designing large banners for print in photoshop

[slappy]

i have a 2.6' x 80" banner to do for a trade show we are doing.... when i design it in Photoshop at this size and 300dpi, i'm running pretty slow. Suggestions on what i should do? Tips/tricks?

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Make it 150dpi at most, 100 is file for a banner honestly.

 

[slappy]

wow... that made a huge difference when i went to merge the first few layers together... very fast compared to the 300dpi.


will dropping it though effect the print? they are for me so must be nice

 

[StarSign]

scale

 

[SignBurst PCs]

No, not noticeably. I agree 100ppi is probably just fine.

 

[Jim Doggett]

Make it 150dpi at most, 100 is file for a banner honestly.

Yeah; that!

 

[Letterbox Mike]

will dropping it though effect the print? they are for me so must be nice

No, you won't notice it. We print a lot of banners and wraps at 75dpi and only up close can you see any pixellation, and even then you really need to be looking for it. The only thing we print higher than 150dpi is art reproductions where the viewers will be very close and very picky (we print this work at 300dpi), for anything else, it's 150 or below.

 

[oldgoatroper]

i have a 2.6' x 80" banner to do for a trade show we are doing.... when i design it in Photoshop at this size and 300dpi, i'm running pretty slow. Suggestions on what i should do? Tips/tricks?

Yes, use a vector illustration application and only import the raster elements you need as bitmaps. The rest (type and other appropriate elements) should always be vector-based.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Yes, use a vector illustration application and only import the raster elements you need as bitmaps. The rest (type and other appropriate elements) should always be vector-based.

This isn't really true. You can end up with fairly large vector-based files when importing raster images into them as well, sometimes much larger than a flattened .tiff or .jpg would be. Nothing wrong with doing the entire design in Photoshop, and honestly in the end it can be more efficient that trying to work with raster images/effects in a vector program. It also eliminates the possibility of conflicts/issues with placed raster elements in a vector file.

Any more, if there is a raster component to a job, be it a raster effect in Illustrator or a placed image, we'll build the final file in Photoshop, and import any vector components in from Illustrator. This has proven to be much more efficient and gives us much more predictable output vs. doing it the other way around.

 

[signswi]

This isn't really true. You can end up with fairly large vector-based files when importing raster images into them as well, sometimes much larger than a flattened .tiff or .jpg would be. Nothing wrong with doing the entire design in Photoshop, and honestly in the end it can be more efficient that trying to work with raster images/effects in a vector program. It also eliminates the possibility of conflicts/issues with placed raster elements in a vector file.

Any more, if there is a raster component to a job, be it a raster effect in Illustrator or a placed image, we'll build the final file in Photoshop, and import any vector components in from Illustrator. This has proven to be much more efficient and gives us much more predictable output vs. doing it the other way around.

This is good advice. Illustrator's raster engine is really inefficient and only 32bit (meaning it's slower to render and work with). Make sure when you import the vector elements into Photoshop that you do so as Smart Objects.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

This is good advice. Illustrator's raster engine is really inefficient and only 32bit (meaning it's slower to render and work with). Make sure when you import the vector elements into Photoshop that you do so as Smart Objects.

Yup, exactly. There was a day when the opposite was true, build your file in a vector program by bringing in the raster elements, but you're right, with 64bit operating systems becoming the norm Photoshop 64bit runs circles around 32 bit Illustrator, from a speed standpoint it's significantly faster to use Photoshop when raster elements come into play, and like I said, you also greatly reduce or entirely eliminate any problems you can encounter with linked/placed raster objects in vector files.

 

[JoshLoring]

^^^

Everyone is right. 100 is fine for banners. Unless someone starts making a photo quality banner... Most banners only accept so much anyhow.
I've noticed for any anti curl banners I will design 150-200 because they seem to accepta higher resolution. Scrim banners... Not so much.

 

[ESBG]

other than optimizing for target output/application as others have suggested...

properly configured photoshop, fast drives, and more RAM.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

You can even print them out at 72 dpi and get great results.

 

[oldgoatroper]

Yup, exactly. There was a day when the opposite was true, build your file in a vector program by bringing in the raster elements, but you're right, with 64bit operating systems becoming the norm Photoshop 64bit runs circles around 32 bit Illustrator, from a speed standpoint it's significantly faster to use Photoshop when raster elements come into play, and like I said, you also greatly reduce or entirely eliminate any problems you can encounter with linked/placed raster objects in vector files.

Interesting info. Thanks for that.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

Only time I do 300 dpi is when I export out a vector banner for a wholesale printer ... even then I expect them to drop the dpi to 150. Otherwise as others have said, 150 is fine.

 

[signswi]

I'll do 300 for no-curl but that's trade show or P.O.P. and people get right up to it (of course, the OP is talking trade show, so...300). Vinyl banners hanging someplace? Much lower is fine and if the view distance is significant it can be really low.

 

[vroongraphics]

at 300, you would be fine to scale down to 25% (when RIP, print at 400%). If you are "placing" and "resizing" original images in Photoshop, it would be best to do these seperate, and use your crop tool, 150-300 dpi, then size accordingly (save image)...THEN place THAT file into your design (this will make the file size smaller to for output)