Our large format capabilities

Over the years, Design and Printing Services (DPS) has worked hard to bring large format printing to Washington State University. Not only are we able to produce everyday materials like research posters and event banners, but we also can do more customized projects like coloring walls and window decals.

Large format printing: Roll-fed printers printing between 18”–64” in width by a variable length on a large variety of materials like vinyls, canvas, papers, and adhesives.

Not only have we expanded the equipment we use to account for different environmental conditions and surfaces (indoors versus outdoors in the sun and other weather), but we also have over 35 materials to satisfy the requirements for unique projects. Our eco-solvent ink also allows our products to be more scratch-resistant and hold up better to UV light.

The bread and butter

Items like posters, banners, and pull up displays make up some of the more everyday items our shop is able to produce. These have a wide variety of uses: research presentations, event advertising, wayfinding, or other kinds of knowledge sharing.

A photo collage of posters, banners, and pull up displays.

Some of our favorite materials include:

  • W100 semi matte heavy photo—this is a paper that has a semi matte finish and works great for the typical indoor poster that is not being mounted to any kind of board.
  • W102 satin mountable adhesive—use this material if you’re looking to have an indoor poster mounted to a board of some kind, whether that’s foam core, fiberboard, or PVC board.
  • W106 18 oz. matte vinyl banner—this is a nice heavy duty vinyl that is perfect for creating bridge banners. With the addition of grommets and wind slits, it can hold up to the rough conditions bridge banners need to withstand.
  • W125 pop-up banner—a vinyl with an opaque backer, this material is our recommendation for pull up displays, whether you’re looking at having a floor banner or a tabletop one.

Looking for something more custom?

If you are looking to do something other than these items, we have you covered! DPS has helped create some really fun, custom displays. We have produced photo murals that take up entire walls, contour cut designs, and window graphics, among many other projects. All you need to get started is an idea!

A photo collage of custom photo murals and window graphics.

Some of our favorite materials include:

  • W114 frosted window vinyl—this material creates a lovely semitranslucent finish on any window. Use it without printing as a way to add more privacy to a lab or other secure area or add printing to create some unique decals to enhance your space.
  • W108 opaque repositionable wall fabric—this fabric is adhesive and very versatile. It can be reused or moved to different locations, and it can adhere to a variety of surfaces, making it great for all sorts of wall signage.
  • W128 magnetic signage—a material of ours that may not be well known is our magnet material. It can be used for a variety of signage, but it can also be used on vehicles if you need to add a less permanent, removable piece of information to a car.

Many of our materials can also be contour cut on our equipment. Typically done with adhesive materials, this is where shapes are cut into the material, leaving the backer intact underneath, allowing for completely custom shaped designs. Create word walls, decals, or other unique textures using this technique alone or in combination with printing!

Templates now available

With the recent launch of the DPS storefront, we are now able to offer templates to help departments/units design their own materials. Our standard printing items, ranging from cards to bridge banners, have templates available to help you set up your document for the best possible print.

Tip: If you don’t see a template that fits your exact specifications, you can still use a template as a guide for seeing how much space you should leave around the edge of your print piece free of important content, where your bleeds should go, etc. There is other helpful information in the template too!

Combine that with our PDF presets, and you’ll be on your way to setting up a print-ready document!

Professional design assistance

The same professional design we’ve offered over the years is still available too. If you are looking to take your project to the next level, our team of designers can help you, whether you’re wanting to do an event poster or a more complex large format installation.

If you have a vision in mind or specific imagery you want to use, we can incorporate that into the overall piece, or if you aren’t quite sure what you’re looking for, we will work with you to create a design you love.

Contact your project coordinator to get started on your large format project. You can get ideas for projects you may be interested in pursuing, estimates for projects you already have in mind, or jump right into it!

Stepping up to the plate

Earlier this summer, the Biomedical Communications Unit (BCU) on the Pullman campus closed its doors. Offering a large variety of services like digital printing, large format printing, and passport photos, this center had been in operation for more than 30 years.

DPS and CougPrints Plus are hard at work to make sure we can offer the same services BCU customers come to know over the years.

We are expanding our large format capacity to help minimize any noticeable effects of this transition. We have acquired some of the equipment from BCU to not only increase our production but also repurpose equipment that had already been purchased with university resources.

Our state-of-the-art digital printing is not going anywhere! We will continue to produce high quality printing on a variety of materials. We are optimizing our setup to help keep us running as efficiently as possible.

Passport photos will still be available on the Pullman campus—passport and visa capabilities will be available at CougPrints Plus for most countries, tailored to the specifications you provide for your country of origin.

If you’d like a tour of our facility, contact your project coordinator.

Learn more about the transition