How to Prepare Print-Ready Artwork: A Practical Checklist

Most printing problems are decided before anything reaches a press — in the artwork file. A design that looks perfect on screen can still print with white edges, blurry images, shifted colours or missing fonts if the file was set up for screens instead of print. This checklist covers the specifications professional printers ask for, so your business cards, brochures and banners come out the way you approved them on screen. For a shorter overview, see our artwork preparation guide; this article goes deeper.

1. Supply a print-ready PDF

The safest file format for print is a PDF with all fonts embedded or outlined (sometimes called PDF/X). PDFs lock your layout, fonts and images into one file that opens identically on the printer's system. Working files (AI, PSD, CDR, Canva exports) can also be accepted by many studios, but a press-ready PDF removes most surprises. If you designed in Canva or a similar tool, export as "PDF Print" rather than "PDF Standard", and check whether the tool added bleed (see below).

2. Add 3 mm bleed on every side

Printed sheets are trimmed after printing, and trimming can shift by a fraction of a millimetre. Bleed is extra background artwork — usually 3 mm — extended beyond the trim edge on all sides, so that when the sheet is cut, colour runs cleanly to the edge with no white sliver. If your design has a background colour, photo or pattern that touches the edge, extend it 3 mm beyond the finished size. A 85 × 55 mm business card, for example, is supplied as 91 × 61 mm including bleed. Large-format items such as banners may need different allowances, so confirm the bleed for your specific product.

3. Keep a safe zone inside the trim

The opposite of bleed: keep text, logos and anything important at least 3–5 mm inside the trim edge. Elements sitting exactly on the edge risk being clipped by that same trimming tolerance. On folded brochures, also keep text clear of the fold lines themselves.

4. Set colours to CMYK — and rich black carefully

Screens display colour in RGB; presses print in CMYK. Bright RGB blues, greens and oranges cannot all be reproduced in CMYK, so convert your file to CMYK before sending and check how the colours shift — converting early means you approve the printable version, not a screen-only colour. Two practical details:

• For small black text, use 100% K (black only). It prints sharper and avoids registration fringes.
• For large black areas (backgrounds, panels), your printer may recommend a "rich black" mix for depth — ask which build they prefer, because it varies by machine and paper.
• If your brand uses a specific spot colour (such as a Pantone reference), mention it when you enquire — matching options depend on the printing method used for your job.

5. Use images at 300 dpi at final size

Print resolution is measured in dpi (dots per inch). Photographs and detailed graphics should be 300 dpi at the size they will print. An image that looks fine on a phone screen may be only 72–150 dpi and will print soft or pixelated when enlarged. Screenshots and images saved from WhatsApp or social media are frequent culprits — they are heavily compressed. Always send the original photo file where possible. Large-format printing (banners, wall graphics viewed from a distance) works at lower effective resolutions, typically 100–150 dpi at final size; your printer will confirm for the viewing distance.

6. Outline or embed your fonts

If the printer's computer does not have your font, the software substitutes another one — and your layout silently changes. Prevent this by converting text to outlines (vector paths) or embedding fonts in the PDF. Keep an editable copy of the file for yourself before outlining, because outlined text can no longer be typed over if details change.

7. Check the details printers always catch

• Spelling and numbers — proofread phone numbers digit by digit; printers print what the file says.
• Overprint settings — white elements set to "overprint" can disappear in print. If you are not sure what this means, ask for an artwork check.
• Transparency — flatten transparencies or export with a print preset that handles them.
• One file per design — name files clearly (for example, "Menu-A4-Front.pdf"), and supply front and back as separate pages of one PDF where possible.
• Fold panels in order — for tri-fold brochures, the panel layout is not left-to-right reading order; request the template.

8. Approve a proof before production

A digital proof (a PDF or image of the final file) is your chance to catch errors while they are still free to fix. Check names, numbers, dates and prices carefully — after printing, corrections mean reprinting. For colour-critical work, a printed proof on the actual stock is worth requesting, because screens cannot show exactly how ink sits on paper.

When to ask for help instead

If this checklist feels heavy, you are not alone — many businesses hand their logo and text to a studio and let the studio prepare the print files. That is exactly what our graphic design and artwork services are for, and every order at Alifarts includes a free artwork check before production. Artwork specifications, materials and production times always depend on the specific product and project, so if anything above is unclear for your job, send the file with your enquiry and we will tell you exactly what needs adjusting.