By Margie Dana

Last week I got a request from a reader to define “large-format.” The term wasn’t yet in our online Print Buyer Glossary – nor could I find it on the Internet in any industry glossaries I located. Peculiar, right?

I reached out to one of our 2010 Print & Media Conference sponsors: JS McCarthy in Augusta, ME, for I knew they have large-format capabilities. Specifically, I contacted Account Executive Dave Mitchell, who answered a few questions for me. Here they be:

1. Can you define large-format printing? In our case, it is a graphic output up to 1200 dpi with a maximum image area of 58 inches by 20 feet.
2. How does it differ from wide-format, super-wide, and grand-format printing? I don’t think any of these “names” are identified with exact sizing or substrates, so there is some overlap. I would say Large and Wide both include up to 60″ material (58″ usable).
3. What kind of equipment do you use for this process? An HP Designjet Z6100ps plotter
4. How about substrates – what can you tell us? We print on fine art papers, gloss- and dull-coated papers, polyester films, UV backlit film, scrim vinyl and linen peel & stick wallpapers.
5. What are the typical, large-format applications? Trade show booths, Point-of-Purchase (POP) wall and counter signs, event signage, store advertisements, banners, short-run art prints, etc., etc. Many of the graphics we output are mounted onto foamcore, gatorboard or vinyl backer materials. Many have grommets added, or magnetic strips or Velcro for hanging and mounting.
6. Are there any myths about large-format print jobs you care to dispel? Just like the offset part of our printing business, we have certain equipment and capabilities that make us efficient (thus cost effective) for certain products or designs. Same with Large Format. We can output at a speed, on materials, and finish many kinds of graphic needs, but not all. Check with your vendor, get explicit quotes and samples; make sure they can deliver when needed – and hold them to their promises.

I also asked Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) and widely acknowledged print industry authority, for a definition of large format. Here’s what he wrote:

• Wide Format: A printer that prints on large sheets or rolls of material, which can range from 24 inches to more than 16 feet in width (by almost any length). The term was first applied to proofing and display (signage) printers.
• Super Wide Format refers to those at the 16-foot width.
• Large Format: Digital document printers usually print on sheets or rolls with an image area of 11 x 17 to 13 x 19 inches. Those that go beyond 13 x 19 inches are called “large format,” and some can print on sheets from 17 x 22 to 19 x 26 inches.
• The largest toner printers are at about 16 x 26 inches, and anything over that is usually printed using inkjet.
• In the offset world, Large Format refers to presses over 42 inches, some at 60 and 72, with 81 inches as the largest offset litho press.

There you have it, folks. Helpful information about large-format printing. We’ll make the additions to our Print Buyer Glossary.

Thanks to Dave Mitchell of JS McCarthy and to Frank Romano. Reach Dave at or send an email to . The company’s web site is www.jsmccarthy.com. Frank’s email is .

© 2011 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. Your comments are encouraged. You’re free to forward this email to friends and colleagues. However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.