As soon as he dragged a half-person-tall information box into the crowded exhibition, Xiao Li from the booth next door came with a sad face: "Brother, look at my newly printed manual. It took only half a day, and the cover was destroyed by coffee stains. The customer turned the two pages and frowned and said, 'It's too heavy'. My heart is so cold..." Exhibitions are like battlefields, and product manuals are your vanguard. Whether it is "built" or not directly determines customers' first impression of your brand. Today, let's talk about something real: What should a manual that can "survive" at the exhibition and help you "win" orders look like?

Rule 1: Travel lightly and don't let the manual become a "sweet burden"

Pain point critical hit: Think about you or your team, carrying dozens or hundreds of heavy manuals, shuttling between airports, stations, and exhibition halls. Your hands are red, your shoulders are sore, and the physical tank is half empty before you develop. When the customer took it in his hand, he subconsciously frowned: "So thick?" The willingness to look through plummeted.

Lightweight strategy：

Paper "slimming": Say goodbye to 200g and 250g coated paper! Consider lightweight special paper (such as paper with high bulk thickness but moderate weight), or reasonably reduce the weight of inner pages (such as 157g for the cover, 128g or even 105g for the inner pages). The feel is still crisp, but the weight can be greatly reduced. Don't be afraid of being thin! Good design and printing process can make tissue paper show the same class.

Size "shrinking": Big A4 is not the only option! Try more portable sizes: the square 210x210mm, the slender A4 Slender Edition (210x280mm), and even the delicate booklet. Stress-free in client briefcases or carry-on handbags.

The number of pages is "streamlined": the exhibition is not a product encyclopedia launch! The manual core is to build interest and trust quickly. Focus on core products, core advantages and core cases. Leave massive parameters and complex technical documents to electronic versions or subsequent in-depth communication. Remember: at the show, less is more! A manual that people are willing to take away and read will have a follow-up story.

Rule 2: Anti-stain and resistant, coffee stains? Fingerprints? It's all small scenes!

Pain point critical hit: Coffee, drinks and snacks are everywhere in the exhibition hall. Fingerprints, sweat stains, and even rain inadvertently left by customers when flipping through it … a manual covered with stains and worn and curled corners instantly lowers the brand's professionalism. To make matters worse, the customer may be embarrassed to pass it to the next decision maker!

Anti-dirty strategy：

Cover "Armor": The cover is the facade, but also the first line of defense! The laminating process (light film/matte film/tactile film) is highly recommended. The matte film is low-key, elegant and anti-fingerprint, the light film is brighter and easier to clean, and the tactile film enhances the sense of high class and anti-slip properties. Upgraded version options: local UV (highlighting key information and wear-resistant), embossing (increasing texture layers and dispersing visual focus of stains).

Inner page "shield": The inner page also needs protection! Choose coated paper (such as matte paper, lightly coated paper), which is more stain-resistant and less prone to ink fingerprints than offset paper. For key pages, consider one-sided matte film, which not only controls costs but also improves durability.

Ink "Makeup Setting": Make sure the printing uses high-quality quick-drying ink and has been fully dried. Inferior ink or insufficient drying, a little rubbing will "drop makeup", which is terrible. If necessary, the abrasion resistance of the ink can be tested.

Binding "reinforcement": Wireless glue binding is a cost-effective choice, but it is necessary to ensure the quality of glue and the amount of glue applied to avoid falling apart after several turns. Lock thread glue binding is more durable and suitable for slightly thicker booklets. Saddle studs are simple and neat, suitable for booklets with few pages. The rounded corner design is a thoughtful small detail, which effectively prevents the sharp corners from rolling up and improves the life and feel of the manual.

Rule 3: Turn quickly and become king, but you can't catch your eyeballs in 3 seconds? Manual equals white print!

Pain point critical hit: There is a hurry of people in front of the booth, and the customer stay time may only be a few tens of seconds. A manual that is piled up with information, confused structure, and can't find the key point will only make customers lose patience quickly and leave. Your core selling point has no chance of being seen at all!

Quick flip guide ：

Visual "Hooks": The Big Picture! Big headline! Leave it blank boldly! Instantly attract attention with impactful product pictures or application scene pictures. The title copy directly addresses pain points or core advantages (such as "solving the pain points of energy consumption in XX industries" and "improving efficiency by XX%"), and the font is clear and powerful. White space is a sense of high-end, and it is also a visual guidance, allowing key information to breathe and jump out.

Structural "signposts": Clear table of contents, header/footer navigation, strong chapter separators are essential. Use strong color blocks, icons, numerical numbers, etc. to make the information level clear at a glance. Let customers accurately capture the parts that TA cares about even if they flip quickly.

The content is "understood in seconds": refuse to talk long! Use more short sentences, Bullet Points, Infographics, and comparison tables. Translate complex technologies into visual language that is intuitive and easy to understand. Core data and unique advantages must be highlighted (such as bolding, discoloration, and small color block foil).

Interactive "eggs": Set eye-catching QR codes in key positions of the manual (such as folding pages on the inner cover, back cover, specific product pages), and link to product videos, detailed technical documents, electronic manual downloads, official websites or contact forms. Meet customers' in-depth understanding needs and open channels for follow-up follow-up. Remember: The manual is the start, not the end.

The exhibition ended and the crowds receded. When your booth was in a mess, did you find that some of those carefully prepared manuals were left in the corner covered with dust, some were curled in the corners and lying beside the trash can, and a few were taken away, but they may be stuffed into the depths of the backpack because of bulkiness or defacement, and there will be no chance to see the light of day again? A manual that can't "survive" in the harsh environment of the exhibition is essentially a silent loss of brand image.

The real winners are those brands that are well versed in the survival rule of "light, dirt-resistant and quick-turning". When customers easily pick up your manual, scratch your fingertips across the coated cover without leaving any trace, and quickly flip the core value accurately into the eye-at this moment, the product manual really surpasses the shackles of paper and ink and becomes a silent but powerful sales leader. It conveys not only product information, but also a professional, reliable and thoughtful brand attitude for user experience. On the smoke-filled battlefield of the exhibition, a book that can withstand the tossing, reading, and catch the eyeProduct brochure design and printing, is your most worthwhile "survival equipment". Let every reading become a reason for customers to add extra points to you.