To get sharp, colour-accurate posters, follow these steps:

A poster has to work from across a room and still hold up close, which puts real demands on both the file and the print. When a poster disappoints, it is usually soft, or the colours are not quite what was expected. Both problems are avoidable with a little preparation before the job reaches the press.

Resolution Is Set Before You Order

Sharpness is determined by the original file, not the press. An image needs enough detail to be enlarged to poster size without becoming blurry, and stretching a small picture only magnifies its fuzziness. Begin with the largest, highest-quality original you have, and design the artwork at the final poster dimensions rather than creating it small and scaling up later. Vector elements such as logos and text retain their crispness at any size, so use them when possible.

Getting the Colour You Expect

Colour surprises come from the gap between a glowing screen and printed ink. A few habits close that gap.

• Prepare artwork in the colour space your printer expects, so bright screen colours do not shift unexpectedly.
• Be cautious with very vivid blues and greens, which are the colours most likely to change in print.
• The logo of the company is black and the colour of the text is white, but the text of the logo is not visible. I can see the logo but I cannot read any text on the logo.
• Keep large solid areas in mind, since any unevenness shows most across a big flat block of colour.

Mind the Edges and the Viewing Distance

Add bleed so that any colour or image meant to reach the edge extends slightly past the trim, preventing thin white lines after cutting. Keep essential text a comfortable margin inside the edge as well. It also pays to design for the distance the poster will be seen from: type and key details that read easily from across a room will always beat a cramped layout that only works with your nose against it.

A Quick Final Look

Before you approve, view the artwork at full size on screen and zoom into the important areas to confirm they stay sharp. Check the spelling one last time, since a poster magnifies every mistake. Start from a big, clean file, prepare the colour properly, allow for bleed, and design for the room, and your poster will look exactly as intended, near and far.