Printing an “A1” poster with 4 x A3 papersWith this homebrew method the final poster is a bit smaller than A1

1. Create an A1 “paper”

2. Make a great poster

A1

3. Four A3s to one A1grid

A3 A3

A3 A3

5. Shrink A1 poster smaller

6. Four A3s to one A1

A3 A3

A3 A3

7. Create an A3 portrait file

A3

8. Copy/paste poster and 4 x A3 grid to A3

A3 A3

A3 A3

A3

Line represents the A1 poster outline

The A3 “window”represents the printer’s A3 paper

9. Scale the shrinked JPG poster up to printer margins

A3 A3

A3 A3

The A3 “window”represents the printer’s A3 paper

4. Take a screenshot of your poster

10. Print all four A3s by moving the poster with grid to window

A3 A3

A3 A3

A B

C DC

A

CD

B

1

Target: An own, homebrew

A1 poster on the wall using

A3 paper, A3 printer, magic

tape, paper cutter, steel

ruler and a cutting matt.

J. Risku 2019

International Poster Exhibition, Scotland 2016

1. Create an A1 “paper” size 59,4 × 84,1 cm2 .- Use PowerPoint, InDesign, Illustrator or other

3. Create rectangulars A3 size 29,7 × 42,0 cm2 .- Put them together in form of A1

6. Combine the 4 x A3 grid and the shrinked poster- Use PowerPoint, InDesign, Illustrator or other- Create an A1 in size 59,4 × 84,1 cm2

2. Make the poster:- Study posters on the Web- Make a better one

4. Take a screenshot of your poster- Use e.g. Windows Snipping tool- JPG is fine, as is PNG- Place the shot to next page (you just created)

7. Create a new A3 portrait file (size 29,7 × 42,0 cm2 )- This A3 is the ”platform” to print four A3s

8. Copy/paste poster and 4 x A3 grid to the new A3- Now the ”oversized” A1 poster is on A3 papers- Create an A1 in size 59,4 × 84,1 cm2

9. Scale the shrinked JPG poster up to printer margins- Printers can’t print up to paper edges, white marginsstay

- Scaling allows overlap between A3 prints

5. Shrink the JPG/PNG A1 poster smaller- Width ~ 2 cm narrower than the originalJPG/PNG A1

10. Print all four A3s by moving the poster with grid to“A3 printer window”- Create four more extra pages to A3 file- Move one by one A3 part of the poster to the A3 ”window” from separate pages you just created

- Before printing, delete the grid lines- The fifth page is for the grid to be saved but not

printed

Explanations Additional data

2

J. Risku 2019

Printing an “A1” poster with 4 x A3 papersExplanations and Additional data

turn to back side

2. Cutting line: From overlap, choose two common figures with versatile form, far away from each other. Here the counter (hole) in R and fingers.

Then cut two pieces away join the two A3s the right one staying under position them by the cut triangles and attach the A3s with two pieces of tape (prepare 4-6 strips of Magic tape on the edge of the table)

3. Cutting the two A3s in the “middle”: The final cut line is in the middle of the overlapping area. Try to find a place where is only few colors, lines, forms and text. Then attach the positioned A3s with two strips of tape, rather in the margin area of the paper now cut.

cut triangles

fin

al c

ut

line

fin

al c

ut

line

4. Tape the cut A3s together from the front side: Now, just before taping the two A3s together from the back side, position the A3s carefully by the common figures on both sheets tape them from the front side with two tapes…

… turn the “A2*” around, and tape the whole final cut line with long tapes.

* The “A2” is a bit smaller than a real A2 because we have cut the overlap, and later cut the margins.

5. Finishing the “A2”: Turn the sheet around, take the small tapes away from the front side.

6. Next, the whole “A1”: Attach the other couple of A3 sheets as described above. The attach the two “A2s” together in the same way.

7. Finishing the “A1”: Now you have an “A1” with margins. The margins have to be cut off, if they differ from the poster colors. Use long steel ruler and the paper cutter, and of course the cutting mat 60 x 90 cm.

8. Strengthen the corners: Tape the corners of the poster and the upper middle part with double or triple stripes of Magic tape, because you certainly want to hang the poster on the wall. Then you can hang either with Strips of Magic tape, thumbtacks or map pins (not digital ones).

1. Target “A1”: Cut the four A3 sheets along appropriate lines to get an exactly matching poster.

Cutting Mat 60 x 90 cm

Steel rulers, 50 and 100 cm

Paper cutter, here smaller 9 mm is better than 18 mm

Magic tape

Printing an “A1” poster with 4 x A3 papersDetailed process 3

J. Risku 2019

Hanging the poster 4Printing an “A1” poster with 4 x A3 papers

Equipment

12

3

4

5

NOT !!Wrong direction.

Hang a poster: https://www.printmoz.com/blog/best-way-to-hang-posters/

If rolled wrong: https://www.wikihow.com/Flatten-a-Rolled-Map-or-Poster

Right way to roll a poster: https://www.martinbaileyphotography.com/2014/06/09/rolling-fine-art-prints-for-shipping-podcast-425/

StartupLab JYU: https://www.startuplab.fi/

Links:

Rolling the poster

Use a Poster tube and bubble wrap bung between cover and poster

Wrong: you need to uncurl and flatten the poster now in ten different ways (see link below)

Right: Roll the print with the printed area facing upwards- place a piece of facing paper to

protect the print areawww.martinbaileyphotography.com

© Martin Bailey

Strips of Magic tape

J. Risku 2019