Signs & Large Format Print
How a large format printer differs from an ordinary one
An ordinary printer thinks in sheets and runs. A large format printer thinks in square metres and materials. A single 6 × 3 m banner is a normal job, just like a hundred posters.
The second difference is the substrate. A small format press almost always prints on paper. In large format, paper is just one of dozens of materials: alongside it are PVC banners, mesh, self-adhesive vinyl, polyester fabrics, dibond, foam PVC, acrylic, card, and on UV machines even glass or wood supplied by the client.
The third is finishing. A large format print is almost never ready straight off the machine. A banner has to be trimmed, hemmed and eyeleted. Vinyl has to be contour-cut and given application tape. Fabric has to be hemmed and have silicone edging sewn on. A board has to be routed and drilled. That is why a good large format printer is half workshop.
What a large format printer produces
- Outdoor advertising: banners for fences and buildings, scaffold mesh, billboard posters, flags and feather flags.
- Vinyl graphics: shop windows, One Way Vision film, frosted film for offices, company vehicles, floor graphics.
- Signs and panels: company signs, EU-funded project signs, construction site boards, door signs, building signage.
- Trade shows and events: roller banners, fabric display walls, SEG frames, printed gazebos, promotional counters.
- Retail and POS: cardboard stands, wobblers, displays, window decorations.
- Interiors: wallpaper murals, canvas prints, wall graphics, printed acoustic panels.
- Illuminated signage: faces for light boxes – backlit film, printed opal acrylic, backlit fabrics.
Banners are still the most ordered item. Material types are described in our guide which banner to choose, and prices on the frontlit banners page.
What it costs – sample rates per m²
| Material | 1–4 m² | 100 m² and more | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coated banner 510 g | approx. €13 | approx. €7 | fences, buildings, 2–3 years' exposure |
| Reinforced mesh 370 g | approx. €17 | approx. €10 | scaffolding, facades |
| White monomeric vinyl | approx. €12 | approx. €6 | windows, stickers, shorter periods |
| Blueback paper 120 g | approx. €8 | approx. €3.05 | billboard posters |
| Textile banner 210 g – UV print | approx. €22 | approx. €13 | display walls, indoor displays |
| 3 mm dibond with UV print | approx. €55 | approx. €35 | outdoor signs and panels |
| 3 mm foam PVC with UV print | approx. €33 | approx. €21 | plaques, interior signage |
How does it work out in practice? A 4 × 2 m coated banner is 8 m², i.e. the 5–15 m² band, where the rate is approx. €9 net. That makes approx. €72 net, with trimming, welded hems and eyelets every 50 cm included in the print price. A 200 × 100 cm dibond sign is 2 m² × approx. €55 = approx. €110 net, excluding any frame. The rate per m² covers the area including bleed and allowance for finishing, and very small formats carry a minimum print and finishing value. More board materials are on the print on boards page.
- 01Brief
Description, sizes, site photos and deadline — a few sentences are enough.
- 02Design and quote
Our designers prepare artwork or a visualisation and you get a price.
- 03Approval
You approve the design; for brand colours we provide a proof.
- 04Production
35+ machines in our own plant in Poland: 3.2 m UV print, CNC, laser, 3D, sewing.
- 05Installation or delivery
Own crews and vehicles across Europe, partner network, couriers worldwide.
Checklist before sending a file for large format
A large format file is prepared a little differently from a flyer. We check these points on every order:
- Scale. Design at 1:1 or 1:10 (a 5 × 2 m banner is then a 50 × 20 cm document). The proportions must match the installation space to the centimetre.
- Resolution. Not 300 dpi at 1:1 – for a banner seen from several metres, 72–150 dpi is usually enough. Details in resolution for large format printing.
- A margin for finishing. Keep important text at least a few centimetres from the edge, because that is where eyelets, hems or a pole pocket go.
- Colours in CMYK. A screen emits light; a banner reflects it. Vivid RGB greens and purples will always come out duller in print.
- Fonts outlined, images embedded. PDF is the safest.
- Sizes over 3.2 m. We print up to that width in one piece, without welds. Larger banners are joined by welding – it is best if the join does not fall across a face or a phone number.
Every file goes through a technical check with us anyway, included in the order price, but the fewer corrections, the sooner production starts.
How it works with us
We are a large format printer in Wieluń, Poland, operating since 1991. We print on two industrial 3.2 m wide UV machines – roll-to-roll and directly onto boards. Add UV print on textiles, dye-sublimation, a cutting plotter, a CNC router, a laser, automatic eyeleting machines, laminators and a sewing room, and the print leaves us finished, not 'for further processing'.
Standard lead time is approx. 3 working days. UV inks need no drying time, so when needed we print express in 24 hours. We deliver with our own vans across Europe or by courier, and where something has to be hung or applied, our installation crew goes out. What to look for when choosing a supplier is covered in our guide how to choose a large format printing company.