The Pros and Cons of Large Format Printing

Large format printing is, as its name suggests, printing done on a very large scale. It is often used for things like posters, billboards, and graphics for cars, buses, and other forms of transportation. It has its own benefits and drawbacks and, depending on your needs, wants, and goals. It may or may not be useful to you.

If large format printing sounds interesting, but you’re not sure whether or not you should take advantage of it, looking through this list of pros and cons below can help you decide whether or not it’s for you.

Pros

It’s Great for Advertising
Large format printing is commonly used to create billboards, banners, posters, and other forms of advertising mediums. If you’re looking to draw attention to an event, a business, or anything else, it is probably exactly what you need. The prints that this technology offers has the capability to create material that will draw attention to your brand.

It’s Built to Last
Oftentimes the products of large format printing need to be placed outside, or used for long periods of time. The technology can be used to make banners that might be put on display for weeks, or even months. It can also be used in the production of billboards and transit graphics, which must be able to withstand the elements and last through all kinds of weather without fading. If you need to print something that can take the abuse of outside use, these printers are the way to go.

It’s Relatively Fast
In many cases, large format printing and digital printing use similar production processes, which means that large format can sometimes offer the same speed that digital printing does. With large format printing, you can have your banners, posters, or other advertisements printed off on a tight schedule.

It Creates Less Waste
If you choose to use traditional offset printing, you may not have the choice to print on demand. Traditional offset printing often requires printing to be done in bulk, which can leave you with a lot of surplus that just winds up in the trash afterwards. Large format printing allows you to print on demand so you only get what you need, and you don’t have to worry about extras going to waste.

Cons

It Might Not Be What You Need
Large format printing is designed specifically for larger pieces. If you’re not looking to print off banners or adverts for the sides of buses, large format printing isn’t what you need. Large format printing caters to a pretty specific purpose, so don’t waste your time considering it if you’re not in need of the exact products it offers, as there’s not a whole lot of flexibility in its use.

It Can Be Tricky to Get Right
Large format printing offers a wide variety of mediums, but each one is fickle and requires the exact right kind of ink to turn out correctly. Your options for inks include acid dyes, pigmented textile inks, dye sublimation inks, UV-curable textile inks, reactive dye inks, and disperse dyes. Each one has its own caveats, and not every kind of ink will work with every kind of material. If the wrong materials get mixed up, your project will probably turn out wrong.

Get in touch with Influence Print for your large format printing needs. From banner printing to floor graphics to a printed backdrop, we have you covered!