Do you want to get noticed? Then wide format printing is for you! A recent study found that 71% of people who look at large print pieces not only notice the advertisement but make a mental note of what’s being advertised, according to NextPage. In fact, 50% of those who see said print bring it up in conversation later. Clearly, there are many pros to this kind of advertising, but you may still be wondering what “wide format printing” refers to exactly.

Wide format printing is often done on digital presses. Compared to the historic print industry overall, this capability utilizes newer tools and technologies, having only emerged at the end of the last century. In the past few decades, wide format printing has evolved rapidly. Big names like Xerox, HP, and Canon played a role in this. The implementation of new technologies, such as inkjet, has made modern wide format printing better, faster, and more cost effective than ever before. Here are some examples of how advertisers and marketers take advantage of this:

• Posters, wall graphics, and murals hung on the walls of offices and showrooms.
• Billboards for catching the attention of the general public.
• Backdrops for both in-person and online presentations.
• Pull up banners that are easily brought to trade shows.
• POS signs in retail stores.
• Image wraps for vehicles.

Wide format printing is a category that covers a lot of ground. It opens a whole world of print marketing beyond brochures and postcards. There are multiple benefits of incorporating some larger print pieces into your marketing and advertising campaigns:

Many of these items are designed with durability in mind.

UV solvent inks are often used in wide format printing. Solvent-based inks adhere to a wide range of substrates including vinyl, cloth, glass, wood, foam board, corrugated plastic, metal, and more. Also, the inks themselves are extremely weather resistant. Good printers are aware that the quality of your marketing materials directly reflects the quality of your brand in the minds of consumers. That’s why wide format print items that will be mounted outside are made to withstand constant exposure to the elements and maintain their appearance through the wear and tear.

Your print will be visible from a distance.

When done by professionals, wide format print is also designed to be clear and sharp. This is because it can be seen by those both near and far, so the content should be legible and helpful to as many people in its surrounding area as possible. Because large print pieces are likely to draw more attention than smaller items, they give you a real bang for your buck at events like trade shows and conferences.

It can help with brand recognition, and ultimately, sales.

Prospects usually need to encounter your brand multiple times before you become familiar to them. On top of that, it may take even longer to turn the prospect into a customer. If you’ve been in the marketing world for a while, you’ve probably heard of the “Rule of Seven,” which states that a prospect needs to “hear” a message at least seven times before they’ll take action to buy that product or service. Incorporating your logo and company colors in as many places as possible can speed this conversion process up. Noticeable, attractive wide format print that clearly relays your brand message is a great way to accomplish this.

Consumers trust these channels.

In a MarketingSherpa survey, 83% of consumers ranked print marketing as the topmost trusted channel when making a purchase. Brands are always seeking trust and gaining it at that critical moment when someone is ready to buy is ideal. Although this statistic speaks to all print, the survey also reports that billboards and other out-of-home items, such as vehicle wraps, are trusted by 69% or consumers. This makes good old billboards the third most trusted advertising channel in the US. Wide format print items that consumers encounter outside of their own homes definitely come across as less invasive than some digital marketing tactics, which is beneficial because it’s hard to trust a brand that you think isn’t respecting your privacy.

It can be cost-effective.

The budget is often the first hurdle when implementing any promotion strategy. The good news is, because a lot of wide format items are created with digital printing, the cost of short-run projects can be kept relatively low. Of course, size and substrate play big roles in the final price. However, as with most print, there is a sliding scale of cost, and most companies can find something that works for them. Some wide format print items, such as A-frame sidewalk signs, also make it convenient and inexpensive to switch up the messaging on a regular basis.

On the other hand, some people argue that there are new technologies that trump many of these wide format printing benefits. Digital electronic screen signage is almost always going to be more expensive upfront, although frequent customization is remarkably easy once you’ve made the initial investment. As with many digital marketing versus print marketing conversations we’ve had in the past, we believe that the two should really work together. The visibility you get and the trust you gain with wide format printing can’t be beat with digital strategies alone.

Now that you know more about wide format printing and the many perks that are associated with it, we encourage you to try incorporating some of these items into your next marketing and advertising campaigns. Go big or go home, as they say! If you have any questions about wide format printing or your next project, please contact us anytime.