Are you thinking big with your printers? Large-format printers, as their name suggests, create big printouts, usually somewhere between 18 and 100 inches in width. That’s quite a bit more acreage than you need for running off letters and other business documents, but it’s perfect for large-scale projects. If you’re considering buying a large-format printer for your home or office or simply want to know what you can do with yours, here are a few ideas and suggestions. What can you do with a large-format plotter printer? Quite a bit!
It’s a Sign!
Firstly, and most obviously, large-format printers are great for turning out signs of all sizes. Break away from the 8.5 x 11, 8.5 x 14, and 11 x 17 rut and go big. You can use large-format printers to create banners, backdrops, murals, wallpaper, and more. “Eye-catching” doesn’t begin to apply to the sort of gargantuan print displays you can produce—“vision-filling” might be more appropriate. Think of the space you have to work with—walls, ceilings, floors, windows, and so on—and use a large-format printer to make ultimate use of it.
Better Branding
Printing out packaging is a great way to put across your brand and get your product noticed. Use large-format printers to create big, beautiful, and impressive boxes, labels, covers, folders, and more. You can create big single-use packing crates or save time and money running off multiple labels to affix to individual boxes and packages. Wide-format printers turn out sharp, clear, and brilliant labels again and again and again.
Giant Giveaways
Handing out business cards is good for most businesses, but if you’re known for producing art, designs, or other visually oriented plans, imagine how memorable you’ll be handing out posters. If you’re proud of a particular image or have one that’s become popular with customers, consider producing and selling commemorative prints with your branding. That image becomes an ongoing advertisement when clients post it in their home or office.
Quicker Stickers
Don’t just think of large-format printers as document printing presses. While they’re great for turning out ads, posters, and the like, they can also produce decals and stickers that can be applied anywhere. Windows, storefronts, entryways, hallways, meeting rooms, and other places can be decorated with large peelable and even reusable signage. Giant stickers make for unforgettable images and can be cleverly designed to recollect puzzle pieces, gameboards, sport fields and grounds, and more. Let your imagination fly!
Sweet Fleets
Do you have a fleet of company vehicles? Help them do double duty by covering them with large printed-out decals showing off your logo, colors, contact information, website, and other branding elements. Printing out wraparound decals provides constant advertising whenever your employees take them out on the road or park anywhere. Striking designs stick with people, and the image of multiple vehicles on the roads flying your colors signals a busy, robust company.
Cool Blueprints
If you run an architectural firm, most design takes place on computer screens, but there’s still a need for printed plans. Rather than gathering around a screen, architects can spread out or tack up large-format printouts to share them with clients and others. High-quality prints can also make it easier to evaluate plans and designs and write notes and more directly to the paper or film. Architecture firms don’t have to print out high volumes of printouts like other marketing and design firms, so large-format printers are more economical for smaller-volume projects. Large-format printers can employ archival plotter paper, so plans and blueprints not only look better but also last longer in storage.
Engineering Printouts
Engineering firms are another type of company that need to produce big printouts with plenty of detail to communicate the finer points of their designs. Large-format printers produce big plans that can be reviewed, corrected, and approved. Also, engineers are often called on to produce multiple copies of projects requiring higher-volume print jobs. Large-format printers can meet and match their needs, printing and collating for immediate collection and distribution.
Prettify Presentations
So many presentations are done through PowerPoint and similar programs these days. Buck the trend of digital displays with signage that illustrates your points and gives them a greater visual impact and tactility. Printed signage looks more professional as well, lasts longer than a momentary slide on a screen, and works better with smaller groups who might appreciate the ability to take a closer look at your chart, graph, or photo after the presentation.
Bigger and Better Booths
If you and your company frequent conventions and trade shows, make sure your booth looks like the place to be. Large-format printing creates signage that can be seen and read across a convention facility floor. It can highlight your points and positive features in sharp and clear colors and fonts and can give a professional look and solidity to a temporary place like a convention booth. Entice clients and customers with a booth to remember.
Greater Memories
If you’re a photographer, large-format printers can make bigger and more memorable memories! Standard sizes for photo albums, picture frames, and wallets are still important, but some folks want their wedding, anniversary, birthday, award, and other photos to be larger and of superior quality, suitable for framing and hanging in a place of honor. Large-format printing lets you run off bigger images on paper, film, canvas, and other materials too, so don’t limit yourself or your clients to the same old print sizes and formats.
Branding Facelifts
Are your displays looking shabby and out of date? Create wraparound printouts to repurpose them and give them a more modern look. Display cases, shelving units, register lanes, office furniture, reception desks, display stands, and other ordinary objects can become extraordinary branding opportunities. Consider asking employees for suggestions on how to beautify and electrify your office, warehouse, store, or other worksite with images that inspire them and attract customers.
Now you know what you can do with a large-format plotter printer, but what’s the next step? Do you have any questions about large-format printing and what it can do for your company? Contact us for a consultation about the right wide-format printer for your needs and how it can bring in more business and highlight your products and services. We look forward to hearing from you!
