The world of print layouts might be a little weird and unexpected at first glance. Avoiding typical print errors is simple if you are the know-how. We’ve compiled a list of the three most frequently neglected components of file preparation for printing, and how to prevent them.
1. Leaving out the bleed
Bleed is required whenever any part of your document layout touches the edge of your design. ‘Bleed’ is a printing slang phrase meaning to extend your colour 3 millimetres over the edge of the sheet. There will be no white edge on your completed product because of this additional extension of the colour on the print, which is afterwards removed from the finished print.
When generating a new document in InDesign or Illustrator, you must add 3mm to each bleed box. File > Document Setup > Bleed and Slug can be found if you already have a document open. In order to generate a bleed area on your design, you must enter 3mm into each box.
In your Save options, choose ‘use document bleed settings‘ under mark and bleeds’ to export the document as a PDF.
Some programmes don’t offer bleed options, but you may still make a bleed by multiplying the document size by the bleed size. Suppose your final picture is 85mm x 55mm business card size. Simply add 3 millimetres to all of your document sizes, resulting in an image that measures 91 millimetres by 61 millimetres, giving you a 3-millimetre bleed area.
Keep in mind that anything within the 3mm bleed area will be removed from your final print, so leave it blank.
2. Using a low-quality camera
While files may appear perfectly clear on the screen, printing them might cause them to appear blurry. When you import a pixelated or low-quality image into your document, this might happen because your file is not set to a suitable resolution.
Choosing the right resolution and DPI will have a significant impact on the quality of your file. When it comes to filing quality, the more dots per inch (DPI) you choose, the better your design will seem. As an example, 300dpi is substantially superior to 72dpi in terms of quality. To ensure that your prints are of the highest quality, we suggest that all designs be created in 300 dpi resolution.
“Remember to open up your finished PDF file before sending it to print to make sure everything is correct. Before submitting the file, be careful to check that everything appears as it should by enlarging the file to its maximum size.”
3. When you set up at the wrong size
Please double-check that the design you’ve chosen corresponds to the size you’ve bought. Please submit us your artwork in the format and dimensions that you want it produced. You must ensure that your design has the right dimensions.
In the case of a 25x25mm sticker, for example, you must ensure that your file is set up to match the sticker’s dimensions. In this case, a 25x25mm design might be appropriate (31x31mm including a bleed area).
Then, we’ll ask you to lay out your artwork on the page precisely how you’d like it to appear in the final print. Please double-check your design before submitting it, since we will not make any changes.