What printing method is used for posters?

PRINTING materials are a key aspect of any business marketing. High-quality printing sets your brand apart and promotes a company’s image. 

As such, when choosing a printing technique, it’s crucial to select the best option for your project. Can the printing method make your branding materials appealing, professional, and flawless? 

When it comes to printing, cutting corners is not an option. You want to give this aspect of your business utmost attention to avoid mistakes. 

This article highlights the top five printing options available on the market.  Read on to learn what each type is used for and their advantages. 

1. Digital Printing

Thanks to innovation in technology, businesses are exploring different types of digital printing. From inkjet to laser printers, this method lets you print directly from a digital file. Depending on your preference, you can print on various surfaces, including fabric, paper, plastic, or acrylic. The images on texts transfer immediately from your PDF file, for example, to the digital printer. 

Digital printing works great for personalized branding material. Whether it’s letterheads, envelopes, business cards, or flyers, digital printing is one of the most flexible techniques to use. 

Many people prefer digital printing because it is easier to set up and provides a quick turnaround time. And the best part is that you can easily access professional digital print services such as Kiasuprint.com online and start your printing project immediately. 

Advantages of Digital Printing

Simple setup allows faster turnaround

Less waste and fewer variations since there’s no need to balance ink and water during a press run

Cost-effective for low-volume printing

Vibrant color options

Eliminates the numerous mechanical steps required for conventional printing

Flexible paper choices such as matte, gloss, and satin

2. Offset Lithography

If you’ve been researching printing options for a big project recently, you’ve probably come across offset lithography. In commercial printing, offset printing, also known as offset lithography, is a widely used printing method. The process entails transferring an inked image on a printing plate to an intermediate surface before printing on the final sheet. 

Offset lithography is one of the most widely used printing processes today, with many applications. Newspapers, magazines, brochures, stationery, and books are regular uses. This printing technique works great for large volumes of prints compared to other printing methods. Besides being economical, it is low-maintenance.

Advantages of offset printing:

Cost-effective for commercial printing quantities

Unit cost reduces as quantity increases

The rubber blanket conforms to the texture of the printing surface for consistently clear images

Fast and seamless production of printing plates

Printing plates last longer than direct litho presses

Possibility of adjusting the amount of ink on the fountain roller for a more precise result

Works plastic, leather, paper, wood, metal, and other surfaces

3. Flexography

Flexographic printing makes use of a flexible printing substrate. Previously, these printing plates were made of rubber; however, companies now use flexible photopolymer printing plates.

Flexographic printing has evolved into the most widely used print technology in the label printing business today, offering an ideal balance of quality, productivity, and flexibility. It can produce patterns and solid hues on various surfaces, including porous, non-porous, flat, rough, absorbent, and non-absorbent materials. It is frequently used to produce large quantities of labels and packaging. Presses can print on films, foils, papers, corrugated boards, and other materials.

Advantages of Flexo Printing:

Flexography enables various ink types to be used during printing, including water-based and solvent-based

Allows inks with lower viscosity, so printed images dry quicker

Requires low ink consumption, saving resources and minimizing process costs

4. Large Format Printing

Large format printing is effective for posters, banners, trade fair displays, and other materials too large for most commercial printing presses. Also known as “wide format printing,” this method employs specialized production machinery capable of handling larger-than-normal print dimensions.

Large or “wide format printers” can print up to 100 inches wide on paper. The paper is dispensed from a roll, comparable to newspaper printing. This provides you with a much larger medium to print on.

Advantages of Large Format Printing:

Ensures logo accuracy and color consistency to help maintain your branding

Prints clear pixels for all company assets, including posters, storage signage, and shelf displays

Lets you enhance your signage with photos and QR codes that help shoppers navigate their shopping decision

5. 3D Printing

3D printing entails producing a physical item from a three-dimensional digital model. It converts a digital entity (its CAD representation) into a physical object by adding materials layer by layer.

Designers use 3D printers to create product models and prototypes rapidly, but they’re also increasingly being used to produce finished goods. Examples include shoe designs, novelty items, furnishings, wax castings for jewelry, tools, tripods, gifts, and toys.

3D printing is an enabling technology that promotes and drives creativity by providing unprecedented design freedom while reducing prohibitive costs and lead times. With this method, components with intricate geometry and complex features can be created at no additional expense or need for tools.

Advantages of 3D Printing:

Enables mass customization of products at no additional process cost

Allows printing of complex products designed in digital environments

Enables rapid prototyping

3D files are stored in a virtual file, saving costs and space as there’s no need to print in bulk 

In Summary 

This article has discussed the various printing techniques and how to choose the best one for your project. Offset printing, for example, is a well-established method that is still extensively used. You should carefully consider the technique most likely to accomplish the desired results before choosing the best project. 

Part - 5 - Linen-Backing explained

Professional Poster dealers specializing in antique Vintage Posters for collection will almost always archivally preserve their posters by mounting them on a linen based (artist's canvas) backing support. .A professional "linen-backer" stretches canvas on to a frame tight like a drum. At the beginning it resembles an artist's canvas on a frame ready to paint. Then to that he glues with 'reversible' water-soluble glue, 'canson' or water color smooth paper. On to these 2 surfaces, he then glues the poster, with the same glue, which also is 'ph' friendly, acid free and has 'anti fungus' elements. This prevents the poster from "yellowing" or acidifying in time, and being attacked by fungus with humidity. This process can take several days or even a week or more depending on the weather conditions as humidity can slow the process. As there are 3 layers of different material consistencies, they will dry at different speeds and it is important that the poster fully drys on the frame. This is to avoid that one of the materials could pull against the other, producing a buckling of the final product. This linen-backing process also protects the Vintage Poster from accidental tearing and folding. It acts as a support for a framer, to not touch the poster, but use the extra linen around the Vintage Poster, to press it in to the frame. This prevents unknowing framers from gluing the actual poster and ruining its value. There is usually a 2 to 3 inch margin of white canson paper on all 4 sides of the poster. However, not all posters need to be lined, nor is it a requirement in order to be able to frame the poster. Old fragile posters are best off being linen-backed and contemporary posters in perfect condition can be framed as is. Some posters are printed on paper that is too heavy to linen-back, so enquire about linen-backing when purchasing your Vintage Posters.