How to Print a GTA Poster

A 4096 pixel square prints sharp to about 35 cm, and well beyond that on a wall. Which file to use, what paper to pick and how to frame it.

Use the right download

The Download menu has two sizes meant for print, both square PNG files: Print at 4096 by 4096 pixels and HD at 2160 by 2160. PNG keeps the hard edges of the logo and the gutters clean, with no compression blocks around the lettering.

The other sizes are for screens. Instagram post is a 1080 pixel JPG, and Story, phone wallpaper and desktop wallpaper place the square poster on a dark backdrop. Do not print those: the backdrop wastes paper and the poster inside them is smaller.

From pixels to centimetres

Print size depends on how many pixels you spread over each inch, called pixels per inch (ppi, often written DPI by print shops). 300 ppi is the usual target for something you hold in your hand. Something on a wall, seen from a metre or two away, looks sharp at 150 to 200 ppi.

• Print, 4096 pixels: 34.7 cm (13.7 in) square at 300 ppi, 52 cm (20.5 in) at 200 ppi, 69 cm (27.3 in) at 150 ppi.
• HD, 2160 pixels: 18.3 cm (7.2 in) at 300 ppi, 27.4 cm (10.8 in) at 200 ppi.
• Instagram post, 1080 pixels: 9.1 cm (3.6 in) at 300 ppi. Fine for a sticker or a small card, nothing bigger.

Fitting a square on A-size paper

The poster is square and A-series paper is not, so a square print leaves a strip. On A3 (297 by 420 mm) the poster prints at 29.7 cm square, about 350 ppi from the 4096 file, with a 12.3 cm strip left over. On A4 (210 by 297 mm) it is 21 cm square with an 8.7 cm strip. Trim the strip off, or use it: a party date, a name or a caption under the poster looks deliberate.

If you can choose the paper size, square formats avoid the waste. A 30 by 30 cm or 40 by 40 cm print from the 4096 file is sharp at both sizes, and square frames in those sizes are easy to find.

For invitations, A5 or A6 cards are plenty for the HD download: 2160 pixels on a 14.8 cm square is over 370 ppi.

Edges, trimming and bleed

Print shops often ask for bleed, extra image beyond the cut line so a slightly off cut does not leave a white edge. The poster already has a dark border around the panels, about 2.4 percent of the width on each side (roughly 100 pixels in the 4096 file). A cut that strays a millimetre or two lands in that border, so you can usually send the file as it is. If the shop insists on bleed, ask them to scale the image slightly to fill.

Many home printers cannot print to the very edge of the page. Print with a white margin and trim it off, or let a photo printing service do it.

Paper, colour and frames

• Satin or lustre photo paper is a good default: rich colour without the glare of gloss.
• Gloss makes the pinks and blues pop but reflects light behind glass.
• Matt paper looks more like a gig poster and hides fingerprints, at the cost of slightly duller colour.
• Screens are brighter than paper. Neon pinks and cyans print a little flatter, so order one small test print before a big one.
• A black or dark purple frame continues the dark border. A white mount around it makes a small print look bigger on the wall.

Photo quality in a big print

Each photo you add is stored at up to 1600 pixels on its long side. In the nine-panel layouts each panel is roughly a third of the poster, around 1300 pixels wide in the 4096 file, so photos stay sharp. The four big panels of Quad are about 2000 pixels wide in the same file, so photos are enlarged slightly and faces can look a touch softer in a large print. For anything above 40 cm, a nine-panel layout holds up best.

Make and download the print file

1. Add your photos in the Photos tab and your words in the Text tab.
2. Check the poster at full size on a computer if you can; small faults show more in print than on a phone.
3. Open Download and choose Print (4096 by 4096, PNG). Use HD (2160 by 2160, PNG) for cards and small prints.
4. Send the PNG to your print service as it is, at the square size you want.

FAQ