4 Design Tips for Large Format Signs
Large format printing is an excellent marketing tool to help get your business noticed. Whether it’s on a banner or on the side of a vehicle, it’s hard to miss this kind of advertising.
Large format printing, also known as digital wide format printing, allows you to print up to widths of 96 inches. The wide format printer sprays UV ink onto large, rigid, or roll fed materials. The process is completed via a computer program, which sprays ink onto large rolls of paper. The ink that’s normally used for large format doesn’t fade and is long-lasting, so it remains eye-catching for a long time.
One of the benefits of large format printing is the ability to attract attention. Banners encourage people to see your message. They are festive, decorative, and can be used outside of a business or at an event. They’re also easy to read from a distance.
Using large format printing is essential for branding purposes. You want your product to be seen, recognized and acted upon. Your business will benefit from the exposure you get from having your logo printed in large format on a banner, poster, or a multitude of materials for everyone to see.
Marketers are taking notice of the large format’s effectiveness. While the commercial printing market in general has been decreasing, large format signage has been growing at 6.5% per year.
4 Design Tips
As you prepare to create your next large format sign, here are some design tips to be sure your job is tremendous.
1. Keep It Simple
It is easy to put a lot of elements and messages when you have a large canvas; resist the urge. Your sign will quickly get cluttered which will dilute your message.
Instead, focus on a simple design with a concise statement, a compelling graphic and your brand asset (logo and/or name). Your website address might also make sense to include.
And be sure your design is balanced. You should aim that your sign has good proportion across its entire width to ensure you capture the attention of people who may be moving quickly past it.
2. Choose Fonts Carefully
Large signs are often viewed from a distance. Be sure to select fonts that deliver style as well as readability.
Consider sans serif fonts which have wide spacing between letters which often make them easier to read. It is often good to not bold your fonts as that often crowds the copy.
Once you created the first design, stand back from your monitor (at least 10 feet) to assess the text’s readability and sign’s design from a distance.
And ask a colleague who is new to the project to check it out as well and give you feedback.
3. Selecting Colors
We suggest you keep the number of colors low (3 or 4). Be sure to use CMYK colors to ensure you have an accurate color rendition on large format printers.
And pick a background color that matches up well with your text and graphic images.
4. Using Shapes to Make Your Sign Pop
One fun way to get the attention of your audience is to make your large format sign in interesting shapes and sizes.
We are accustomed to seeing rectangular signs; why not add interest and even dimension to your large format sign with a shape?
Improved printers and finishing tools make custom-cut signs fast and affordable.
Do you need help with your next large format order?
PrintTech can assist.
Print Tech’s prepress department can help you apply these good practices to your project.
And be sure to ask PrintTech about its new router that can shape your signage to many formats
.