Preparing Your Artwork for Professional Printing
25 February 2026
A comprehensive guide to preparing your design files for professional printing to ensure the best possible results.
Getting your artwork print-ready can seem daunting, but following these guidelines will ensure your printed materials look exactly as you envisioned.
Resolution Requirements
Always work at 300 DPI (dots per inch) for print. Lower resolution files will appear blurry or pixelated when printed.
Colour Mode: CMYK vs RGB
Screens display in RGB, but printers use CMYK. Convert your files to CMYK before sending to print to avoid colour shifts.
Bleed and Safe Zones
Add 3mm bleed around your design and keep important elements at least 5mm from the edge to account for cutting variations.
Font Embedding
Always outline or embed fonts in your PDF to ensure they display correctly. Missing fonts can ruin your design.
File Formats
PDF is the industry standard. Export as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 for the best compatibility with professional printers.