Most print problems start with the file rather than the press, and almost all of them are avoidable. This is what "print-ready" actually means — and how to get there, whether you are exporting from design software or working from an image.
The five requirements
| Setting | Requirement | What goes wrong otherwise |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 300 DPI at final size | Soft or pixelated images and text |
| Colour mode | CMYK | Colours shift noticeably when converted |
| Bleed | Background extends past the trim | Thin white slivers along the cut edge |
| Fonts | Embedded or outlined | Text reflows or substitutes to another typeface |
| Safe margin | Key content away from the edge | Text and logos partly cut off |
Resolution: why the screen misleads you
A screen displays roughly 72 to 96 pixels per inch. Print needs around 300. That is why an image can look perfectly sharp on a monitor and still print softly — you are judging it at a third of the required density.
Resolution also depends on final size. An image that is 300 DPI at 2 inches wide becomes about 150 DPI if you enlarge it to 4 inches. Enlarging always lowers effective resolution, which is why artwork designed for a business card cannot simply be scaled up to a banner.
Colour: introduce CMYK early
Screens mix colour with light (RGB); presses mix it with ink (CMYK). The two ranges do not overlap exactly, so some vivid screen colours — particularly bright greens, oranges and electric blues — simply cannot be reproduced in ink.
Converting your file to CMYK at the start means you design within what is printable, and what you see is much closer to what you get. Converting at the end means discovering the shift after the design is settled.
If an exact brand colour matters, ask about matching it with a specific ink rather than relying on a four-colour mix to reproduce it.
Bleed: the part everyone forgets
After printing, the sheet is trimmed down to its finished size. Trimming is mechanical, so a small variation of a millimetre or two is normal. Bleed is the safety margin: background colour and images are extended past the final trim line, so that when the cut lands slightly off, it still cuts through printed area rather than white paper.
Without bleed, a full-colour card can come back with a thin white edge along one side — and because the cause is the trimming, it cannot be fixed afterwards.
Fonts and safe margins
Embed or outline your fonts. If a font is not included in the file, the system substituting it will change letter widths and your carefully spaced layout will reflow.
Then keep essential content — text, logos, contact details — comfortably inside the trim edge. Anything very close to the edge risks being clipped.
How to export
In most design software, the print export preset covers this: choose a PDF/X-based preset, set the colour to CMYK, mark the bleed, and confirm fonts are embedded. The important thing is to use a preset intended for print rather than a "smallest file size" or web export, which will compress images and drop the bleed.
If you only have a JPG or a phone photo
It can work for simple items, but understand the limits. A JPG carries no bleed, is usually RGB, and may be compressed. A photograph taken on a phone is unlikely to have enough resolution for anything larger than a small card.
Send whatever you have and we will tell you honestly whether it will print acceptably. It is a much better conversation to have before the run than after it.
The checklist
- Final size set correctly
- Images at 300 DPI at that size
- CMYK colour mode
- Bleed included on all sides
- Fonts embedded or outlined
- Important content inside the safe margin
- Exported with a print preset, not a web preset
For the wider production checklist, see Brochure Printing Checklist or Prepress File Checklist. We check every file free before printing — send yours via the quote form.