What is it?

Large format printing (also known as wide format) generally support a maximum print roll width between 18" to 100". The printing format are used to print a variety of things for all your advertising needs including posters, trade show graphics, wallpaper and banners. They can be printed onto a variety of materials. Here at BHF Graphics, we offer a wide range of large format printing from large banners to one off poster prints from A3 to A1. We also offer them on a variety materials including PVC vinyl, self adhesive, canvas, matt or silk paper.

How it works

The technology basically uses a larger printer to make for a larger print. Large format printers are categorized by the type of ink transfer process they utilise, which include the following:

Aqueous: The ink is generally known as water based in this instance and can be used on a variety of materials including canvases, banners, metabolized plastic and cloth.

Solvent: This term is used to describe any ink that is not water based. ‘Eco solvent’ inks usually contain glycol esters or glycol ether esters and a slower drying. The resulting prints are effectively waterproof, and can be used in an office environment with minimal or tolerable odour levels.

Dry sublimation: The inks in this category are diffused into special print media to produce continuous tone prints which have a quality likened to high quality image prints.

UV: The ink dries when cured with UV light, resulting in a waterproof, embossed and vibrant print. Ceramics, glass, metals and woods are among materials used with this technology.

Pen/Plotter: Pens are used to draw on the print substrate, and is mainly used for producing CAD drawings.

Why use it?

There comes a time when printing your work on A3 (13" to 19") on a desktop printing seems a little small for your needs. Maybe it’s time to move to Large format to make everything you do that little bit larger and captivating.

There is undoubtedly an attraction to seeing gigantic versions of your prints and, ultimately, your business advertising, stretching the length of a wall. It’s a great idea to be able to see all the detail in a big print, the perspective of which changes the whole look of your adverts and your images, giving your advertising campaign a fresh look.