Best tape or method for sticking 4x A4 together into poster size?

Richdog

Richdog

Richdog

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Hi guys hope you're all well. I recently bought a laser printer with surprisingly good colour and photo print output (Canon MF645cx), good enough to use on my walls. Naturally as A4 is a wee bit small, I am also able to print a single photo accross 4 or even 6 pages of A4 to make some big sizes. So far I have thought of the following steps:

  • As laser printers cannot print borderless, each print has a thin white border around it and my plan is to order a guillotine to trim it neatly and evenly.
  • Once trimmed, my plan was to use tape to join the sheets.

I tried a black and white test poster using "scotch invisible magic tape" and it was NOT invisible when placed on the front to join the posters. Also, as I had trimmed all of the inside white borders of all pages using scissors, any gaps were very noticeable.

So, my questions please are:

  1. Is a guillotine to trim all of the inside edged the best way to join them or should I leave the sheets of one side with their white border intact and place the trimmed sheet over them for a better cover?
  2. What would be the best way to join the sheets... a clear matte tape instead? Or tiny bits of blue tack?

Thanks for any advice. :)

PS: I am only looking for ways to do it myself at home, no professional services will be involved. Cheers.
 
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mrbell1984 said:
Photoshop. Enlarge image to 4x A4 size LxW. Then cut said print into 4. Then print.
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Hi, if you read my OP more thoroughly I am not asking the best way to print. I have already done what you suggest. I am looking for the best way to fix the 4x A4 pages together so it looks as seamless as I can make it before I put it on my wall. Thanks. :)
 
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A guillotine would be a must, even the most steady hands in the world wouldn't be able to create a perfect straight edge.

I assume you're sticking tape on the back rather than the front? As on the front it would look terrible!

I can't imagine many people have tried this, so would be a trial and error approach. But if i was doing it, i think i'd firstly want to get a glass picture frame, using something like blu-tac to fix the sheets in place (the picture frame will come in handy here for alignment. Then probably small pieces of tape to fix two sheets together to check alignment before taping across the entire side. Rinse and repeat for the remaining sheets.
 
Richdog said:
Hi, if you read my OP more thoroughly I am not asking the best way to print. I have already done what you suggest. I am looking for the best way to fix the 4x A4 pages together so it looks as seamless as I can make it before I put it on my wall. Thanks. :)
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I'm a little confused to why you are even asking this. A kid can resolve this issue without even asking. Just put them together match up the sides and then stick it with either white tape or masking tape.
 
Semple said:
A guillotine would be a must, even the most steady hands in the world wouldn't be able to create a perfect straight edge.

I assume you're sticking tape on the back rather than the front? As on the front it would look terrible!

I can't imagine many people have tried this, so would be a trial and error approach. But if i was doing it, i think i'd firstly want to get a glass picture frame, using something like blu-tac to fix the sheets in place (the picture frame will come in handy here for alignment. Then probably small pieces of tape to fix two sheets together to check alignment before taping across the entire side. Rinse and repeat for the remaining sheets.
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Hi Semple very useful, thanks. Yes with my test sheets I did try tape on the front, using that "Scotch invisible tape" which is, erm, pretty visible hehe. I will try the back but am just worries you will be able to see a slight gap as the pages will not be flush enough.

I have also ordered a guillotine from Amazon because as you say, I was unable to cut a steady and perfect line with regular scissors. I will also experiment with spots of glue down the edge.

Regarding the picture frame and bluetac, I am intending to fix the poster directly to the wall without any use of frames-nails/screws etc. My intention is to have a "good enough" solution that lets me see the art I want while being able to e changed relatively easily change-able. :)

mrbell1984 said:
I'm a little confused to why you are even asking this. A kid can resolve this issue without even asking. Just put them together match up the sides and then stick it with either white tape or masking tape.
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What a mature, helpful and constructive post... another one for the ignore list. :)
 
Trim, tape on back lay face up and then offer up then adjoining page to the tape at the same time as lining it up. Fairly easy so easy in fact im not sure why you even asking


Second way is to mount so get a substrate of some sort big enough then glue and place the tiles onto it
 
whitecrook said:
Trim, tape on back lay face up and then offer up then adjoining page to the tape at the same time as lining it up. Fairly easy so easy in fact im not sure why you even asking


Second way is to mount so get a substrate of some sort big enough then glue and place the tiles onto it
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If it was that easy to do it right then I wouldn't be asking. In fact, if all of the threads containing questions that I find easy weren't posted then the forum would be half dead. You shouldn't try and patronise people for not knowing something, whether you consider it 'basic' or not.

This is the first time I have ever tried to make 4 sheets into one poster and it is a perfectly reasonable question to ask how to do it right considering there are various possible ways to do it and for it to go wrong and I don't want to waste materials doing it multiple times.

The substrate is a good idea for the future and would be light enough for me to mount without nails/screws. However, at the moment until isolation has ended I am just using the bare sheets. Thanks.
 
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Richdog said:
Regarding the picture frame and bluetac, I am intending to fix the poster directly to the wall without any use of frames-nails/screws etc. My intention is to have a "good enough" solution that lets me see the art I want while being able to e changed relatively easily change-able. :)
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Sorry the picture frame + blu-tac approach was purely to make it easier for alignment. I can imagine it'll be a nightmare trying to align it if you're only able to see it from the back.

With regards to the possible gap, i think if you can get a perfect alignment, i.e. no overlap, or split between pages, then i can't imagine it'll be very visible - i mean if you buy a poster that's not in a tube you'll end up with fold marks, so would have thought it would be better than that.

I guess it's really just a case of patience and sheer accuracy.
 
Guillotine - Yep, assuming you lack a sharp knife and a straightedge, although you already went shopping so perhaps a moot point.

Next step is easy - Get a BIG sheet of clear sticky-backed plastic.
Back in the day, we used to get sheets of Fablon and stick OS maps to them - We would then soak the paper off, leaving the detail stuck to the Fablon, although you wouldn't need to do that. Nowadays OS is wise to the trick and sells maps already plasticked as the Active Weatherproof brand, but it works the same.

But if you've ever seen an OS map fully unfolded, you'll know they're pretty large. Should be able to find a Fablon sheet that big for maybe £10-15. Trim photos, put image side down onto sticky side of Fablon, do a final trim and put on the wall of your choosing!
You'll probably have enough Fablon for at least 2 such assemblies...
 
Semple said:
Sorry the picture frame + blu-tac approach was purely to make it easier for alignment. I can imagine it'll be a nightmare trying to align it if you're only able to see it from the back.

With regards to the possible gap, i think if you can get a perfect alignment, i.e. no overlap, or split between pages, then i can't imagine it'll be very visible - i mean if you buy a poster that's not in a tube you'll end up with fold marks, so would have thought it would be better than that.

I guess it's really just a case of patience and sheer accuracy.
Click to expand...

ttaskmaster said:
Guillotine - Yep, assuming you lack a sharp knife and a straightedge, although you already went shopping so perhaps a moot point.

Next step is easy - Get a BIG sheet of clear sticky-backed plastic.
Back in the day, we used to get sheets of Fablon and stick OS maps to them - We would then soak the paper off, leaving the detail stuck to the Fablon, although you wouldn't need to do that. Nowadays OS is wise to the trick and sells maps already plasticked as the Active Weatherproof brand, but it works the same.

But if you've ever seen an OS map fully unfolded, you'll know they're pretty large. Should be able to find a Fablon sheet that big for maybe £10-15. Trim photos, put image side down onto sticky side of Fablon, do a final trim and put on the wall of your choosing!
You'll probably have enough Fablon for at least 2 such assemblies...
Click to expand...

Thanks guys much appreciated, I will try those techniques as much (as I am able depending on if I can source stuff like the plastic) as soon as I can and report back. I only have to do it right once then I will have it pegged for the future. :)
 
Acme said:
Lol this thread. If you can't figure out how to lay some pieces of paper down next to each other and stick them together from the BACK then god help you. :p
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a1ex2001 said:
What ever you do it will still look a bit pants compared to a cheap online poster print!
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The aim isn't to make it look as good as an online poster print, obviously it won't look as good as a professional service right? The aim is to try and make it look 'good enough' and so that I can quickly change it on demand.

Anyway, I will give the suggestions a try.

And for those others in the thread saying it's all "so obvious lol"... no, like many seemingly simple things in life, it isn't if you have never done it before. It involves precision cutting and ensuring you use the right materials and method to make it as seamless as possible, something I have never needed to do before. It takes care and technique to do even 'basic' manual things like this right. If you feel the need to mock things like that then I guess you have to be somewhat immature and insecure. Try and be mature adults. :)
 
Richdog said:
The aim isn't to make it look as good as an online poster print, obviously it won't look as good as a professional service right? The aim is to try and make it look 'good enough' and so that I can quickly change it on demand.

Anyway, I will give the suggestions a try.

And for those others in the thread saying it's all "so obvious lol"... no, like many seemingly simple things in life, it isn't if you have never done it before. It involves precision cutting and ensuring you use the right materials and method to make it as seamless as possible, something I have never needed to do before. It takes care and technique to do even 'basic' manual things like this right. If you feel the need to mock things like that then I guess you have to be somewhat immature and insecure. Try and be mature adults. :)
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You can get a good quality A2 poster print for about £8 or less than the price of a couple of pints of beer. Unless you are planning on changing the picture weekly then surely nth cost for getting something good is worth it? I know you said you didn’t want a professional service but for me the savings don’t out weigh the hassle and the drop in quality!
 
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