Good artwork is the difference between print that looks sharp and print that looks a bit off. Here's what to check before you upload your files.
1. Add 3mm bleed
Bleed is extra background that runs past the edge of your design. We trim through it, so you never get a thin white line at the edge. Extend any background colour or image 3mm beyond the finished size on every side.
2. Keep text inside the safe area
Keep important text and logos at least 3–5mm inside the trim line. That way nothing gets cut off if the trim moves slightly.
3. Use high-resolution images
Photos should be 300dpi at the size they'll be printed. An image taken from a website is usually 72dpi and will look blurry in print. For large items like banners, 100–150dpi at full size is usually fine because they're viewed from further away.
4. Set up in CMYK
Printers use cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) ink. Screens use RGB light, which can show brighter colours than ink can reproduce. Designing in CMYK gives you a more accurate idea of the final colours.
5. Save as a PDF
A high-quality PDF with fonts embedded or outlined is the safest format. JPG and PNG files work too if they're high resolution.
Not sure your files are right?
Upload them anyway. We check every file before printing and we'll let you know if anything needs fixing. If you don't have artwork at all, our Design Service can create it for you.