What is Large Format Printing?

Large Format Printing is a modern printing technique that has revolutionized the way that businesses and individuals create printed materials. Unlike traditional printing methods, which are limited in terms of size and resolution, large format printing allows for the creation of high-quality, large-scale prints that can be used for a variety of purposes.

Large format printing offers high-quality, large-scale prints that can be used for a variety of purposes. It can also be a cost-effective option, especially to print cheap materials in bulk.

If your business relies on printing large materials for commercial or marketing purposes, you already know you can’t depend on a standard digital printing service. Instead, you must enlist the specialised services of a large format printing company.

In this blog, we will discuss what exactly large format printing is, what it is used for, who uses it, and the common materials used.

What is large-format printing?

When we think of printing, we tend to think of regular A4-size printing. However, all the large printed materials we come across in day-to-day life, such as posters, banners, window displays, and even pop-up stores or events require large-format printing.

Commercial businesses rely on large-format printers to create marketing materials, as they can print a large volume at a high speed and at high resolution.

Large-format vs. wide-format printing

While the terms ‘large-format printing’ and ‘wide-format printing’ may sound similar, they have different meanings and should not be used interchangeably. Large-format printing refers to the production of printed materials that are too big for standard commercial presses – generally exceeding 36 inches in width or height – whereas wide-format printing is similar to a plotter, better suited to producing vector graphics and drawings, like architectural and engineering plans.

What is large-format printing used for?

Large-format printing can be used in a variety of ways, most commonly by commercial businesses such as retail. However, if they make the mistake of going to a regular digital printing company, they cannot guarantee that the resolution will be high or the finished look professional.

There are numerous scenarios where large-format printing is necessary, including:

• Posters
• Banners
• Maps
• Trade show displays (booths, wall decals, etc.)
• Festivals (posters, signage, etc.)
• Retail (window displays, point of purchase displays, seasonal campaigns)
• Photo walls (i.e. at media events)
• Events (installations, media walls, seasonal events e.g. Christmas)
• Exhibitions
• Pop-up store or activation

There are many ways that businesses rely on printing services to fulfil their commercial needs. For example, an event planner may work closely with a large-format printing service in the lead-up to a launch of a new product. They would need posters, banners, a media wall for guests to get their photos taken, installations to create an immersive and photogenic experience, booths for the guests to try out the new product for themselves, and more.

A supermarket, on the other hand, may enlist the services of a large-printing company to create banners and point-of-purchase signage around the store. They may even have an agreement with the printing service so that every quarter (or when there are new deals in-store) the supermarket can quickly send the printing company the new assets and know they already have the required specs on file. The printing can be completed quickly and be erected in the store as soon as possible.

A corporate trade show is full of large-format printed materials, as each company that chooses to showcase its products or services will need to create a booth where it can stand out from the competition in its industry. The better the quality of their printing, the more enticing their stand will be, and the more sales they will generate.

What materials are used in large-format printing?

What many people don’t know is that large-format printing is not limited to paper. Large format printers can print on a range of materials. These include:

Businesses have so many choices when it comes to printing on a large scale. They don’t have to stick to regular paper printing and depending on the event they can experiment with different materials.

For example, a designer may design an exhibition around the use of different materials to create varying effects, especially when used with light.

Fabric displays are a great option for businesses to use in trade shows and pop-up activations as backdrops because they are easily portable and add a whole new dimension when compared to paper-printed materials.

Final Words

Businesses around the world rely on large-format printing to fulfil their marketing needs. The better the print job, the more sales will be generated. Businesses should get creative with large-format printed materials, and enlist a top-quality printing service to get the job done right.