Posters

A poster has to work fast. Someone walks past a window, glances for a moment and already knows there is a sale on, a concert coming up or a new offer available. That is why a simple message, readable without staring at the material, matters most.

In the calculator you choose the format, paper, printing and finish yourself. The design can be prepared for display in a shop, restaurant, hotel, office, school, service point or at an event.

Printed posters work both in advertising and in giving out information. You can use them to announce an event, a product, a service, a special campaign, a discount, a concert, an exhibition, a training course, a recruitment drive, a seasonal offer or important news for customers. A well designed poster draws the eye and gets the key information across without being overloaded with content.

What you can use posters for

Posters are useful anywhere a message should be quickly visible, easy to read and simple to replace when the next offer or event comes along.

The most common uses are:

• Advertising and promotion - advertising, sales and promotional posters for shops, salons, showrooms, service points, customer service offices and trade fairs. You can announce a discount, a new service, a special offer or a product launch this way.
• Events and culture - concert and event posters for exhibitions, conferences, workshops, meetings, company and cultural events, tastings or product launches.
• Restaurants, cafés and hotels - the menu of the day, the lunch offer, new desserts, a seasonal coffee, drinks, happy hours, brunch, a festive menu, information about breakfast, the spa or room service. A poster can also carry a QR code leading to the full menu.
• Information and notices - materials for schools, public offices, workplaces, institutions, receptions, clinics and medical practices. They can carry opening hours, service rules, a schedule or an important notice for customers.
• Display and decoration - posters for windows, walls, stands and counters, and decorative designs that give an interior its character.

A poster can carry the company logo, the name of the event or product, an advertising line, information about a promotion, a discount or a price, the date and time, the location, a schedule, a photograph of the product, advertising artwork, an illustration, a menu, a seasonal offer, a QR code, a website address, social media, contact details, the terms of a campaign, a map or a short price list.

It is best if a poster has one main message. A lot of text makes it harder to grasp quickly and can bury the most important information among the other elements. A clear headline, good contrast, short copy and a visible call to action usually work far better.

Which format to choose

The calculator offers four formats, from a modest A4 to a tall 300×640 mm version:

• A4 210×297 mm - suited to smaller posters, notices for noticeboards and internal announcements. It works in offices, receptions, clinics, schools and customer service points, especially where the material will be seen from close up.
• A3 297×420 mm - one of the most versatile formats. It suits shops, restaurants, cafés, hotels, schools, institutions, offices and events. It gives enough room for a headline, artwork or a photograph, a date, a price, a short description and a QR code.
• SRA3 320×450 mm - larger than A3 and giving a bolder advertising surface. It works on promotional, sales, event and display posters meant to stand out more in a window, on a wall or at the point of sale.
• 300×640 mm - a tall, slim format for vertical designs, menus, schedules, promotional lists, hotel information, special offers, materials for windows and stands, and other designs that call for unusual proportions.

Put simply: A4 works for notices seen from close up, A3 as the versatile advertising and event poster, SRA3 when you need a larger surface, and 300×640 mm for slim, vertical layouts.

Which paper to choose

We print posters on papers that differ in weight, stiffness and the character of the surface. It is worth basing your choice on where it will be displayed, how long it will be used and the effect you want.

There are five papers to choose from:

• Coated 135 gsm - a light paper suited to promotional, information and short-term posters. It works on larger runs, seasonal campaigns, materials put up in many places and posters that will be changed often.
• Coated 170 gsm - a little thicker and more stable. It is the practical version for standard advertising, information, promotional and event posters. It shows colours, artwork and photographs well while staying comfortable in daily use.
• Coated 250 gsm - a stiffer paper for more representative posters, information boards and materials displayed in receptions, salons, shops, hotels and restaurants.
• Coated 350 gsm - very stiff and closer in feel to board. It works on smaller posters, boards, premium materials, counter displays and notices that should stand up better to bending.
• DCP Satin 300 gsm - an elegant paper with a satin character. It suits company, presentation, decorative, hotel, training, conference and premium posters, where the look of the material matters especially.

For posters that are changed often and for larger runs, the lighter papers, coated 135 gsm and 170 gsm, work well. For a more representative display you can reach for coated 250 gsm or 350 gsm. DCP Satin 300 gsm is a good direction for designs with a calmer, more elegant character.

Printing and finishing

You match the type of printing to how the poster will be displayed:

• Single-sided - the most commonly chosen version. The full-colour design is on one side and can carry artwork, a photograph, a headline, text, a price, a date, a QR code, a logo or promotional information.
• Double-sided - useful if the poster will be seen from both sides, for instance in a window, on glass, in a stand, at reception, on a counter or in an event space. One side can carry the main information and the other extra details, a schedule, more of the offer or another language version.

Whichever version you choose, the key elements - the headline, the date, the price, the name of the event, the discount, the QR code or the main line - should be readable quickly and from the distance the display place calls for.

A poster can be left without any extra finish or covered with film.

Your choices are:

• No finishing - the practical version for promotional, information, event, short-term and notice posters that will be replaced regularly.
• Gloss lamination - lifts colours and contrast, giving the artwork a bolder character. It suits advertising and product posters with large photographs, a strong background or a firm sales message.
• Matte lamination - gives a calmer, more elegant surface. It works on company, hotel, restaurant, information, conference, training and decorative posters in a restrained style.

Lamination is available on 250 gsm and 350 gsm coated paper and on DCP Satin 300 gsm. The 135 gsm and 170 gsm coated papers stay without film. Gloss and matte film can be ordered on one side or on both, and laminating both sides requires double-sided printing. It works when the poster will be seen from two directions or has to stand up to frequent handling for longer.

Film affects how the colours and the surface of the poster are perceived. On materials displayed in strong light or in a window, the right contrast and large, legible typography matter especially. You will see the exact prices for each version in the calculator above.

File check and graphic design

When you place the order you choose one of the file preparation options:

• No file check - the option for advertising agencies, designers and anyone confident their design is technically correct. The file goes into production without further graphic control.
• File check by a designer - we check the technical preparation of the design for print: format, bleed, safe distances, image quality, colours, how the file was saved and whether it meets our technical requirements. On posters we also look at the correct format, the quality of the photographs and artwork, the legibility of the text, whether important elements are set back from the edge, and correct preparation for single or double-sided printing.

The check is worth choosing especially if the poster was made in Canva, an online generator, an office program, a presentation app or with AI tools. A design like that can look good on screen and still need the format, bleed, CMYK, resolution, photograph quality or safe margins corrected.

On posters the quality of the artwork matters a great deal. Photographs taken from the internet, messaging apps or social media, or generated at a small resolution, can come out blurred or pixelated once printed, especially on a larger format.

The technical check does not cover the content. We do not check typos, prices, numbers, discount codes, dates, times, locations, terms, contact details, QR codes, image rights or whether the material complies with the regulations. The customer is responsible for the accuracy of that information.

• Simple graphic design - if you have no file ready, send us your logo, the text, photographs, artwork, dates, prices, contact details, a QR code, your advertising line and your guidelines on style. We will prepare a simple design matched to the format, paper, printing and finish you chose.

How to prepare the file for print

• Format and colours - a PDF that follows our specification is best. We also accept good quality JPG and PNG files. Photographs should be at 300 dpi at 1:1 scale, and the design prepared in CMYK.
• Bleed and margins - if artwork or a background runs to the edge of the poster, prepare the right amount of bleed. Move the logo, headline, text, price, date, QR code, contact details, website address and other important elements away from the edge.
• Legibility from a distance - a poster should be quick to read. Make the headline suitably large, keep the main message simple and the key information clearly visible. Very small text, thin fonts, weak contrast or too many elements can get in the way.
• QR code - it should be a suitable size and contrast, and sit somewhere easy to scan. Before sending the design, check that it really does lead to the right page.
• Photographs and artwork - with large photographs their resolution and quality matter especially. The material should be sharp, large enough and prepared for print. Small images taken from the internet may not be suitable for a larger poster.
• Checking the content - before sending the file, check the dates, times, prices, discounts, addresses, contact details, QR codes, terms, the names of events and products and all the promotional information carefully. Our site also has a separate section on preparing a design for print and the mistakes best avoided.