Print guides
Answers before
you order.
Two hundred plain-English guides to large format materials, sizes, finishing and artwork. Find the topic closest to your job, or tell us what you are planning.
Materials.
What each print material looks like, where it works and where it does not.
- 135gsm or 190gsm photo paper
- 240mic roll-up banner media
- 3M temporary floor graphics
- Acetate prints
- Art paper for giclée prints
- Backlit prints for shop windows
- Blue-back posters for short campaigns
- Canvas for reproductions
- Clear window vinyl
- Eco-textile wall hangings
- Fabric or vinyl for an indoor banner
- Fabric prints for photography backdrops
- Film for lightbox panels
- Heavyweight artist canvas
- Materials for damp rooms
- Mesh banner wind performance
- Metallic silver and gold prints
- Optically clear polyester prints
- Paper posters for indoor frames
- Photo gloss paper prints
- Photo matt paper prints
- Photo silk paper prints
- Phototex fabric prints
- Printed frosted film
- Printing on rigid board
- PVC banner weights explained
- Self-adhesive vinyl for smooth walls
- Static display graphics for museums
- Vinyl for curved surfaces
- Waterproof poster options
Boards and mounting.
Rigid backings compared by thickness, weight and use.
- 060 mounting board
- 080 mounting board
- 10mm Foamex boards
- 10mm Polyboard
- 1mm Foamex boards
- 3mm Dibond boards
- 3mm Foamex boards
- 3mm Polyboard
- 5mm Foamex boards
- 5mm Polyboard
- Board edges and how they look
- Boards for corridor displays
- Choosing board thickness
- Corex boards for short events
- Lightweight boards for hanging
- MDF mounted prints
- Mounted prints for presentations
- Mounting a poster you already own
- Mounting photographs for exhibition
- Rigid boards for outdoor signs
Comparisons.
Two options, one clear answer, and the reasons behind it.
- Banner or rigid sign
- Canvas or photo paper
- Dibond or Foamex
- Drum scan or flatbed scan
- Eyelets or pole pockets
- Fabric or PVC backdrop
- Foamex or Corex
- Foamex or Polyboard
- Frosted film or printed window vinyl
- Giclée or photographic print
- Laminate or seal
- Lightbox or printed sign
- Matt or silk photo paper
- Pop-up or modular display
- Portrait or landscape for a print
- Poster or mounted board
- PVC or mesh on scaffolding
- Roller banner or pop-up display
- Vinyl or painted wall
Sizes.
Real dimensions, what each size is good for, and how it feels in a room.
- 1000mm roller banners
- 1200mm roller banners
- 12in x 12in square prints
- 14in x 11in prints
- 1500mm roller banners
- 16in x 12in prints
- 18in x 12in prints
- 20in x 16in prints
- 20in x 8in panoramic prints
- 30in x 20in prints
- 3x3 pop-up stands
- 3x4 pop-up stands
- 40in x 30in prints
- 600mm roller banners
- 60in x 40in prints
- 850mm roller banners
- A0 canvas prints
- A1 canvas prints
- A2 canvas prints
- A3 canvas prints
- A4 canvas prints
- Choosing a print size for a wall
- Inch and metric print sizes
- Paper sizes A0 to A4 explained
- Print sizes for a shop window
Finishing and fitting.
The extras that decide how a print hangs, lasts and arrives.
- Banner eyelet spacing
- Canvas stretched over 36mm bars
- Drop systems for wall displays
- Encapsulating printed sheets
- Face-mounting on Perspex
- Fitting banners on railings
- Framing large prints
- Gloss or matt lamination
- Hand-stretched canvas
- Hanging bars for posters
- High-impact tape fixings
- Installing wall graphics
- Installing window vinyl
- Magnetic tape for graphics
- Packing and delivering large prints
- Removing vinyl from walls
- Sealing prints
- Struts for free-standing boards
- Velcro fixings for displays
- Wrapped edge prints
Displays and planning.
Portable displays, plus how to measure and plan before you order.
- Choosing colours for signs
- Hanging a large canvas
- Illuminated graphic displays
- Laminated posters for busy areas
- Measuring a wall for a graphic
- Measuring a window for vinyl
- Planning a mural layout
- Planning a shop window display
- Point of sale display boards
- Portable backdrops for events
- Preparing a wall for graphics
- Replacement pop-up graphics
- Replacement roller banner graphics
- Storing a roller banner
- Writing banner wording that works
Artwork guides.
Getting a file ready so that it prints the way you pictured it.
- Black that prints properly
- Checking a file before you send it
- Choosing fonts for signs
- Designing a pop-up graphic
- Designing a roller banner layout
- Embedding fonts in artwork
- Enlarging a phone photo
- Exporting a print-ready PDF
- Image resolution for large prints
- Logos that print well large
- Matching Pantone colours
- Proofing before a big print run
- RGB and CMYK for print
- Safe areas on banners
- Scaling artwork for large print
- Sending large files for print
- Setting up bleed for large format
- Text size for long-distance reading
- Vector or raster artwork
- Viewing distance and print quality
Buying guides.
How quotes, deadlines and budgets work in large format print.
- Budgeting for an exhibition stand
- How to brief a large format printer
- How to get an accurate print quote
- How volume print pricing works
- Ordering prints for delivery abroad
- Planning print deadlines
- Print checklist for first-time exhibitors
- Printing on a short deadline
- Reducing print waste
- Reusing display hardware
- Student print discounts
- What to ask a print supplier
Scanning and art services.
Turning originals and film into files and fine prints.
Sectors and events.
What works for particular trades, venues and occasions.
- Art fair stand graphics
- Bakery window graphics
- Barber shop graphics
- Brewery taproom graphics
- Car wash signage
- Care home wall art
- Charity gala backdrops
- Christmas market stall signs
- Church banners and notices
- Corporate away-day banners
- Coworking space wall graphics
- Dental practice wall art
- Election and campaign posters
- Farm shop signage
- Florist window graphics
- Garden centre signage
- Law firm reception graphics
- Library display graphics
- Museum object labels
- Nursery wall graphics
- Pharmacy window graphics
- Street food stall banners
- Student degree show printing
- Summer fete banners
- Touring exhibition graphics
- Trade show floor graphics
- Veterinary practice graphics
- Yoga studio wall prints