Tips for Printing Large Format Posters That Pop

Even with screens everywhere, there’s no substitute for stunning, large-format prints’ bold, tangible presence. They’re one of the best ways to capture attention, drive brand recognition, and make a lasting impression on trade show displays, outdoor events, or promotional materials.

For creative and marketing professionals, mastering how to produce high-quality large-format posters is a must-have skill. But there’s a science to getting it right. To achieve the best results in large-format printing, you must consider the following:

• Resolution requirements
• Scale adjustment
• Material choice
• Viewing distance
• And more.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the top tips for printing large-format posters that pop—from resolution and colour management to the optimal bleed and margin settings. Let’s get started! 

Start With the Right Design Settings

One of the most essential tips for printing large-format posters that pop is getting the right design resolution, image quality, and file formats. What looks crisp on your 15-inch screen can quickly lose its sharpness when blown up to poster size. 

How can you ensure a razor-sharp result when printing large posters? Here are the best practices to keep in mind:

• Design at the final size or scale proportionally. If your poster is 24″ x 36″, either work at that size or a 1:2 ratio with higher DPI settings.
• Aim for at least 150 DPI (dots per inch) at full size to ensure high-quality output. 
• Use the right file format, ideally one that can handle large dimensions without becoming corrupt, such as TIFF files or PDFs.
• Use high-quality images from the start. Trying to “blow up” a small image will almost always result in a blurry poster.

Pro Tip: If you’re a marketer designing for print and digital, avoid resizing the same file for both. Instead, create separate versions optimized for each medium so your final print quality can be as crisp as your Instagram post!

Image Source: Shutterstock

Set Files to CMYK Colour Mode

Aside from the need to use high-resolution images, one of the biggest challenges in learning to produce high-quality large-format posters is knowing the difference between the colours you see on screen and what comes out of the printer. The colour shift happens because:

• Screens use RGB (Red, Green, Blue) light to create colours
• Printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) inks

As a result, some colours (especially bright ones) may not be printed exactly as they appear digitally. For example, intense neons, electric blues, and vibrant greens often lose their punch when converted to CMYK. 

If you design in RGB and print without converting to CMYK, your final poster could look muted, dull, or completely different from what you intended. We highly recommend setting your design file to CMYK from the beginning to get the right colour range and avoid unpleasant surprises down the road. 

Pro Tip: When working with professional print service providers, ask for a colour proof (or a print sample) before pushing for final production. This allows you to check if colours are printed exactly and adjust if necessary. 

Include Proper Bleed and Margins

When asked for the best tips for printing large-format posters, we always stress the importance of proper bleed and margins. Bleed is the extra space (usually about 0.125″ to 0.25″) added around the edges of your design to account for minor shifts during trimming. Without bleed, you risk unwanted white borders or accidentally cutting off essential parts of your design.

Margins, on the other hand, are the safe zones inside your poster. You’ll want to keep important text, logos, and images within the margins (typically at least 0.5″ from the edge) to ensure nothing critical gets trimmed off.

Pro Tip: The printing process and requirements will differ depending on your equipment, so always check your printer’s recommended bleed and margin setup. When in doubt, team up with a reliable managed print services provider like Busys.ca to ensure your poster prints perfectly the first time.

Image Source: Canva

Design for Distance and Readability

Image resolution, bleed, and margin are just the tip of the iceberg. Design with viewing distance in mind to produce custom posters that grab attention. Ask yourself:

• Where will you be putting up your printed image?
• How far away will your audience be? 

The goal is to ensure your message is clear from where your audience will see it. If you’re putting up large banners that will be viewed from 20 feet away, design with big, bold text, strong contrast, and simple visuals easily digestible at a glance—even if your audience is walking or driving by fast.

Choose Material Based on Poster Environment

The best tips for printing large-format posters that pop don’t only deal with design and printer settings. The materials also play a massive role in the final print quality and durability. The key is choosing durable materials based on where and how your poster will be displayed. 

Remember, a poster printed for a one-day indoor event doesn’t need the same ruggedness as one meant to survive a rainy outdoor festival. So, choose wisely! 

Pro Tip: Consider lamination or mounting to extend the life of your poster and keep it looking fresh, especially in outdoor or high-traffic environments. 

Make Your Message Big, Bold, and Impossible to Ignore

Now that you know the top tips for printing large-format posters that pop, it’s time to put them into practice. Busys.ca makes large-format printing simple, stress-free, and cost-effective with streamlined managed print services designed to make your life easier.

We offer various high-performance large-format printers for sale or lease, so you can choose the one that’s right for your business. Our team will help you pick the right equipment, materials, and settings to match your projects so that you can focus on your creative vision, not the technical details. 

Ready to make your ideas even bigger? Contact us today to learn how we can help you print large-format posters impossible to ignore!