Our illustrated car posters are printed using three techniques - Lithographic, Giclée and Digital Press, depending on size, stock level and volume.
Large size Lithographic car posters
Our lithographic posters are all printed at 50 x 70cm. We print a small batch of these so we can hold stock and use them to sell at car shows we attend and also sell at our retailers such as The Classic Motor Hub and Caffeine and Machine. Lithographic printing uses a 4 colour print process using CMYK inks (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key). By mixing these together during the print cycle these can be very accurately applied to the 4 colour image plates that represent the colours of the illustration. As these plates pick up the ink they transfer it to the paper as it rolls through the press. Lithographic printing can only be used on volumes of 25 or more. They're printed on an Offset-Litho press manufactured by Heidelberg, which costs way in excess of £600k and offers the very latest in Offset technology. Our latest car posters are printed onto uncoated 250GSM matt paper stock that feels and looks superb.
Large size Giclée car posters
We use Giclée printing to print posters that we don't carry stock of (there's only so many we can store!) and also for customer commissions. This is known as 'print on demand'. Giclée basically means a wet ink directly applied to the paper without using traditional plates that transfer the ink. The technique is highly accurate and very well colour balanced. The machine we use is an HP DesignJet Z6 large format poster printer. Posters are printed onto very thick 200GSM Matt paper stock, the thickest that will fit in the machine, ensuring that the quality is exceptional.
Medium size car posters
To offer highly detailed prints on A3 size we use another type of process which is called a digital press. This is a toner based system, but unlike a common colour photocopier, the press is specifically designed to mimic litho print quality but with smaller print runs. It uses colour toners and offer an incredibly high resolution, which means that every detail of the car illustration is picked out. The machine used is a Konica Minolta AccurioPrint C3070L which costs in excess of £35,000. The paper used is coated Premium 300GSM Pro Design coated stock, enabling ultra high definition and quality.