PAPER · INK · OUR WORKSHOP
What makes a good poster print?
The paper, ink and care behind a print worth framing.
A family photograph, a pencil drawing or a design you have spent weeks getting right: they all deserve a properly made print. We use the same 230gsm matte paper, genuine Epson inks and colour-managed workflow for every poster we print. Those are our standard materials and process, whether you are ordering one picture for home or printing your own artwork.
A good poster should hold up when you look closely. That means more than bright colours. The soft detail in a face, the edge of a letter and a gentle change across a pale sky all matter. Here is what goes into our posters, and what to look at when choosing a paper print.
Start with the surface
Paper is part of the picture. Its base colour becomes the white of an unprinted border and contributes to the lightest areas of the image. Its finish changes the way the print catches the light. Its weight affects how the sheet feels and handles.
Our poster paper is 230gsm with a pure-white base and a matte finish. That gives the print substance without turning it into a rigid board. It remains a paper print, ready for a frame, rather than a finished stretched canvas.
The matte surface suits photographs and artwork when you want to see the image without a glossy sheen. It can be especially appealing for gentle portraits, pale backgrounds and illustrations with plenty of white space. Matte does not mean reflection-free: the light in your room still matters, and glass added during framing can introduce its own reflections.
GSM describes paper weight, not a complete quality standard. A heavier sheet is not automatically better printed. Look at the surface, the image and the process together.
The printer is part of a working setup
We use an Epson SureColor SC-P20000 large-format printer with genuine Epson inks. We also use ONYX RIP software and a media profile matched to our paper and printing setup.
The useful part of that specification is the connection between its components. The printer places the ink; the paper receives it; the software and profile help translate the colours in the file into that combination. Changing one part can change the result. Naming an impressive printer without explaining the paper and colour workflow tells only part of the story.
For your picture, the aim is controlled colour and useful detail: skin that retains its character, shadow areas that still describe the subject, and colour transitions that feel considered rather than forced.
A matched profile does not promise an exact match to every phone or laptop. Screens emit light; paper reflects the light falling on it. Screen brightness, display settings and the room where you view the print all affect the comparison. We want the photograph to work as a print, with that difference understood.
Look beyond the brightest colours
A bold landscape can make an immediate impression. The quieter parts are just as revealing. Look at a pale face against a white background, the folds in a dark coat or the gradual change across a clear sky. Strong colour is only one part of the job.
For a photograph, good printing should let subtle features remain subtle. Extra sharpening or contrast is not an improvement if it gives faces hard edges or turns soft light into a harsh effect. The source image sets the starting point; careful reproduction respects it.
For an illustration, the test may be different: clean edges, consistent areas of colour and fine marks that remain distinct. With typography, the shape and spacing of the letters matter as much as their darkness. Small wording needs a sufficiently detailed source and a suitable print size. A larger sheet does not make tiny lettering clearer if the lettering itself is already blurred.
White deserves the same care as colour
White is easy to overlook until it feels wrong. A pale artwork can lose its intended lightness if its background contains a faint grey tint. Conversely, forcing every near-white area to pure white can remove delicate shading that belongs to the image.
Our pure-white paper provides the base. Your file determines what is printed over it. If a white background is meant to remain clear, inspect the actual file for unwanted grey borders, colour casts or remnants around cut-out subjects. If the background is intentionally warm or shaded, preserve that choice.
For artwork photographed rather than scanned, uneven lighting can become part of the file: one corner may be darker or warmer than another. A suitable paper and profile cannot distinguish that lighting error from an intentional part of the artwork. Getting the source right protects the print.
Give the printer enough real information
Use the best original file you have. A camera original, a photographer’s full-resolution download or the artist’s final export is a stronger starting point than a screenshot or a picture repeatedly shared through messaging services.
Pixel dimensions help relate the file to the print. For example, 4,000 pixels spread across a 20-inch image give 200 pixels per inch before any crop. Crop that width down to 3,000 pixels and print it at the same width, and you have 150 pixels per inch. The number changes because less information is being spread over the same area.
There is no single number that settles every decision. Fine text viewed close up is demanding; a large landscape viewed across a room is a different proposition. Focus, compression and the subject itself matter too. Merely changing a resolution setting to “300dpi” does not create missing photographic detail.
Our guide to printing a photo as a poster covers file preparation, sizes and crops in more detail. Here, the principle is straightforward: match the printed size to the information the image actually contains.
Paper or canvas: choose the finish the picture needs
Poster prints and canvas prints give the same image a different physical presence. Smooth paper can be a particularly good choice for delicate illustration, fine lettering and photographs you want to frame with a mount. Canvas adds a woven surface and the depth of a stretched print.
Neither material is an automatic upgrade over the other. Choose what suits the image and how you want to live with it.
| What matters to you | A poster print | A canvas print |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Smooth matte paper, with no fabric weave | A visible woven canvas surface |
| Fine lettering or graphic marks | A useful choice when crisp small detail is central | The texture becomes part of how those marks appear |
| Display | A paper print to frame in your chosen style | A stretched print with physical depth |
| An existing frame | Can be sized to its paper space, within supported limits | Needs a frame designed for a stretched canvas |
Explore our poster prints for a paper finish, or photo-to-canvas printing if you prefer the character of a stretched canvas.
The frame is part of the finished result
A well-printed poster can still disappoint if the mount hides an important face or the sheet does not fit. Decide the required paper dimensions before settling the composition. Measure an existing insert or the frame’s internal print space, rather than the outside of its moulding.
With a mount, record the paper space and visible opening separately. The paper needs to sit behind the opening, and the opening determines what you will actually see. Keep essential wording and details clear of the covered edges. Our frame-measuring guide explains that distinction.
We supply posters unframed. That leaves you free to use a frame you own or choose one that suits your room and artwork; include that separate purchase when comparing the complete cost.
Value comes from the whole print
The paper, ink, colour workflow, source file and chosen dimensions all contribute to what reaches your wall. A strong specification is useful when it explains those decisions, rather than simply collecting impressive-sounding terms.
The paper and printing process described here are standard across our posters. There is no paper-quality upgrade to add before you get our best print. Choose the size your picture can support, give it a suitable frame and let the image do the work.
A few useful questions
Does 230gsm mean the poster is on card?
No. It describes the paper’s weight per square metre. Our poster is a flexible paper print, supplied unframed, rather than a mounted board.
Is matte better than glossy?
It is a different finish. Our matte paper suits people who want a smooth surface without a glossy sheen. If a high-gloss look is essential to your artwork, choose a paper and service that offer it.
Can good printing fix a blurred photograph?
Printing reproduces the file; it cannot reliably recover detail that is absent. A better original or a smaller print can be a more useful choice than adding aggressive sharpening.
Is a poster suitable for artwork I want to sell?
It can be. Consider the quality of your master file, the scale of fine marks or lettering and the finish you want to offer. Keep your original master so you can prepare other sizes without repeatedly editing the same copy.
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