Life-Size Cardboard Cutouts

A life-size cardboard cutout is exactly what it sounds like: a photo printed at full scale onto rigid board, then cut around the outline so it stands up on its own. You've seen them on TV chat shows, in shop windows, at conference entrances, and propped up at parties when someone can't make it in person.

We print them here on our flatbed printer directly onto the board, then cut the profile on our router. No laminating a print onto cheaper material, no white edges showing around the cut. The board is sturdy enough to stand without flopping over and handles being moved around without falling apart.

What people use them for

We've made custom cardboard cutouts for all sorts. Band cutouts for concert stages. Product cutouts for retail displays. CEO cutouts greeting visitors at trade shows. Chef cutouts in restaurant doorways. Cast cutouts for TV set dressing. If you've seen a life-size cardboard cutout of a celebrity on an Irish talk show, there's a fair chance it came through us.

They work well anywhere you need a freestanding figure that photographs clearly. Corporate events use them as photo opportunities. Conference organisers stick them at registration desks. Retailers put them next to products to catch the eye or show scale.

People order personalised cardboard cutouts for birthdays and retirements too. That's fine, but the image needs to be right or it won't look good blown up to full size. More on that below.

How big can you go?

Up to 2.4m high by 1.2m wide in one piece. Most full-body cutouts of people fit within that comfortably.

Struts

Every cutout needs something to hold it upright. A cardboard strut cut from the same board comes as standard. It folds flat for transport and does the job for most situations.

If the cutout is going to be set up and packed away repeatedly, or moved between venues, a metal folding strut is more durable. We can fit one instead if you need it.

The image matters more than anything else

This is where cardboard cutouts succeed or fail. We can print beautifully, but if you send us a low-resolution photo, you'll get a pixelated cutout. There's no way around it.

What we need:

• A high-resolution image, at least 3000 pixels tall
• Full body in frame, head to toe, nothing cropped
• Clear separation between the person and background
• Decent lighting, sharp focus, no blur

Professional photos work best. Phone photos can work if they're taken in good light with the subject standing well clear of the background. Dark pub photos, group shots where you want one person extracted, tiny images pulled from Facebook: these don't work. If the person is missing an arm and a leg in the photo, then they'll be missing them in the cutout.

Head-on-body option

Don't have a full-length photo? We can composite a headshot onto a stock body. We've got business poses, casual poses, formal wear, and athletic stances. The headshot still needs to be high resolution and cleanly lit. This works well for corporate jobs where you need several cutouts with a consistent look.

What if my photo isn't good enough?

We'll tell you before printing. If the resolution is too low or the background too messy, we'll flag it and explain the options. Better to have that conversation upfront than send you something that looks rough.

Turnaround

2-3 working days from artwork sign-off.

Order a cutout

Upload your image and we'll check it's suitable. If you're not sure whether your photo will work at life size, send it over first and we'll have a look.