It is very easy to say that it is in your printing company’s interests to offer large printing format capabilities, but it is not so easy to implement. There are a lot of factors to consider before you head into large printing format services.
The definition of large printing format is divided into two areas wide format where the printed output is between twenty four and ninety five inches, and anything larger which is viewed as grand format. So you will need to decide if you will offer only wide format or both grand and wide format printing.
Then there is ink selection. Large printing format inks come in three variations. The inks can be aqueous or water based. These are best for indoor posters and things like that as they will be unable to stand up to wet weather as the water based inks will run as soon as they come into contact with water. Or they can be solvent based. Solvent based inks are generally used outdoors as they are more durable. They do tend to contain chemicals which are not very environmentally friendly. Then there are the eco friendly inks, they are generally ultra violet inks. This is a rather new technology where printers use ultra violet light to cure the ink. There are also soy, latex and corn based inks which are gaining in popularity.
You will also need to choose your hardware carefully so that you will be able to cater to all your clients needs, within reason of course. Each kind of large printing format equipment has different capabilities and advantages and disadvantages. You will need to do some market research and figure out what the demand in your area is and what equipment will best suit your business. If you want to work with flexile substances you need a roll-to-roll devices, if you want to use rigid substances, then you need a flatbed. The decision has to be based on what you requirements are going to be.
Large printing format is not a thing to go into lightly. The equipment is expensive and needs a certain amount of expertise to operate which can only come with time. Consider you options carefully as there is no looking back.
