Sign in to follow this  
ainakeaboy

Printing posters 101

Recommended Posts

Hey y'all , i wanted to get into printing posters and was wondering if anyone has experience In this ? Is a epson 7600 good to print posters ? What software do you have to use ? What material to print on ? Qny hel would be appreciated . Thanks 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Are you looking to print one or two at a time? or large quantity?

Are you looking for archival or short-term?

What substrates do you think you'll need to print on?

What kind of coverage are you expecting to lay down?

Photos? Text?

If you can answer most of these I can probably aim you in the right direction. Just last year I had to find a large format printer and practically broke my brain doing research.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Are you looking to print one or two at a time? One at a time, low qty

Are you looking for archival or short-term? The cheapest way

What substrates do you think you'll need to print on? Poster paper/vinyl/banner

What kind of coverage are you expecting to lay down? 24"

Photos? Text? Both

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am partial to Epson. I've had a lot of good luck with their products. I know folks who like HP just as much and/or hate Epson. Its not dissimilar to the whole Mac v PC thing.

The printer I use is an Epson 9880. 44" wide. It uses an aqueous, pigment based ink system. It retails for $6k, but there is a 24" version for $3k. I also have a 3880 for smaller work.

My main reasons for choosing the 9880/3880 have to do with:

1: Archival K3 inks (supposedly lightfast for 200 years)

2: I have yet to see another (comparable) printer do a solid black quite as well.

3: Excellent quality. Photos are stunning.

4: Large ink cartridges (they are expensive, but that's a given)

5: Easy to set-up, easy to maintain, easy to load.

There are HP's that do everything except the black. For our in-house sign system it's all about the heavy black coverage.

The problem with aqueous is that you cannot print on vinyl. For that, you would need a solvent based printer. For comparison, Epsons 64" aqueous is $10k, the equivalent Epson solvent printer is $25k.

I use a material called Teslin and then laminate it. Teslin is a synthetic, so moisture is not an issue. From my distributor it costs around $1 a linear yard at 44" wide for the basic stuff. There is a version that is treated for ink jet for about twice the price, but the Epson does just fine with the basic stuff. It is not adhesive, however.

If you need adhesive vinyl, then I'd suggest finding a print shop that can print it for you and sub that part out.

For everything else you can get Epson's or a ton of third party materials.

Here is a link to the 7880/9880product page for the Epson

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Pro/SeriesStylusPro78809880/Overview.do?BV_UseBVCookie=yes

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

: Archival K3 inks (supposedly lightfast for 200 years)

I use a Epson.......R-1900 Good Printer.........I love it

But...... Don't know about the 200 years,..Maybe.......?

I do know I will never know....Jim

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I use a material called Teslin and then laminate it. Teslin is a synthetic, so moisture is not an issue. From my distributor it costs around $1 a linear yard at 44" wide for the basic stuff. There is a version that is treated for ink jet for about twice the price, but the Epson does just fine with the basic stuff. It is not adhesive, however.

I use the Treated vinyl to print on......by Avery and I get it @ Fellers....and then Frog juice it or laminate it.......sometimes both.....and it is adhesive.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You print with an aqueous on the Avery vinyl? Fellers? I'll need to look into that.

You know, I bet if someone wanted inkjet-compatible, UV-resistant feral badgers... Fellers would suddenly have them in stock.

The lightfast rating does sound (ahem) slightly grandios, but all I care is that the ink doesn't fade for the next 5-10 years (or whenever is after I leave/retire:)). Epson make the same claim for the R-1900's UltraChrome inks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

ainakeaboy, you were also asking about software.

Depending on the artwork supplied, I've used a ton of different programs. MS Publisher, QuarkXpress, Pagemaker, Adobe's stuff, various freeware. I'm a slut for new toys. Lately however, I've been using Gimp for raster images. Photoshop is expensive, Gimp is free. For vector art I prefer Illustrator, but CorelDraw came bundled with some piece of equipment I bought and does almost everything I want. My Art Director father would grimace if he knew, but I tend to use Publisher for imposition and down & dirty layouts. That's mostly due to, um, frugal, bosses.

And I have been known, in time of duress, to use Word for layouts. Although thats a last ditch, hail mary kind of play. Actually, I take that back. The time I used Excel for a layout would qualify as the hail mary.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the info . Does anyone one know what material they use to print the posters you buy in the stores ?   Im thinking about the epson 7600 24" printer to do posters and stuff hopefully this deal comes true !  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I use an old Epson 7000 for indoor prints, posters, etc. I usually get my paper, and canvas from Lexjet. Sometimes you can find rolls of heavyweight gloss paper at Staples. The pigment inks won't have the same pop as the dyes will, but they will last longer.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The posters you buy retail (Like that Motley Crue poster in your 14 year old selfs room) are printed on coated paper using a full blown 4 to 8 color offset press. If this is what you want to do, talk to a printer and see if they'll work a deal with you for short run posters (100). Some printers will set up a regular run in which they impose a bunch of posters, etc from a bunch of customers. The upside is they'll charge less. The downside is you get the posters on whatever coated stock they use in the run and you have to wait and/or hope for space on the run. There are also print shops that run presses like the Indigo, that are designed for short run 4 color work. The quality is no where near what you get from an inkjet or large offset press, but the cost is usually reasonable.

The ones you get from Fastsigns or similar copy/sign shop are printed on a wide range of possible papers.

Everything from plain white to actual canvas. Look through Epson's materials for starters. You can get most of the same materials for less from third-parties, but it will give you a good idea what's out there.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this