Poster Printing
Poster prints are popular for decorating both residential and commercial spaces, and are also great for advertising use both indoors and out. Our poster printing service provides a range of quality from every day use to museum quality prints with a longevity of up to 100 years. It's a great way to turn a favorite photo into a frameable poster print as a wall decoration that has personal meaning, or to give as a special gift for a friend or family member. It's also one of the most popular methods of advertising in showrooms, offices, restaurants, bus shelters and theaters. They can also be used at trade shows, events and presentations, making them one of the most versatile type of print we offer. We can print your posters to a variety of papers up to 60" wide, or you can choose from a wide selection of specialty materials or adhesive backed products that are excellent for creating mounted poster prints. Some of our poster materials are restricted to indoor use, and others can be used outdoors or indoors. We also have various finishing options depending on how you want to display your poster, including lamination and mounting boards. Posters that will be framed generally don't need any finishing, but for posters that will hang on the wall outside a frame, or go in a sign holder, these options can be useful.
This page describes our services for poster printing. For professional photographers and artists looking to make art posters of their work, visit our Art Posters page.
If you would like to get prices on printing and our other products and services, you can use our Price Calculator by clicking the text link, from the Quick Links menu on the left, or from the main menu above. The calculator is basically the same as the first part of the order process, so if you're thinking about ordering, you may want to use the Order Form to get pricing information, since that way you will have the option to continue on and actually complete the order.
The information below shows the variety of materials we offer for digital photo printing, finishing options, has our recommendations for the best materials to use in different situations, and explains how to place an order.
- Printing Materials
- Our Recommendations
- FAQ
- How to Order
Below are the most popular materials we offer for poster printing. Photo papers are a great choice when you plan to frame your poster. They are popular because they offer tremendous color depth and saturation. Our Textured Adhesive vinyl is a popular option for unlaminated, mounted graphics. Look at the Our Recommendations tab for suggestions on the best materials for different situations.
Blue Back Poster Paper – 6.5 Mil
The blue backing on this economical media makes it highly opaque, while the satin finish provides brilliant, true-to-life color quality. Specially designed for outdoor billboards, poster printing and kiosks, it features water and scratch resistant durability and is also easily foldable without risk of scratching or rupturing. Available in widths up to 54".
Approx. longevity of 6 months to 1 year outdoors, and up to 20 years indoors.
Indoor/Outdoor Poster Paper - 10 mil
This heavy weight latex-saturated wet strength paper is tear resistant, water proof, fade resistant, and scuff and scratch resistant, making it an excellent choice for indoor and outdoor poster size prints and billboards. This paper can also be applied with standard wallpaper paste for an inexpensive short term wallpaper solution. Available in widths up to 54"
Approx. longevity of 6 months outdoors, and up to 20 years indoors.
Synthetic Satin Photo Paper - 7 mil
This synthetic paper is tear proof, water proof, fade resistant, and scuff and scratch resistant, making it an excellent choice for indoor and outdoor color poster printing without the need for lamination. It doesn't have quite the print quality of our high end photo papers, but is otherwise a great product that is also environmentally friendly. Available in widths up to 54".
Approx. longevity of 2 years outdoors and up to 25 years indoors.
Satin Photo Paper - 7mil
This photo paper has a luster finish that falls between a gloss and a semi-gloss paper. Great for short term use such as digital poster prints and indoor signs. Can be laminated and mounted on a variety of substrates such as posterboard, Sintra, or Gatorfoam. For indoor use with dye inks. Available in widths up to 50".
Approx. 1-5 year indoor longevity.
Kodak Premium Photo Gloss - 10mil
This high gloss paper has a heavy weight and is great for short term poster prints and indoor signs where a gloss finish is desirable, and glare from lights is not an issue. Can be laminated and mounted on a variety of substrates such as posterboard, Sintra, or Gatorfoam. Available in widths up to 50".
For indoor use with dye inks. Approx. 1-3 year indoor longevity.
Image Pro Satin - 11 mil
This satin version of the popular Image Pro Gloss creates lower glare photo-quality images that are smear and moisture resistant with superior longevity and an elegant E-surface finish. Excellent for indoor and outdoor signage, poster size prints, photo enlargements and economical art prints. Can be laminated for extra durability. Available in widths up to 60".
Expected longevity in excess of 100 years indoors and 2 years outdoors with lamination.
Image Pro Gloss - 11 mil
This digital photo paper creates photo-quality images that are smear and moisture resistant with superior indoor and outdoor fade resistance. Excellent for indoor and outdoor signage, photo size prints, photo enlargements and economical art prints. Can be laminated for extra durability. Available in widths up to 44".
Expected longevity in excess of 100 years indoors and 2 years outdoors with lamination.
Matte Lithography Paper - 13mil
This natural white, cover weight paper is water resistant and designed to mimic heavy offset printing paper. It features excellent image quality and longevity, so it’s great for photo poster prints, photo enlargements, art prints, and indoor signs. It can also be mounted to a variety of materials such as posterboard, Sintra, and Gatorfoam. Available in widths up to 36".
Approximate longevity of 50-80 years.
Textured Adhesive Vinyl - 5 mil
The textured finish of this permanent adhesive backed vinyl provides extra protection from scuffing, scratches and fingerprints, making it an ideal choice for unlaminated retail signage and mounted posters. An excellent choice for both interior display and outdoor use. Can be used on any smooth surface such as posterboard, corex, foamcore, gatorfoam, sintra, and Alumalite. Available in widths up to 50".
Longevity of up to 3 years outdoors, 5-25 years indoors.
Economy Calendered Matte Vinyl - 4 mil
With an outdoor longevity of up to 3 years, this removable adhesive backed vinyl is excellent for outdoor retail sales signs and POS poster graphics. It has a blockout layer for excellent hiding power and the matte finish helps reduce glare. Can also be used indoors for sign and point of purchase displays. Will adhere to any smooth surface such as Alumalite, acrylic, Sintra, metal, or painted wood surfaces. Available in widths up to 60".
Longevity of up to 3 years outdoors, 5-25 years indoors.
Economy Calendered Gloss Vinyl - 4 mil
With an outdoor longevity of up to 3 years, this removable adhesive backed vinyl is excellent for outdoor retail sales signs and POS poster graphics. It has a blockout layer for excellent hiding power and the gloss finish makes for excellent color depth. Can also be used indoors for sign and point of purchase displays. Will adhere to any smooth surface such as Alumalite, acrylic, Sintra, metal, or painted wood surfaces. Available in widths up to 84".
Longevity of up to 3 years outdoors, 5-25 years indoors.
Building Wrap Vinyl - 3.5 mil
This opaque vinyl is used in wall and building wrap applications where many standard products will not work. It also allows store signs and retail posters to be applied to otherwise unusable wall areas. For rough textured concrete, the pressure sensitive adhesive provides easy application and removal while holding the graphic in place throughout the life of the advertisement.
Outdoor longevity of up to 2 years, indoors 5-25 years.
Finishing Options
This panel contains information on finishing options for poster printing.
Vinyl Laminate - 4 Mil
This pressure sensitive laminate is available in gloss, luster or matte finishes, with the matte finish being the most popular as it has a sand texture like polycarbonate that diffuses glare without muting the colors of the print. Laminates offers surface protection and can change the finish of your print to suit the display environment. When a high-gloss finish is desired, and glare is not a concern, gloss is the appropriate choice. Keep in mind that a gloss finish will show flaws, scratches and fingerprints more than any other laminate. Luster and matte offer the same protection without these disadvantages.
Polycarbonate Laminate - 5 and 10 Mil
These pressure sensitive laminates, also know as Lexan, are the most durable available. They resist scratches, abrasion and chemicals, and their textured velvet finish hides fingerprints and diffuses glare. They also provide a unique optical technology that prevents the laminate from making the print darker or dulling the color.
Permanent Adhesive
While not technically a laminate, this pressure sensitive adhesive applied to the back turns any print into a decal, complete with peel-off release liner. We can apply the adhesive and either send the print rolled for mounting to the surface of your choice, or mount the print for you to a variety of substrates. See the Mounting Materials section below for more information.
Posterboard
This paper board comes in 22x28 and is an economical mounting material for short term posters that need enough rigidity to stand up in a poster frame or other sign holder. Other sizes are available on a special order basis.
Foamcore
This 3/16 inch thick foam board has a polystyrene core with paper facing. It's great for short term displays or those on a tight budget, but it's too easily dented when handled for long term or abusive environments. Available in black, or white by request.
Gatorfoam
This foam board has a styrofoam polystyrene core with a Luxcell veneer and is available in thicknesses of 3/16 and 1/2 inch. It's much more durable and harder than foamcore making it more suitable in situations where it will be handled frequently, but the corners will still dent with impact so careful handling is recommended. The faces are also archival so it's great for long term display of prints. Available in black, or white by request.
Sintra
This expanded PVC plastic board is available in a variety of thicknesses, but 3mm and 6mm are the most popular for mounting. It's water resistant and fire retardant, making is desirable for display applications. Since it's a solid board, it's more durable than foamcore or gatorfoam, but it's also heavier and not as rigid. It also expands and contracts with temperature changes, up to .05 mil/ft per degree F.
Poster Printing
For the most inexpensive poster printing, the Blue Back Poster Paper is our least expensive custom poster printing paper. It gets it's name from the blue backing that provides opacity because this poster printing paper was originally designed to be used for paper billboards, and the blue backing helped hide the old poster underneath from showing through when a new billboard was pasted over top. Obviously, this paper is waterproof since it can be used outdoors, which is possible because it's printed with solvent based inks so water has no effect on the print. This poster printing paper has good image quality, but not the same museum quality that we provide on some of the more expensive papers. If you are on a tight budget, need poster printing that can be used outdoors, or need good quality digital poster prints that will only be used for a short time, this is an excellent material that is good looking and durable. The Indoor/Outdoor poster paper has a similar finish and print quality, but is a heavier weight paper so it's recommended for greater durability or where a thicker paper is needed.
Also great for short term use, and a step up in print quality are the Satin Photo Paper and Kodak Premium Gloss Photo Paper. Both are great for color poster printing, but they have no water resistance at all, and an indoor life span of 2-5 years.
For digital poster prints with greater longevity, the Matte Lithography Paper produces exceptional quality and a moisture and smudge resistant image that will last indoors for over 100 years. It is the thickest of any of the papers at 13mil and a fairly substantial weight of 270 gsm, making it excellent for framing.
If you want traditional photo weight custom poster prints and great longevity without a completely flat finish, then the Image Pro Satin or Gloss are your best choices. They have a longevity of up to 100 years, our very best image quality, extremely heavy 300 gsm weight, and great color reproduction. While they are more durable than some photo papers, they should still be framed under glass or laminated for protection unless they don't need to last a long time.
All the papers can be mounted, but for an inexpensive mounted poster, the Textured Adhesive Vinyl is a great option. It's textured finish give it the high-end look of a polycarbonate laminated graphic, and also makes it more resistant to abrasion and scratches. It's printed with solvent inks so it's waterproof, and when combined with one of our mounting materials, it makes for a very inexpensive poster that doesn't look it.
Lamination and Mounting
Lamination is recommended for posters that are not being framed behind gloss if they are going on display or being subjected to a lot of handling. It will protect the surface from moisture, scratches, and environmental contaminates. For most situations, we prefer the matte vinyl laminate as it helps reduce glare and fingerprints.
Mounting is necessary to make poster prints rigid, which is useful if you want to mount your poster on the wall without a frame, or if you need it to be self supporting in a frame or other display that only supports the poster around the edges. Posterboard or 1mm Sintra are both good options for the minimum amount of thickness. Either of these materials will give a poster just enough support to hold it's shape without adding much bulk. These materials can still flex, so if you want a more rigid mounting material, foam boards are the best choice. Foam boards are popular for mounting directly on a wall without a frame, or for inserting into frames or sign holders that can accommodate a 1/4" thick substrate. We offer both foamcore and Gatorfoam for mounting. Foamcore is very soft and easily dented so it's not recommend if it will be handled much, but it is very inexpensive so it's great for short term use. Gatorfoam has higher density foam center that makes it more durable and the recommend mounting material for most uses. It is still a foam board, so it will still dent if dropped on a corner or hit with something hard or sharp, but otherwise, it's a great all around mounting material.
For more artistic media choices, see our Giclee Reproduction page for our choices of watercolor paper and canvas for truly unique poster size prints.
Normal turnaround time is 4-5 days. During the order process you will be asked if you have a specific due date, and if you do, we will adjust your shipping method, if necessary, to get your order to you on time. If you need your order even quicker, we also have a rush service. If you authorize rush charges, we can get your order shipped the same day or the next day. Rush charges are typically 50% of your order up to a maximum of $75. If we're able to meet your deadline without bumping other jobs, we won't actually charge the rush charge, but you must authorize the rush to guarantee delivery.
That depends on the specific material you choose. We can print at our highest quality up to 64" wide, and at our standard quality up to 98" wide, but different materials are available in different sizes. Look through the descriptions of the materials in the Printing Materials tab to find how big each material can be printed.
When you're ready to order, you can use the main menu above or the Place Order buttons next to each item in the Printing Materials tab. This section will cover in detail the steps you need to take to place an order for custom decals using our order form.
When you first open the order form, there will be an expanding list of items on the left. If you use the Place Order button, you can skip to the next paragraph, otherwise, choose the Printing for Indoor Use or Printing for Outdoor use option, then choose the specific material you want from the drop down list under the appropriate category. If you haven't already decided on a material, you can choose different items and read their descriptions to help you make a choice. If you need some help in deciding, you can also look in the Our Recommendations tab for some suggestions.
Once you have decided on the material, you will need to indicate if you are sending a file, providing a photo/film to be scanned, or if you need us to design your graphics. If you are sending a photo or film, you will need to indicate in the next step that a file is not needed for your order. If you are sending a digital photo or file, then you must indicate how you are sending the file. You can choose Upload Now and click the Upload button that appears to send your file at this point, which is recommended, you can choose to send your file later or one of the other options.
Once you tell us how you are sending your file, you will be presented with a form to complete. Here you need to tell us what size to print your graphic by entering the width and height in inches. This is the size you want the finished graphic to be, not the size of your file.
Next enter the number of copies you want printed in the quantity field and the price will be calculated. If you are ordering multiple graphics of different files, you should complete these steps for each graphic. To speed up the process, some customers prefer to attach all their graphics of the same size and indicate here the total number of prints they are ordering at this size, rather than complete the info for each file individually. You can do this if you prefer, but the prices shown will not be accurate in that case.
Next you can select from any available finishing options. In general, only finishing options that are appropriate for the type of printing material you have selected will be available. For instance, an adhesive vinyl would not have a mounting adhesive options since that product already has an adhesive backing
Next you can request a proof. A reduced size printed proof is $30 and will be printed on the same material as your final print, but an electronic pdf or jpg proof is free. A pdf proof is good for checking the general layout, proof reading, etc., but if you're concerned about color accuracy or the quality of an image when enlarged to full size, a physical proof is the best option. A reduced size proof of the overall design is good for proofing color, or we can print a section of the graphic at full size so you can see how an image will look when blown up. If we feel the file will print poorly, we will always contact you to discuss your options before printing, but since our expectations and yours may not match, and since custom printed graphics cannot be returned, a proof is your best way to verify what the final print will look like in advance.
The final step before adding your print to the shopping cart is to tell us what you want us to do if your file doesn't fit the dimensions you gave us. The options are to have us size your file to fit the dimensions you provided and crop any excess, or to contact you for instructions. If you're sure that your image actually sizes correctly to your dimensions, it doesn't really matter which option you choose because neither one will be necessary. But, if you're not sure, you should either choose to have us contact you, or tell us to crop the image to fit. We'll do our best to crop your image in way that makes sense, but you should also be sure to request a pdf proof so you can see the results of the cropping.
Once you've complete all the previous steps, click the Add to Cart button to add this print to your shopping cart. On the shopping cart screen you can see all the items you've added to your order, delete any that you don't want, and have another chance to upload your file if you chose Upload Later from the order form. You can also choose Add Another to add another item to your order.
You don't need to log in or create an account to select and add items to your shopping cart, but you will need to do so in order to complete your order. This is so your account history can be maintained for future reference and ordering convenience. Your account information is secure and confidential, and creating an account WILL NOT result in unwanted e-mails from us, or anyone else.
Once you have placed all the items you want in your cart, and are logged in to your account, click the Order Now button. You will be asked to specify either normal turnaround time for your order, or provide a specific due date. If you do specify a due date, you will also be given the option to authorize rush charge for your order. If you need your order completed in less than the normal 3-5 day turnaround, you should authorize rush charges to ensure you get your order on time. Rush charges are 50% of your order total, up to a maximum of $75. If we don't have to bump other jobs to meet your deadline, you won't be charged the rush fee, but if you don't authorize the charges, we'll do what we can to complete your order on time, but won't go so far as to bump other jobs. If you specify a due date, we will adjust the shipping method, if necessary, to ensure your order arrives by the date you specified. In this case, extra shipping charges may apply.
Next you will be asked to select the shipping method, and finally the payment type. You should know that your credit card is not being charged when you submit the form. We are collecting the information for your order, but you will not be charged until we have verified your order to make sure there were no mistakes made. That way, if there are aspects of your order that change, we can adjust the order and the shipping cost, if necessary, before you are charged.
Once you click the Order button, you will receive an order summary via e-mail for your records, and we will receive your order and the process can begin.
As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please Contact Us and we'll be happy to help you with the process.