Display designers can easily produce banners of enormous proportions - but large format printing involves more than blowing up a graphic. If you are designing your own display, there are a few practices you'll want to keep in mind to ensure that your banner sends the right message.
Vector vs. Raster
Most computer graphics you see are raster graphics, which are a grid of colored dots. These are an efficient way to store complex images such as photographs. However one major limitation of raster graphics is that the only way to increase the size of the image is to increase the size of the dots. Enlarged images look pixilated and blocky so they aren't the best choice for large format printing.
Vector graphics are a collection of equations that describe how a picture should be drawn. This makes them scalable and vector images can be enlarged many times the original size and still have sharp details. However the more complicated the image, the more difficult it is to depict with vector graphics. This is a great format for a company logo but not as good for a digital photograph.
Adjusting Text
Large format printing is generally viewed from a distance. Don't get too focused on the small features of the image. Instead keep a clear idea of how it will look from a distance. Take special care to choose the right font.
All custom displays should stay away from complicated, fancy fonts. The more complex the background, the simpler the font should be. This is especially true with large format printing where details tend to blur. A font that is clear on a page-sized display might be difficult to read on a ten-foot banner across the room.
As you increase the size of the font for your banner, you should increase the spacing between characters. When viewed from far away, spacing between letters seems to get smaller. Although this is an optical illusion, it is an important design element. Keep text simple, short, and well spaced so viewers can read the sign easily.
Other Elements of Large Format Printing
There are a wide variety of substrates, the material your display will be printed on, available for large format printing depending on how it will be used. Think about how the display is to be used and discuss it with your display producer so that the right substrate can be used.
A display that is going to be used outside will use different materials than one that will be used indoors. A sign that will be hung up once, say as the architectural signage for your place of business, will not be manufactured the same way as a sign that is going to be put up and taken down at dozens of trade shows.
The right graphic, the right text and the right substrate will come together to make a sign with unparalleled impact.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.freebie-articles.com/images/rss.gif "XML Feed For RSS")
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites