How to Prepare Print-Ready Artwork Files (The Complete Guide)

Preparing print-ready artwork correctly the first time saves time, money, and the frustration of receiving a job back from pre-press with a list of corrections. This is what our pre-press team checks on every file we receive.

Bleed (3mm minimum). Bleed is the extension of your artwork beyond the trim line, which allows for slight cutting variation without white edges appearing on the finished piece. 3mm bleed on all four sides is standard. For large format, 5mm is recommended.

Resolution (300dpi at final size). Images must be 300 dots per inch at the size they will be printed. A 72dpi web image cannot be printed at quality — it will appear pixelated. The critical measurement is resolution at the final print size, not the original file size.

Colour mode (CMYK, not RGB). Screens display in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) light. Print reproduces in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) ink. RGB colours that look vivid on screen — particularly bright oranges, electric blues, and neon greens — can shift significantly when converted to CMYK. Convert your document to CMYK before you finalise your colour choices, so you're seeing what will actually print.

Fonts (embed or convert to outlines). If you supply a file with fonts that are not embedded or converted to outlines, and the pre-press system doesn't have that font installed, text will reflow or substitute — changing your layout. Convert all text to outlines (in Illustrator: Type > Create Outlines) or ensure all fonts are embedded in your PDF export settings.

PDF export settings. Export as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 for offset print. Include bleed in your export settings. Use "Press Quality" or "High Quality Print" preset as a starting point, then add 3mm bleed marks.

If you're unsure whether your file is production-ready, send it to us. Our pre-press team will check it and let you know if anything needs correcting — at no charge.