Posters & pull-up banners
Full size or exact scale, images sharp at the size they print, and nothing important at the bottom of a banner.
Applies to: Posters on Best Value, Standard and Luxury stocks, and pull-up banners
Big prints show everything — an image that looked fine on screen can fall apart at A2. Get the size, the scale and the image resolution right and large format is as simple as anything else we print.
Step by step
Choose the size first
Standard posters come in A4, A3 and A2; Best Value posters in A2, 700 × 500mm and 720 × 555mm. Set your document to the exact finished size.
Supply full size or to scale
Full size is best. If the file is getting unwieldy, build it at exactly half or quarter size with every image at full resolution, and tell us the scale — we’ll enlarge it. Don’t mix scales in one file.
Check image resolution at the final size
Aim for 250dpi or more at the printed size. Between 150 and 250 is usually fine on a poster seen from a few steps back; under 150 looks soft, and we’ll let you know before printing. A half-scale file needs twice the resolution.
Add bleed and a safe zone
2mm bleed at full size, and keep critical content well inside the trim — more again on anything framed, mounted or hung.
Pull-up banners
The bottom of the graphic rolls into the base, so keep logos, text and contact details out of the lowest part of the artwork. Ask us for the template for your banner and we’ll confirm the visible area.
AI-generated images are usually 1,000 to 1,500 pixels across — fine at A4, soft at A2. Check the pixel size before you design around one.
Bleed & trim marks
If it touches the edge, it needs bleed. Two millimetres, every time.
Read the guide →Start herePrint-ready file checklist
Seven quick checks before you upload — the things that hold up most jobs.
Read the guide →Design toolsSetting up in Canva
Canva works well for straightforward jobs — with a few settings you must turn on.
Read the guide →