: two hours of in-house work at €35/hour = €70. GRIP can be installed without specialist tools; ask Stafix if you would like your team to handle the installation.
- Removal: PVC removal is modelled as one separate return visit at approximately €187, using the published starting charge for an installation call-out as the benchmark. GRIP removal is estimated at one hour of in-house work at €35/hour = €35.
- Cleaning: PVC adhesive-residue cleaning is estimated at three hours × approximately €39/hour = €117. This sits within a published range of approximately €29–47/hour for specialist or deep cleaning. No separate adhesive-residue cleaning cost is included for GRIP.
All prices exclude VAT. Source prices have been converted to euros using the ECB reference rate for 27 August 2026. Sources: Puck Studio installation and de-rig information, Sentrex commercial cleaning rates and the ECB currency reference rate.
Same profssional installation price. Still €212 less with GRIP.
Even when professional installation is priced at the same €1,050 for both materials, GRIP costs approximately €212 less overall. Its €57 higher printed-graphics price is already offset by the €117 cleaning allowance for PVC. Easier removal increases the difference further.
Want to save more? Install GRIP yourself.
With two hours of store staff time allowed for installation, the GRIP total falls to €597 — which is €1,192 less than the PVC alternative. No specialist tools. No adhesive residue. And no need to call the installer back for removal. Just ask Stafix.
The cheapest print doesn’t necessarily create the cheapest pop-up
Look beyond the print. Compare the whole campaign.
Illustrative calculation for 20 m² of graphics on suitable smooth surfaces. Actual prices depend on the printer, location, access, surfaces and campaign design.
Check our math
Note: This calculation was made by humans and a gorilla. Humans and gorillas can make mistakes. Did we miss a cost or make an assumption you disagree with? Tell us.
GRIP — for your perfect pop-up
GRIP stands out as an incredibly tough product built for the demanding conditions. It thrives with a full year of indoor use and up to 6 months outdoors, handling extreme temperatures from -30°C to 70°C with ease. Versatile and reliable, GRIP is reusable, washable, and offers both white and clear options.
- Self-adhesive material with a silicon layer
- PVC-free, glue-free, and residue free
- Reusable, washable, and recyclable
- Lifespan 12 months indoor, 6 months outdoor
- Face stock material PP, PET
PVC-free · White or optically clear · Residue-free · Reusable
One pop-up. Many surfaces.
A pop-up may use graphics on windows, floors, counters, doors, display units and other temporary surfaces. One material will not solve every application.
Stafix helps match the material to the surface, campaign duration, conditions and intended reuse. GRIP is an excellent PVC-free choice for windows and many other clean, very smooth surfaces. For floors and other applications, we help select the right material and finishing.
🦍 Get your free samples!
Book a chat with us
10 minutes of your time. 10 free PVC-free stickers for you.
Just leave your email — and a note if you wish. We’ll contact you to arrange a quick 10-minute chat about your pop-up, including the surfaces, location, campaign duration and graphics.
Based on the conversation, we’ll recommend suitable PVC-free materials. As a thank-you for your time, we’ll print 10 free stickers with your own design for testing. No obligation to order. 🦍
💬 Let’s arrange your 10-minute chat
See Stafix products in person
Order free Stafix product samples and discover the sustainable future of self-adhesive POS materials. Our products were developed to supercharge your campaigns.
