Printed material isn’t dead. It has changed function. A poster in a physical space reaches an audience that social media doesn’t touch. A programme is a physical experience that a screen cannot replicate. A well-designed leaflet on the table of a gallery or concert venue does something no email can do: it exists physically in the person’s space. The question isn’t whether to print — it’s when and how.

When printed material makes sense

Five contexts where print adds real value:

Concert or premiere. Posters in the neighbourhood, at the venue, in nearby shops. The local audience is the one that sees physical posters. It doesn’t replace social media, but it reaches people who don’t follow you on Instagram.

Gallery or exhibition. A leaflet or short catalogue is almost obligatory in gallery contexts. It gives context and is the piece the visitor takes home. A visitor who leaves with a well-designed leaflet continues to have your name and work at home.

Festival or fair. In a context with many companies or artists, printed material differentiates. A well-designed programme is remembered; a PDF sent via WeTransfer is not.

Programmers and sector professionals. In important face-to-face meetings, physical format communicates seriousness. Not always — many programmers prefer digital. But in some contexts (co-production meetings, presentations at markets), the printed dossier can tip the balance.

Merchandise. Art posters, publications, collectible prints. Materials that bridge the artist’s identity with their audience, generating direct income and loyalty.

When it’s NOT worth it

Printed material that doesn’t get used is pure cost. High-risk situations:

Very large print runs without a distribution plan: posters that end up in a box and never reach a single space.
Generic material not adapted to the context: corporate leaflets reaching a street festival audience.
Single-use material that could be digital: event invitations that work just as well by email.
Material with information that will change soon: tour dates that update, prices that vary, addresses that may change.

The practical rule: if you don’t have a clear distribution plan, don’t print. Ten good posters in the right ten spaces are worth far more than five hundred posters at home.

Formats and uses

A3 / A2 poster. For concerts, premieres, exhibitions. The rule: less information, bigger image. A passerby has two seconds. The headline and date must be readable from three metres away. Anything that requires reading up close doesn’t belong on the poster.

A5 folded leaflet / DL. For programmes, company presentations, short catalogues. Very versatile format: pocketable, keepable, can have long text inside while the exterior works as a poster.

A5 / A6 flyer. For mass distribution in concentration points (bars, cultural spaces, meeting spots). Cheap to print, easy to leave. Very simplified design: one single mission.

Programme. For classical concerts, shows with complex narrative context, exhibitions. Can range from a simple sheet to an eight-page booklet. Gives context, credits collaborators, is a reference document that lasts.

Catalogue. For major exhibitions, anthologies, long tour runs. Significant investment, long useful life. It needs to be good enough to be kept.

How to prepare files for printing

Avoidable errors that appear just when the material is already printed:

Resolution. Screen images are at 72-96 dpi. For printing you need a minimum of 300 dpi at 100% of the final size. An element designed for screen that goes to the printer will be pixelated. There is no way to recover a low-resolution image.

Colour mode. Screens work in RGB; printing in CMYK. The designer must deliver the file in CMYK, or the printer will do an automatic conversion — and colours change, especially vivid reds and saturated greens. If colour is critical to your identity, request a proof print before the full run.

Bleed. Leave 3-5mm of bleed (design elements that extend beyond the trim line) to avoid unwanted white margins when the guillotine cuts. If the background reaches exactly to the design edge, an imprecise cut will show it.

Fonts outlined or embedded. If the design uses special typefaces, fonts must be “outlined” (converted to curves) or embedded in the PDF. Otherwise the printer may substitute them with their default font.

Delivery format. PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 are the standard formats for professional printing. Most design programmes (Illustrator, InDesign, Affinity) allow direct export to these formats.

Ressona works with Pocallum for artist graphic design and with 112Books for professional printing of catalogues, programmes, posters and editorial materials for artists.

Where to print

Online printers offer very low prices (Pixartprinting, Flyeralarm, Moo, Vistaprint). But shipping costs and waiting times raise the real price, and adding urgency can be expensive. For large runs of standard material, it may make sense. For anything that involves quality, nuance or time pressure, there is a much better option.

Work with your local print shop.

Supporting local commerce matters — and in printing there are very practical reasons to do it. You can check the result in person and make adjustments on the spot, you have access to far more paper varieties and finishes than any online catalogue shows, and — most valuably — you get the human expertise of someone who has seen thousands of projects and knows how to guide you toward what works for each case and use. A local printer knows their equipment’s particularities, shows you physical samples, and flags file problems before printing. No web form can do that.

Specialist printer for editorial projects: for catalogues, quality programmes, limited editions with special finishes (spot varnish, embossing, special paper, binding). The result is different, and so is the price. Ressona works with 112Books for editorial projects for artists that require informed decisions about paper, finish and binding.

Printed material as an extension of digital identity

Physical material needs to be consistent with digital material. If the website has a defined aesthetic and social media follows a visual thread, the poster and leaflet need to continue it — the same palette, the same typeface, the same tone. Consistency is what turns an isolated printed piece into part of a recognisable identity. When a programmer sees your poster and then searches your name online, the recognition should be immediate.

Ressona works with Pocallum and 112Books for the creation and printing of professional materials for artists. Talk to us.