Tujuan IMAX is to dramatically increase the resolusi gambar dengan menggunakan bingkai gambar yang lebih besar. To achieve this, 65 mm film stock is run horizontally through the cameras. While traditional 65 mm film has an image area that is 48.5 mm × 22.1 mm (1.91 in × 0.87 in) (for Todd-AO), in IMAX the image is 69.6 mm × 48.5 mm (2.74 in × 1.91 in) tall. In order to expose at standard film speed of 24 frames per second, three times as much film needs to move through the camera each second.

Drawing the large format 70mm print film through the projector was a difficult technical problem to solve; conventional 70 mm systems were not steady enough for the 586× magnification. IMAX projection melibatkan pelbagai inovasi. William Shaw of IMAX adapted an Australian patent for film transport called the "rolling loop" by adding a compressed air "puffer" untuk memecutkan filem, dan put a cylindrical lens in the projector's "aperture block" for the film to be vacuumed up against during projection (called the "field flattener" because it served to flatten the image field), because the film actually touches the "field flattener" lens. The lens itself is twice the height of the film dan is connected to a pneumatic piston so it can be moved up or down while the projector is running. This way, if a piece of dust comes off the film dan sticks to the lens, the projectionist can switch to the clean side of the lens at the push of a button. The lens also has "wiper bars" made of a felt or brush-like material which can wipe the dust off the lens as it moves up or down to keep the show clean. IMAX projectors are pin stabilized, meaning four registration pins engage the perforations at the corners of the projected frame to ensure perfect alignment. Shaw added cam-controlled arms to decelerate each frame to eliminate the microscopic shaking as the frame "settled" onto the registration pins. The projector's shutter is also open for around 20% longer than in conventional equipment dan the light source is brighter. An IMAX projector is therefore a substantial piece of equipment, weighing up to 1.8 t (2.0 short ton) dan towering at over 178 cm (70 in) tall dan 195 cm (77 in) long. The xenon short-arc lamps diperbuat daripada lapisan nipis fused quartz dan mengandungi gas xenon pada tekanan 25 atmosfera (367 psi); because of this, projectionists wajib memakai perisai badan pelindung semasa membersihkan atau mengendalikannya jika lampu pecah (cth, akibat terjatuh ke lantai) kerana serpihan kuartz yang berterbangan mungkin membawa maut apabila disatukan dengan tekanan tinggi gas Xenon dalamnya.[10]

IMAX uses a stronger "ESTAR" (Kodak's trade name for PET film) base. The reason is not for strength, but precision. Developing chemicals do not change the size or shape of Estar, dan IMAX's pin registration (especially the cam mechanism) is intolerant of either sprocket-hole or film-thickness variations. The IMAX format is generically called "15/70" film, the name referring to the 15 sprocket holes per frame of 70 mm stock. The bulk of the film requires large platters rather than conventional film reels.[11] IMAX platters range from 1.2m diameter to 1.83m diameter to accommodate 1 to 2.75 hrs of film. Platters with a 2.5 hour feature film will weigh 250 kg.

In order to use more of the image area, filem IMAX tidak mengandungi soundtrack dalam filem. Sebaliknya, sistem IMAX specifies sebuah sistem bunyi enam saluran filem magnetik 35 mm synchronized to the film. (Sistem "mag-stripe" dahulu ini was commonly used to "dub" or insert studio sound into the mixed soundtrack of conventional films.) By the early 1990s, a separate digital 6-track source was synchronized using a more precise pulse generator as a source for a conventional Kod masa SMPTE synchronization system. This development presaged conventional software. The software works in a similar style as the DDP except that instead of the audio file being based on discs, it is instead played directly off a hard disk drive in the form of a single uncompressed audio file containing the 6 channels which are distributed directly to the amplifiers rather than using a decoding method such as Dolby Digital. Many IMAX theatres place speakers directly behind the screen, as well as distributing the speakers around the theatre to create a three-dimensional effect.[12]

IMAX theatre construction also differs significantly from conventional theaters. The increased resolution allows the audience to be much closer to the screen; typically all rows are within one screen height; conventional theatre seating runs 8 to 12 screen heights. Also, the rows of seats are set at a steep angle (up to 30° in some domed theatres) so that the audience is facing the screen directly.[13]