A design can look perfect on screen and still cause trouble at the printer. Three details prevent most problems.
1. Size and bleed
Ask your printer for the exact finished size. Then add bleed, a few millimetres of extra background that runs past the edge, so nothing is left with a white line when the paper is cut.
2. Safe area
Keep important words and logos away from the edge, inside a safe margin. Paper moves a little when it's cut, so text too close to the edge can be clipped.
3. Colour
Screens mix light and print mixes ink, so colours can shift. Ask your printer which colour setup they want, and request a proof for anything important. Don't expect a bright screen colour to match exactly.
Also check
- Images are sharp enough at the printed size
- Fonts are included or converted, so nothing changes
- The file type your printer asks for (often PDF)
If you're not sure, send us your printer's requirements and we'll set the files up for you.
