MASSIVE Print banner- too large to export HELP PLEASE!!

[websavvy]

I have a client who asked me to create artwork for a banner she is printing for a trade show. The banner is 19.5 FEET long and almost 8 feet high. I have designed the banner as 6.5x2.6ft with the intent of then dividing it into 9 equal parts which I would blow up to 6.5x2.6 and send off to the printer. So far so good. The problem is that the segments are still so large that when I try to export them as PDFs, I am running out of memory. I tried doing them as jpegs, but when I change the resolution for export to 300dpi, nothing changes- the number of pixels x umber of pixels doesn't increase. My client needs this artwork off to her printer asap and I am at a complete loss. Please, if you have any ideas, advice or suggestions- I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks so much.

[Gamerprinter]

Honestly, companies that regularly design such oversized banners use software specifically for that kind of work. I'm thinking something like Flexi-Designer, which is like $5000 sign making software that handles oversized vector and raster graphics with the intent of creating large banners. Often also using external drives of multiple terrabyte storage just to hold the file, since they tend to be huge. If your design is vector only, you could create a smaller file of the same dimensions scaled down to 10% of the original size in Xara - I do this often. But am required to use some other software, like Illustrator, to resize to proper dimensions. Without the right software, your issue is problematic, in my experience. I know that doesn't help you in the immediate, perhaps someone can offer a better and easier solution.

[mwenz]

Can you upload the file to wikisend.com or dropbox.com and I'll see what I can do. I use XDP for banners and other trade graphics. I typically export to PDF. In general, one needs to scale down further, make sure images have sufficient resolution to scale back up.

Mike

[nsterken]

This is why 32 GB of RAM, a 128 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD, all internal, with a Nvidia GEForce graphics card are nice options. I got a pc build I'm going with that is not that kick-ass but should still be able to export something of that size with similar specs for $1250. Let me know if you would be interested in it.

[Cloud]

This is how we do it, might not be what everyone does and the figures I give below may scare some people but as a printer and a designer I think it helps (we currently have 6 wide format printers; epson for giclee work (simply nothing better overall) uniform solvent printers for outdoor print and a very nice hp latex for general POS printing)

Firstly when sizing for large format work we work with the following:

Posters (a2-A0 in size) and giclee prints on canvas (in fact any thing which is to be viewed at close range at eye level) minimum 300dpi at full size

Banners (the type you find on railings etc) and roll-up banner stand graphics a mazimum 300dpi at 1/4 size (even 150dpi is fine)

Banners for buildings (or anything which is very large and above eyelevel) you can go down to 72dpi no problem, in fact we can even print down to 36dpi for banners printed on mesh material (used on large banners stuck to scaffolding and buildings and prone to wind disturbance) and from the ground they look fine - besides which if the substrate is less then 72dpi (in other words less than smooth, which mesh banner material is) then why print at 300dpi.

Just remember that the dot size is relative to the distance it is viewed at.

Here is a research paper on the subject http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/waite032906.pdf

We use PDF files as things such as backgrounds (solid and gradient) are vectors and less information is required to create the file as oppossed to jpegs.

Whether you have coreldraw, illustrator, photoshop or indesign, you can use them to print large banners, there is no need to use expensive $5000 software, non of the companies which supply to us, including one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the UK use this type of software, they supply files to the above specs according to what is being outputed.