It took a whole lot of work and Photoshop tutorials, but you’ve finally designed the perfect poster for your big presentation. The hard part might be done, but there are still some all-important considerations to take care of before contacting poster printing services to ensure your work looks as good in real life as it does on your computer screen.
From selecting the right color mode to making sure your poster resolution is perfect, here’s everything you need to know about large format printing services.
Selecting the Right Color Mode
If you’re working in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator (which you should be if this is a professional design project) you should start by making sure your file is set to the CMYK color mode, rather than RGB. CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, key (black) while RGB is just red, green, blue. These modes simply refer to how the colors you use are mixed together. Unless you’re a hardcore graphic designer, all you need to know is that RGB is better for digital graphics while CMYK is the standard for physical printing.
To change the color mode in Illustrator, just go to File to Document Color Mode and switch from RGB to CMYK. In Photoshop, just go to Image and then Mode. When using either program, it might be a good idea to save backups of your original file before contacting poster printing services, just in case.
Poster Size Matters
Files meant for large format printing need to have a large resolution, no less than 300 dots per inch and more is usually better. If your poster resolution is too small, then you run the risk of the printed version coming out blurry and as pixelated as an arcade game from the ‘80s. While you can convert image resolution, it’s usually best to make sure it’s set correctly when you first create your file.
Once that’s settled, you need to decide how big you want your printed poster to be. While you should still discuss this with a trained large format printing expert at your nearest Print Three location, the most common sizes are A2 (23.4 x 33.1 in), A3 (16.5 x 23.4 in) and A4 (11.7 x 16.5 in).
These might seem like minor details, but they can make or break your poster printing project, so don’t cut corners! Unless you designed a poster with the corners cut off.
Need to make sure your poster printing project goes off without a hitch? Work with the best! Visit your nearest Print Three today. With 44 locations across Canada, Print Three’s knowledgeable experts can take you through all aspects of our large format printing services, including selecting the right paper stock.