The print-ready file checklist every designer should keep

Sending a file to print should be the easy part, but it is where a surprising number of jobs come unstuck. Keep this checklist beside you and run through it before every send. It takes two minutes and saves reprints, delays and awkward calls.

Before you export

Bleed added. Anything touching the edge extends 3mm past the trim. No bleed means white slivers after cutting.

Safe margin respected. Keep important text and logos a few millimetres in from the trim, so nothing critical gets cut off.

Resolution checked. Images are 300dpi at final size. Something that looks fine on screen can print soft. Check the real placed size, not the original file size.

Colour mode is CMYK. The document is set up in CMYK, not RGB, so bright screen colours do not shift unexpectedly when they convert for print. Brand colours specified as print references.

Fonts handled. Fonts are outlined, embedded, or supplied with the file. Otherwise text can reflow or substitute on another machine.

When you export

Press-ready PDF. Export as a high-resolution print PDF with bleed and crop marks included. This is the safest, most reliable format to send.

Check the PDF, not just the source. Open the exported PDF and look at it. Exports can surprise you. Confirm the bleed is there, the fonts held, and nothing shifted.

Before you send

Right size and orientation. The document is the finished size you actually want, in the right orientation. It is easy to design at the wrong dimensions.

Page count and order correct. For multi-page pieces, pages are in the right order and the count is right for the binding.

Special finishes flagged. If the job has foil, spot gloss, emboss or white ink, the file is set up correctly for those and you have told the printer. Speciality finishes usually need a separate layer or marked-up file.

A note to the printer. A short message with quantity, stock, finish and deadline saves a round of questions.

When in doubt

If anything on this list is unclear for a given job, send the file and ask the printer to check it before they run it. A good printer would always rather catch a problem in the file than print it. Checking artwork is part of the service.

The short version

Run bleed, margins, resolution, colour, fonts, then export a press-ready PDF and actually look at it before sending, with a note on quantity, stock, finish and deadline. Keep this list handy and most print problems never happen. When unsure, let your printer check the file first.