Preparing your artwork correctly is one of the most important steps in achieving high-quality printed results. Even well-designed artwork can run into problems if it isn’t set up properly for print. Taking a little extra care at this stage helps avoid delays, reprints and unexpected results.
Start with the correct document size
Your artwork should always be set up at the final finished size of the printed item.
Common examples include:
- A6 – 105 × 148mm
- A5 – 148 × 210mm
- A4 – 210 × 297mm
- DL – 99 × 210mm
If your design includes colour or images that run to the edge of the page, you must also allow for bleed, which is extra artwork beyond the finished size.
Allow for bleed and safe area
Bleed is usually 3mm on all sides and allows the print to be trimmed cleanly without leaving white edges. For example, an A5 leaflet should be supplied at 154 × 216mm including bleed.
In addition to bleed, it’s important to keep all key text, logos and important elements 5–6mm inside the final trimmed edge. This is known as the safe area and helps prevent anything being cut off during trimming.
Use the correct colour mode
Printing uses CMYK, not RGB.
RGB is designed for screens and often looks brighter on a monitor than it will in print.
Setting your artwork to CMYK from the start gives a more accurate preview of how colours will print and helps avoid unexpected colour shifts.
Use high-quality images
All images used in your artwork should be:
- At least 300dpi
- At the size they appear in the design
Avoid screenshots or images taken from websites or social media, as these are usually too low in resolution for printing and can appear blurred or pixelated.
Choose suitable fonts and text sizes
Make sure text is:
• Large enough to read comfortably
• Not too close to the edge
• Supplied as part of the artwork, not editable text fields
Very small text or fine lines can sometimes lose clarity when printed.
Export your artwork correctly
The best file format for print is a PDF.
When exporting your PDF, ensure:
- CMYK colour mode
- 300dpi resolution
- 3mm bleed included
- Crop marks enabled
Most design programs such as InDesign, Illustrator and Canva allow these settings to be selected during export.
Common mistakes to avoid
Some of the most common artwork issues we see include:
- No bleed included
- Text too close to the edge
- RGB colours instead of CMYK
- Low-resolution images
- Incorrect page size
Catching these early saves time and avoids reprints.
