74HC595 and seven segment help needed

i have a seven segment i tried on arduino connect it directly with arduino and it works fine its 2.3 inch version (its big)
but when i am trying to connect small normal size segment with arduino its not working fine its always missing one or two points
so yes i know arduino can't drive so many leds or whatever but for that i have 595 too but what i wanna know is do i need resistance for 2.3 inch segment too or it should be just for normal size segments and if that's the case then why it is like that ?

and if i need to connect big or small segment with 595 do i need to put resistance there too and if so how much resistance i need ?
is it possible that big segment which is 2.3 inch is working fine without resistance because its big and smaller one is not working fine,actually i dont have so many resistance at the time and after getting a correct answer from you guys i am gonna order resistance in bulk.
and how much current does one shift register need to drive a 2.3 inch segment and itself ?
and my segments are common cathode

Thanks in advance and sorry if my english seems bad