What Designers Should Know Before Heading to the Poster Printing Shop


 

A smooth transition from the digital world to the physical one is not always easy when it comes to printing posters. However, knowing how to make the right decisions for the poster printing process can help ensure that you get the results you’re looking for. The following are a few things that every designer should know before having their posters printed.

You should design in CMYK.
If you intend to print your posters, then you can benefit from working in CMYK, rather than RGB. The reason for this is that the RGB color space has more hues than the CMYK one, and not all of those may be available in ink. This discrepancy means that printing a design made using RGB may result in a product that appears incorrect or unattractive if the printer is forced to use a similar color in part of the piece, rather than one that is identical.

Use the right DPI and size.
One of the most common reasons why people bring a single design to the printers more than once is the use of the wrong resolution. If you choose a resolution that is too low, the product that you end up with will be pixelated and blurry. To avoid multiple trips to the poster printing shop and to help ensure a high-quality reproduction, any file that you plan to print should be set to 300 dots per inch (DPI). Also, determine in advance what poster sizes are available and make sure your design is the correct dimensions.

Supply your files correctly.
When you bring your design to the poster shop, your print files should be either TIFFs with no compression or PDFs. While it is possible to use JPGs when printing posters, keep in mind that the resolution must be high to achieve a good result.

If you’re ready to take advantage of high-quality poster printing in San Diego, come and see us at Replica Digital Print & Copy. We specialize in individual and commercial printing services. Please call (858) 457-9500 to learn more.