What's the Difference Between Large-Format Printing and Photorealistic Prints in Ad Production? Advertising visuals are quite common in our daily lives. Today, Hanfeng Advertising Co., Ltd. shares the differences between large-format printing and photorealistic prints in ad production.
Typically, we encounter common street-side commercial advertisements, such as large outdoor billboard ads, massive pillars along highways, bus stop poster displays, and large mall poster promotions—all the ubiquitous vinyl or photo-realistic ads we see daily. The output of these advertisements is often done through vinyl or photo-realistic printing, with advertising companies utilizing either a vinyl plotter or a photo-realistic printer.
However, during the production process of these advertising visuals, we often encounter a significant price difference between large format printing and photography, and the price gap is rather substantial. What is the reason for this?
Digital printing is produced by a spray printer and is commonly used for outdoor advertising, such as billboards. However, it can also be used for indoor advertising, like background images in rooms and promotional displays. Typically, digital printing uses oil-based or solvent-based inks that are waterproof and UV-resistant, ensuring the images last long and are durable. Compared to photo-realistic printing, it is more affordable and can cover larger areas. The downside is that the inks used have a strong odor and the image quality is not as precise, making it better suited for viewing from a distance.
For photography, we commonly use photo printers as our output devices. Photography can be divided into two main categories: indoor and outdoor photography. Compared to large format printing, photography offers higher precision and superior image quality.
Indoor photo prints typically use water-based inks, which are eco-friendly and odorless. However, their drawback is that they are not waterproof, and the color and image retention is not long-lasting, prone to fading and discoloration. As a result, many advertising users opt for lamination for their indoor photo printers to enhance the longevity of the printed images. For instance, common items like roll-up banners and X-stands.
Outdoor photo printers are also part of the collection. The main difference between indoor and outdoor photo printers often lies in the ink they use.
Outdoor photography typically uses low-solvent inks for printing machines. Low-solvent inks are more environmentally friendly than oil-based inks, lacking the strong odor of oil-based inks while still maintaining their performance, such as waterproofing and UV resistance, making them suitable for outdoor advertising. However, the drawback is that they are more expensive than spray painting, such as the cost of low-solvent inks being higher than water-based inks, and the associated outdoor materials also being more expensive than indoor ones. But outdoor photography has a wider range of applicable materials. For example, common applications include studio large-format photography, portrait photography, outdoor vehicle wraps, outdoor billboards, and more.
