There are various printing methods you can use for printing your posters. Poster printing has various types which are suitable for both domestic and commercial applications. This post tells you the types of poster printing and they are below. You can finish posters using various ways, this depends on customer’s preference. 

• Printing with Matte poster gives you a specialist and elegant finish: The most popular method of printing posters is the semi-gloss poster printing. Its cut amount of gloss is less glare, with fewer sticky fingerprint smudges, but still offers PANTONE matching and colour range. 

• High-Gloss: Printing with high gloss poster offers the largest range of vibrant colours, with its luminous tonework. 

 Lithographic poster printing 

Lithographic printing has to do with the use of large steel plates to spread ink. It is a more expensive method than digital poster printing, but has a better quality with regards to large applications. Lithographic poster printing makes use of high volume poster runs like packaging, newspapers, maps and books.

You can use lithographic printing to make volume poster runs like packaging, maps and books. You can print large areas of solid colour in a high quality with lithographic poster printing. You can mix Pantone colours specially and use it for matching colours. 

The difference with this is that you can convert digital images to move from RGB format to CYMK, a colour grading system can print images using Black (K), Yellow, Magenta and Cyan. You can use this method of printing to get the exact match, making it the choice for large scale posters and fine art prints. 

How does lithographic printing work? 

Lithographic printing can work a direct and indirect printing process. The 5 main printing processes are differentiated by its image transfer method and by the general category of image carrier used. You can transfer the printed image directly or indirectly depending on the process. You can transfer the image directly.

Letterpress printing, screen printing, flexography and gravure are examples of direct printing. Offset or indirect printing first get transferred from an image carrier to your cylinder and to the substrate. 

Image carriers 

You can classify image carriers into screen, intaglio, planographic, and relief. 

The screen process is called porous printing, transfer the image to the substrate by pushing the ink across a porous mesh carrying the typographic or pictorial image. 

• Intaglio process: Its nonprinting area remains at the common level of the source with its substrate, while its printing area is made of engraved wells or minute etched of various sizes or depth. 
• Gravine is a process of intaglio. 
• Planographic printing: Non image and image stays on the same plane. Non image and image areas define physiochemical properties. Lithography is a process for planographic. 
• In relief printing: the printing area or image is more than the non-image areas. Flexography and letterpress forms a relief printing process.  

Which one can you choose among the lithographic or digital poster printing? 

The choice you made for printing your posters depends on the budget you have including your timescale. Digital printing is better suited, quicker and cheaper than smaller pit runs. Use lithographic printing for printing poster runs where you need more quality (if you have time and budget). Lithographic printing function well for poster printing than A3 size like flags and banners.