How to set up artwork so it prints right the first time

Most print problems do not happen on the press. They happen in the file, days earlier, and only show up when it is expensive to fix. A little care at artwork stage saves reprints, delays and awkward conversations. Here is what a print-ready file needs.

Bleed and crop marks

If your design has colour or images running to the edge of the page, it needs bleed: the artwork extended past the trim line, usually by 3mm. Without it, the tiny movement that happens when paper is cut leaves a thin white sliver at the edge. Add the bleed, include crop marks, and the trim comes out clean.

Resolution

Images that look crisp on screen can print blurry. Screens are forgiving, print is not. For sharp print, images should be 300dpi at the size they will actually appear. A small logo pulled up to fill a poster will look soft no matter how good the press is. Start with high-resolution source files.

Colour: CMYK, not RGB

Screens use RGB, made of light. Print uses CMYK, made of ink. If you send an RGB file, it gets converted to CMYK for print, and some bright screen colours, especially vivid blues and greens, shift when they convert. Set your document up in CMYK from the start so what you design is what you get, and specify any brand colours as print references.

Fonts

Fonts are a classic cause of last-minute problems. If the printer does not have your font, text can reflow or substitute. The safe fix is to outline your fonts or embed them, or supply the font files with the artwork. Better still, send a PDF with fonts embedded, which locks everything in place.

Export a proper print PDF

The safest format to send is a press-ready PDF with bleed, crop marks and embedded fonts, exported at high resolution. It packages everything the printer needs into one reliable file and removes most of the ways a job can go wrong.

When in doubt, ask first

If you are unsure about any of this, send the file to your printer and ask them to check it before the run. A good printer would far rather spot an issue in the file than print the problem. Most are happy to check artwork and flag anything that needs fixing.

The short version

Print-ready means bleed added, images at 300dpi, colour in CMYK, fonts embedded, exported as a press-ready PDF. Get those right and the job prints as designed. If files are not your strong point, lean on your printer to check them, that is part of what a good one does.