We've been wanting to make our own large scale posters ever since we eyed this print (maxwell's email didn't help quell our thirst for them either). But we really love this one because it's simple, it's to the point and we have no idea where to buy the original. So we've been looking into how to make something similar and not spend a lot:
And it looks like everyone's go-to will be ours as well. Kinko's offers some unbeatable prices on large scale printing and gives you options like printing to canvas. Since we can lay something out ourselves in Photoshop or Illustrator, we can make sure that we have enough resolution to blow the image/text up large without it becoming grainy. And since what we have in mind would stay black and white, we can even use the large scale copier they have for doing blueprints.
What have you had made at Kinko's or another print shop?
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Today, there was a fascinating article on the history of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster, and how it became popular. Worth a read.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7869458.stm
i was just looking into this, thanks for the tip!
I sure did--just recently. Too bad I don't have a picture handy (seems like I do for everything else) I guess it's because it's part of a bigger project that I don't quite consider finished yet.
I found some old blueprints in the garbage that layed out the demolition and restoration of my residence' art deco facade. I thought of different ways of preserving and displaying this image--i.e. framing, mounting the original and laminating it, etc.
I ended up taking it to Kinko's where they photocopied it onto a foam poster board and matte-laminated it.
Then, I purchased two packs of these http://www.eofficedirect.com/PMMM17201OF/Picture-Hanging-Strips-3-4-X2-3-Sets-Pack.html--kFC to hang my project.
The project as a whole is to artfully display the building in it's various stages. It is displayed in the entryway so that when guests arrive, they will have an artful explanation of the exterior "bones" of the building giving them a context for some of the elements of the interior "bones" and interior design.
oh, the purpose of the 3M strips is to help press the board flat against the wall. Poster board can be wavy so plenty of velcro strips on the back ensures a snug fit to the wall.
what can't velcro do?
ive been struggling lately with buying posters!
it seems that al the styles i like tend to only sell in small poster sizes, 12x18 etc. so i think i will take this idea and do my own! brush up on those photoshop skills i have under here somewhere (hopefully) haha.
http://www.shortrunposters.com/
make as many (18X24in) KC CO posters as you want...
redneck, have you ordered from www.shortrunposters.com before? how does the branding look on the back? does it show through the photo on the front if it the graphic is really light? and is it secure?
Kinkos does sizes up to 36 x 48. If you want a larger size, there are a lot of places online that can do it and ship (it has to be rolled, so nothing mounted). I've also used Samy's Camera in LA for really large prints mounted on foamcore (36 x 72 ).
i have bad experience with Kinkos....they have poor color quality. I would suggest seeking other sources. We have a print shop in Chicago (digital imaging resources) that I recommend. At request, they will print small color samples before you print your whole project. Also, for large wall murals, you can print onto a wallpaper material which is definitely cool!
I print blowups at Kinkos all the time on the black and white large format printer. The price is unbeatable.
You can print 48" x X (any length) because the print paper comes in a roll. The last thing I printed was 48x36 and it cost me $10. Come on. That's awesome.
Here's some pics: Print #1 and Print #2
I mounted the first one on regular wooden canvas stretchers. The trick is to glue one end, wait for it to dry, stretch the paper to the opposite end, glue, allow to dry. Repeat this until you've glued down all sides and corners. Piece of cake.
i have a student's poster hanging here in the hallway and i can't see the branding through the heavy paper. however, the process is very "color-copy" like, so flat colors (i.e.: KC CO) and things that are a bit less "precious" will work the best...
jordan those look good.
my experience with kinkos hasn't been good and i have even called them about large scale printing and the cost was nothing close to that, if i remember it was anywhere between $4 and $7 per square foot!
Do you just ask for the black and white large format printer or what? I wouldn't mind giving it a whirl. How is the quality? If I had a large area of black would it look good, or no?
I used to work at Kinko’s and here are some things I can tell you. You should be able to print large format images in color or black and white. As Jordan said they should be able to print 48xX in BW and even larger in color, 60xX. The length in theory should be only limited by the length of the paper roll but the printer software may actually put a limit on the length. The good news is that limit should be more than most will need, I remember printing banners as long as 25 feet.
The BW printers will be less expensive prints because they are laser printers and only print on paper. You can probably get a 24x36 for three or four dollars. I would guess that all of their stores would have upgraded to newer, better quality printers that won’t have any problems printing large areas of solid black. If you are worried that this might be an issue then I suggest you bring it up when you place your order. Ask about the printers capabilities, ask for a proof and let them know that if the print isn’t up to your standards then you don’t want to pay for it. If you’re lucky they may offer you a BW print from their color printer. Please note that I wouldn’t suggest printing BW photos on one of these BW printers if you are looking for a quality image. They just won’t print a photo quality image. I also don’t think it would be right to ask them to print your photo on the color printer for the BW price if you are looking for photo quality. Don’t be that guy.
The color printers are more expensive because they are better quality, six and eight color ink jets capable of printing on various papers, canvas and vinyl. The price will likely run between $8 and $15 per square foot depending what you want your image printed on. I haven’t checked recently but Kinko’s should have lower pricing for standard sizes (18x24n 24x36 and 36x48) and sometimes runs specials. Kinko’s should also be able to stretch canvas if they print it.
One of the cons of working with Kinko’s is that they won’t match colors. Part of the problem is their workflow software that has to turn everything into a PDF and often alters the color tones. I know we’re talking about large format but ussing a small format laser printer also doesn’t help because prints can look different depending upon how much toner is in the printer or how long the printer has been running. The large format inkjets will give better results but the workflow software still makes things difficult.
My best advice would be to know what you want and be very specific when you place your order. If you aren’t sure about something, ask questions. If you are looking at spending a lot of money, ask for a proof. But most of all, be patient.
Here's the project so far:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=sets
Wrong link! Here's the right one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/sets/72157613362144911/
I'll be glad when these mindless pseudo philosophical posters are no more.
silversurfer.... I agree. I will be glad too. People are just making money off a phrase (kind of like the T-shirts with phrases). There is little "design" (even though some typography people might disagree) to some of these "pseudo philosophical posters". It is just text that even Joe Plumber could put together in his text editting software. There are so much more beautiful pieces of artwork that deserve a spot on a wall.
http://www.largeformatposters.com/
I did 2 DIY projects with them and they turned out great. I just uploaded the file and the posters arrived in the mail. You can choose what kind of paper you want (hi-gloss, semi-gloss, etc.) They even proof your file to make sure it's hi-res, correct dimensions, etc.
As for the framing, I went to Arron Brothers.
For one of the pictures I was flexible with my dimensions, so I bought the largest pre-made frame they had and made that the dimensions of my picture.
For the other picture I knew I wanted it to be 60" x 60" so I had to go custom. Aaron Brothers wanted to charge me over $350 for the frame and plexi glass. That was too steep for me so I ended up just having them make the frame for $160 and I bought the plexi glass myself for $60. When the frame was ready, I brought them the art and the plexi glass and they set the picture and put on the fancy frame backing for me.
My husband works for a university and they have a large printer for poster presentations for conferences and university events. It turned out that students or faculty can purchase its use for $15 per poster, so he blew up my favorite lolcat for me for Christmas. Tacky, but makes me laugh every time!
i bought the ung drill frame from ikea for above my bed but didnt have anything i wanted to put in it. so i went with my color scheme and created a large oval image of a bird on a cherry blossom branch.
i had it printed at kinkos for 20 bucks.
im pretty happy with it and get compliments on it frequently.
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q273/mollymadfis/IMG_2188_2.jpg
http://www.onlineposterprinting.com/ <-4-color, large-format printing. They even have live chat graphic designers to help you with tricky enlargements and layouts. My favorite is that they do custom wall decals (hard to find).
I'm always looking for ways to print big. Thanks for the resources!
If anybody is interested still ... It is by Clive Piercy.
http://www.airconditionedla.com
What an interesting idea. Affordable and creative decor, in one package? Excellent. www.tonasgraphics.com