What program for creating large posters?

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
I need to create some posters for a vendor fair. One will be about 3'x6', another 2x3 or so, something like that. Using photos, backgrounds and type, etc. Can I create files for those in Pages perhaps? Or Word?



If not, I don't have InDesign or Quark, and I know those are pretty expensive, are there less expensive, good alternatives? Thanks!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Posters are controlled not by applications, but by printer drivers. You may use any of the applications that you listed. If you have the driver for a large format printer driver then you can use your favorite application to create the poster. Better yet, you may create a custom page size with the dimensions of your prospective poster if you don't have the printer driver that you need.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    Can I format a document in Word that is 3 feet by 6 feet? I guess that was the question, can programs like Word create documents that are that large? Or do I need to use some other program for that? I'll be printing at a Kinkos, so will be using their printers and drivers etc. I need to create the document so that it will reproduce well at a large size.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. Me View Post


    Posters are controlled not by applications, but by printer drivers. You may use any of the applications that you listed. If you have the driver for a large format printer driver then you can use your favorite application to create the poster. Better yet, you may create a custom page size with the dimensions of your prospective poster if you don't have the printer driver that you need.



  • Reply 3 of 11
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    You did not read my previous post. I told you that posters--any documents size, in fact--are controlled by the printer driver and not by the application. I also told you that you may use any of the applications that you named to create the poster. The only inference that you can possibly draw from my previous post is that you no special application is required to create a 3' x 6' poster. Word, InDesign, Pages, Text Edit, or darned near any other document creation application can be used.
  • Reply 4 of 11
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    I don't think you need to get snippy with the OP. He's just trying to sort it out.



    It also probably bears noting that just letting the print driver blow things up isn't going to give very good results unless you're working with an appropriately sized page set-up and have some idea of the resolution of your source materials.



    So if you're doing a 3'x6' poster, you'll want to specify that in the "custom" page setup setting in Word (or Pages) and scale your window accordingly so you can see what's going on. Blow things up to 100% when you want to get an idea how a particular image or graphic will fare once it's full size.



    I mention this because there may be a temptation to download images, which can be relatively low resolution, then stick them on a page view that fits your monitor until it looks nice. Then you send it off to the print service and it comes back looking horrible, because you scaled that low res JPEG by 400% and it's nothing but a mass of pixels.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    I don't think you need to get snippy with the OP. He's just trying to sort it out.



    ....



    It is not about being snippy. The OP essentially asked a question that had already been answered in the only response to his first post. There was little to add. Therefore, I drove home the points that I had already made.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    You're kind of a dick, aren't you?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. Me View Post


    You did not read my previous post. I told you that posters--any documents size, in fact--are controlled by the printer driver and not by the application. I also told you that you may use any of the applications that you named to create the poster. The only inference that you can possibly draw from my previous post is that you no special application is required to create a 3' x 6' poster. Word, InDesign, Pages, Text Edit, or darned near any other document creation application can be used.



  • Reply 7 of 11
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Soundhound View Post


    You're kind of a dick, aren't you?



    If you keep asking the same question over and over again after having received the answer and if you are unable handle the consequences, then you may get out your tape measure and start measuring.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    Yes, it's quite clear, you're a dick. Get a life.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mr. Me View Post


    If you keep asking the same question over and over again after having received the answer and if you are unable handle the consequences, then you may get out your tape measure and start measuring.



  • Reply 9 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Soundhound View Post


    You're kind of a dick, aren't you?



    In this thread you have that distinction, sir.
  • Reply 10 of 11
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist View Post


    In this thread you have that distinction, sir.



    You're too kind. I certainly would not consider myself to be a man of distinction. Thank you for the thought, however.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    Would that be myself, or Mr Me who you feel has earned that distinction?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rokcet Scientist View Post


    In this thread you have that distinction, sir.



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