Large format printing is enjoying a widespread revival among UK businesses, as part of the remarkable growth of the print media sector as a whole. The British digital printing sector has an estimated value of £1.4 billion in 2025, a testament to the expanding role of printed media in today’s visual communications landscape. The 2020s may be a digital age, but physical media is now more important to many businesses than it has been for a generation. Whether you are a marketing brand manager looking to enhance your commercial presence or a retail designer looking for a new way to reach customers, understanding how to effectively design promotional material for large-format prints can improve your marketing results.
Essential Design Principles For Large Format Print: What You Need To Know
1. Start with quality high resolution images
For a high-quality printed image, you will need high-res graphics. For close-up applications (e.g. 0 to 3 m), we recommend using images at 150 to 300 dpi at the final size; for medium-range viewing (3 to 6 m), 75 to 150 dpi is usually sufficient; and for more distant installations (e.g. over 6 m), a 50 to 100 DPI approach balances crisp images with manageable file sizes.
2. Work to scale from the beginning
Design your artwork at, or proportionally to, the final print size, from the beginning of the project. This ensures that all elements are displayed at their intended sizes, and fonts remain readable regardless of the viewing distance. For example, if designing a 3 x 2 m banner, set your documents to full or a scaled-down size (e.g. 10%) but maintain the correct aspect ratio.
3. Work with bold and simple designs
With only a few seconds or fractions of a second to make an impression on potential customers, clarity is essential in large-format print design. UK signage research suggests that passers-by spend a meagre 3-7 seconds processing visual information from a distance. This is a tight window to convey your brand or product information. To make the most of it, use bold fonts, high contrast colour schemes, and concise messages to convey your information at a glance. Even though you have more space available in a large format print, you should keep the design streamlined and avoid any sense of busyness or clutter.
4. Consider the customers’ viewing distance and environment
Environment and viewing distance are both crucial considerations when designing a large-format print, and you should always account for indoor or outdoor placement, lighting conditions, installation surfaces, and viewing angles at the design stage. Substrates with UV resistance or weatherproofing, for example, may be necessary for outdoor projects, but this could impact the way that light interacts with your image, impacting its legibility at certain distances. In most cases, you’ll want to avoid reflective finishes for outdoor prints, although these can work well in well-lit indoor environments.
5. Select the appropriate materials and finishes
It’s important in large-format printing to match the material to your budget and project criteria. Vinyl is the most popular substrate for most prints due to its flexibility and durability. However, fabric prints are enjoying a resurgence in popularity for interiors, and can give materials a more premium and luxurious feel. Rigid boards are another good choice for long-lasting installations and those positioned in high-traffic areas.
6. File preparation and colour management
In terms of the actual files used in your design, we recommend using vector graphics for logos and illustrations wherever possible, as their scalability prevents quality loss in the final print. Raster images should be supplied in TIFF or high-resolution JPEG formats, and always include ample bleed around edges for safe trimming – 50 to 100 mm is normally sufficient.
Find Out More
Get in touch with MTA Digital today to find out more about the benefits of large format printing, and discover how our team can create the high-impact marketing campaigns you need to extend your brand.
Image source: Canva
