What is Large Format Printing & How Does it Work?

 

Have you ever heard of large format printing? Or perhaps you’re already using it to produce display media but you want to how it works? We’ll walk you through the basics so you can understand it better and make the most of wide format printer pigment ink for every project you might have onward.

Defining large format printing

Firstly, it’s important to understand what this printing technology is. Also known as ‘wide format printing,’ large format printing is a form of digital printing that is similar to inkjet printing but for larger-scale projects. It sprays inks like wide format printer latex ink onto certain materials to quickly generate high-quality prints with utmost accuracy and detail.

Large format printing is widely used in advertising, marketing, and promotions, particularly for making posters, banners, standees, signage, billboards, and vehicle graphics. It is also useful for many other purposes such as exhibitions and trade shows. This type of printing process can produce media that is big enough to become backdrops for photoshoots, stage plays, and other productions. Its main advantage is it can print on a maximum roll width of up to 100 inches, so there’s more area to print your design. Printers that can accommodate more than 100 inches of media are known as super-wide or grand format printers.

Wide-format printing produces materials that should make an immediate impact on a target audience because of their size. With the right wide format printer pigment ink, it can provide amazing and consistent results no matter how graphics-intensive your designs or visuals are. This is why it’s a great choice for making various outdoor and indoor marketing or event-related visuals, including murals, POP displays, and wallpapers.

The printing process

Now, let’s talk about the basic steps involved in large format printing. First, the paper stock or media (e.g., canvas, cloth, or metabolized plastic) is fed into the printer. Wide format printer pigment ink is then applied directly to the media. The rolls of prints are incrementally fed into the printer to generate large-sized prints. The process is similar to conventional printing, except for the inks and the printer used. Then, the prints can be mounted onto display stands or boards when necessary.

The right choice of ink will depend on where the media will be displayed. If it will be displayed outdoors, UV-resistant wide format printer latex ink is generally preferred so the colors won’t easily fade.

Where to find wide format printer inks

Bink Inks offers affordable wide format printer latex ink and pigment inks for a range of large format printers like Canon imagePROGRAF. Our products are manufactured in the US and follow strict quality assurance standards to ensure the highest-quality results every time.