Remember when you saw an attractive movie banner or poster that made you want to see the movie? Great graphics create lasting impressions on people. That is why designing and printing good graphics of your brand or products is essential to help your brand stand out and pull the audience’s attention.
Whether for a corporate event, an exhibit, or an expo, beautiful large format graphic designs help to attract the audience’s attention and interest in your brand and products.
Designing a graphic for large format printing is different from designing for small format printing. Here is a guide for you to choose the correct software, file types, and other essential aspects of designing for large format printing:
Choosing the right software for large format printing design
The first thing that might pop up in your mind would be about which software to choose to design large format graphics. Here are three popular designing software from Adobe that you can use to create your large format graphics-
- Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is the first choice of many designers as it is ideal for editing images. This software is strictly raster-based and can be your go-to choice for adding photographs to your design.
But Photoshop isn’t the best-suited program for creating large format graphic designs as managing colors and vectors becomes tedious and causes pixilation upon enlarging images. Furthermore, the file sizes can become huge, which can take ample space on your drive. If you choose to design with Photoshop, make sure you have high-resolution images that can fit large print space.
- Adobe Illustrator
Illustrator is a much better option than Photoshop for creating large and scalable graphics as it works with vector files. It can help make much more complex vectors that can be scaled up to any size without losing clarity. As vectors are derived from mathematical equations, they aren’t subjected to pixelation.
The files created in Illustrator are much smaller than those made in Photoshop, which can help you save much space. Illustrator’s bonus point is that it allows you to import raster files from Photoshop if needed.
- Adobe InDesign
InDesign is best for creating page layout designs for printing and is thus ideal for printing brochures. However, it has limitations when it comes to large format printing.
- Vector Files
Vector files or ‘.eps’ files are the best file formats for large graphic designs. Vectors are 2D shapes defined by mathematical equations and do not pixelate on enlarging. This enables scaling designs to any size without losing clarity.
- Bitmap Files
Bitmap files save images as grids of pixels that cannot scale without pixelation. However, bitmap files become handy as not all images and graphics can be vectored. Your image’s background can be bitmap files, and more detailed images can be used as a vector.
Choosing the right colors
Colors are the soul of your large format graphic design, so creating designs in the proper color format is paramount. Using Pantone colors can help you to match your large-size graphics with other graphics.
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key) and RGB (Red, Green, Blue) are standard color options used in printing. The CMYK model is popularly used by printers and helps envision how your banner will look during the designing process. Although the RGB model allows you to choose from a much wider range of colors, the CMYK model gives a much more accurate depiction of colors.
Choosing the right font
Text on graphics helps to communicate your brand’s message. Therefore, choosing the right font for your design is essential. Choosing a font that is too difficult to read or too wide-spaced can hinder your brand’s message. While selecting the font, make sure it looks good and is easy to read from far and close distances.
Choosing the correct resolution
Your large-size graphic’s resolution depends on the banner size and the distance from which attendees will view it. Use at least 150 dpi prints if your graphic will be at around 10 feet distance from the audience. If the banner is at a greater distance, use at least 60 dpi resolution for your design.
Choosing the right printer
Choosing the right printing partner for bringing your designs- whether for a billboard, a bus advertisement, a banner, or exhibition stand, to life is essential. Ensure that your printing partner has suitable printers, experience service professionals, and designers to assist you.
CityBlue Technologies partners with industry-leading companies to offer the latest extensive format printing technology. We pair the latest technology with our expert sales staff and our experienced service team to provide our customers with the best possible service. Together with our strategic partners, CityBlue Technologies truly delivers solutions beyond expectations.
