You don’t need to be a graphic designer to make incredible, professional-looking posters. You don’t even need to buy software. There are several online tools that can help you design posters quickly and easily. Here are three worth checking out that are free and easy to use.
Related: How to Make a Poster: Top 5 Design Tips From The Pros
Adobe Spark Post
The most fun graphic design tool to use from the options listed here, Adobe Spark Post makes it super easy to create posters you’ll be excited to print. Although you can start with a blank canvas, the app offers thousands of professionally-designed templates and layouts to choose from. Once you’ve found something you like, you can customize it to include your own photos or change the text, colours, filters, etc. You are also provided access to millions of stock images that can help make your poster look even better.
The app is easy to use and allows you to enhance your designs with a single tap - you can instantly resize, recolour, or transform your design entirely. You can even create animated versions of your poster creation, which is great if you want to create content for social media that coordinates with your poster prints.
Adobe Spark Post is free to use. By default, a small “Adobe Spark” logo is included in the bottom-right corner of your project. This can be easily removed by clicking on it and then choosing “Remove logo on this project.” Alternatively, you can replace their logo with your own by upgrading to their premium subscription, which also offers more features, including the option to add your own brand colours and fonts.
Piktochart
Piktochart is another easy-to-use tool that allows a person with no design experience create print-worthy posters. There are a limited number of free templates available, but if you want to upgrade to one of their premium subscriptions, you’ll have access to hundreds of templates. You will also need to upgrade if you want their branded watermark removed or if you want to save as a high-quality PDF. The free version allows you to save as a medium-quality PNG, which is fine if you are just planning on printing small posters that aren’t larger than 11”x14” or so. If you want to make super-sized posters, you will need to have a higher quality file.
Tip: If you aren’t sure whether your poster will print well at a certain size, upload it to Posterjack and choose your preferred product and size. Our website will automatically give you a quality score rated from fair to great. If the rating is too low, our system will not let you proceed with your order until you choose a smaller, more appropriate print size or a different image. This ensures you’ll be happy with your poster print!
Once you’ve chosen a template (if you prefer, you can also start from scratch), you can edit the background, colours, fonts, and other elements of the design. You can also add graphics, images, and access their library of stock photos.
Crello
Crello is a free graphic design tool that offers poster making capabilities. Simply select the size of poster you wish to create, choose a template from over 12,000 options, customize your poster, and save. You can download your project in five different formats, but for printing purposes, you should choose PDF Print.
The free version of Crello allows you to save your poster without a watermark, which is a nice feature. Although there are thousands of free backgrounds, fonts, frames, and objects you can use, you also have the option to purchase premium elements.
You’ve Created Your Poster, Now What?
Once you’ve designed a poster you’re proud of, let us help you print it! Our proprietary print software produces the best large-scale poster prints in Canada. Combine that with our world-class printers, inks, and papers and you get poster prints that are second to none. We offer four types of poster prints and you can choose from over 50 different sizes! Here’s a brief summary of each poster type, but please feel free to visit each product page for more information.
Satin-Matte Poster Prints - Your image will be printed on our classic photo paper. Your poster will have a smooth surface and vibrant colours.
Glossy Poster Prints - Just like our Satin-Matte Poster Prints, colours are vibrant and will not fade for over 200 years. As the name suggests, your poster will have a glossy finish.
Fine Art Poster Prints - Your poster will be printed on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag fine art paper, which just happens to be the best photo paper on the planet!
Peel & Stick Poster Prints - If you want to stick your poster to nearly any surface without damaging the walls, this is the product you want. The adhesive-backed linen material allows you to reposition your poster up to 50 times!
Whether you want to make a poster for a local craft fair, school event or plan to create marketing material for your business, you can do it quickly, easily and without any graphic design experience. This is also a very budget-friendly approach, since you can create the posters yourself and Posterjack’s Poster Prints start at only $3.99!
