Large Format Printing: Everything You Need to Know

At FASTSIGNS® of Sacramento - Arden-Arcade, CA, one of our assets is our large format printing capabilities, which we use to create a variety of custom banners and other sign products for businesses and organizations throughout the area.

Large format printing uses wide-format printers to produce large images on a variety of substrates, including paper, vinyl, fabric, and more. This type of printing is used for applications such as:

Portable displays
Hanging fabric structures
Modular displays
Inline displays
Tabletop displays
Outdoor displays
Rental displays
Island exhibits
Large format banners and banner stands
Digital banners

If you have an upcoming project which will benefit from large format printing, we’d love to chat with you. In the meantime, here are a few things you should know about large format printing to help you get started.

What is Large Format Printing?

As we mentioned, large format printing is a type of digital printing that can print at very large widths, which is why most large format printers are designed with roll-feed technology. This allows the printer to continuously feed the substrate through the printer as it prints, which is much faster and more efficient than traditional sheet-fed printers. Some of the popular types of printing include aqueous printing, UV-curable printing, and solvent printing.

Aqueous Printing

Aqueous or water-based inks are the most popular type of ink used in large format printing. They are generally less expensive than other types of inks and dry faster, making them ideal for projects with tight deadlines.

Aqueous inks are made from a water-soluble colorant and a polymer resin that helps the ink adhere to the substrate. When the ink is printed onto the substrate, the water evaporates and leaves behind the colorant and resin, which bonds to the substrate to create the image.

UV-curable Printing

UV-curable, or UV-ink, printing uses inks cured with ultraviolet light. Applications that require high-quality images, such as graphic prints and photography, use this printing process.

UV-curable inks are made from a photosensitive monomer that reacts and hardens when exposed to UV light. This type of ink is typically more expensive than other inks and takes longer to cure, but the prints are more durable and have a higher quality.

Solvent Printing

Solvent inks are made from a mix of solvents and pigments that evaporate when exposed to air. This type of ink is typically used in outdoor applications, such as billboards and signs, as the prints are more resistant to fading and weathering.

Solvent inks are generally more expensive than other inks and have a strong odor, so they need to be used in well-ventilated areas.

The Benefits of Large Format Printing

There are many benefits of large format printing, including:

The ability to print at very large size
A wide variety of substrates to choose from
Fast turnaround time
High-quality prints

If you have a project that requires large format printing, we can help. We have a team of experienced professionals who will work with you to create the perfect solution for your needs. Contact us today to learn more.