How to set up
Files for Print
When preparing files for printing, even the smallest details can make a significant impact on the final product. Setting up files correctly ensures that your printed materials come out looking sharp, professional, and exactly as you intended. Whether you’re working on business cards, brochures, or large-scale banners, understanding the basics of file setup is crucial.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essential steps to avoid common mistakes, reduce delays, and ensure your print project runs smoothly.
Resolution & DPI
Achieving high-quality prints depends heavily on ensuring that your files are set at the correct resolution. The term DPI (Dots per Inch) refers to how many dots of ink a printer places within each inch of printed space. For most print projects, the industry standard is 300 DPI—this ensures that your images, text, and graphics are crisp and clear. If the DPI is too low, the result will be blurry or pixelated, diminishing the quality and professionalism of your printed materials.
Many images designed for the web are set at 72 DPI, which is sufficient for screen viewing but inadequate for printing. If you attempt to print a 72 DPI image, it will appear low-resolution and fuzzy on paper. This is why adjusting the resolution to 300 DPI is critical before submitting files for print.
Here are a few key points to remember when working with resolution and DPI:
For print, always use 300 DPI or higher: This is the industry standard for high-quality printing, whether you’re working on brochures, business cards, or posters.
Web images (72 DPI) are not suitable for print: While they may look fine on screen, they will lose sharpness when printed. Always check and adjust resolution if you’re using web images in print materials.
Check and adjust resolution in your design software:
• In Adobe Photoshop, go to Image > Image Size to set your resolution to 300 DPI.
• In Adobe Illustrator, while vector graphics don’t need a set DPI, any raster images you include should be 300 DPI. Use the Links panel to check the image resolution.
It’s also important to remember that increasing the DPI of a low-resolution image doesn’t necessarily improve its quality. For example, if you start with a small 72 DPI image and increase it to 300 DPI, it may appear smaller and could still be pixelated. For best results, always begin with high-resolution images, especially for large format prints like banners or posters, where low resolution is most noticeable.
By ensuring that your images are set to 300 DPI, you’re guaranteeing a high level of detail and clarity in the final print. Always check your file’s resolution before sending it to print to avoid any quality issues, especially for important projects.
Bleeds, Margins/Safe Zone
When setting up files for print, understanding the concepts of bleed, and margins or safe zones is crucial to ensure that your final product comes out exactly as expected. These help prevent important parts of your design from being cut off during the printing process and ensure that your layout looks clean and professional.
What is Bleed?
Bleed is the area of your design that extends beyond the edge of where the final cut will be made. It’s typically an extra 0.125 inches (3 mm) on each side of your design. This ensures that, when the printer trims the paper to the final size, any slight shifts in cutting won’t leave white borders around the edges of your design. Without bleed, your printed materials could end up with unwanted white margins or inconsistent edges.
Key Points About Bleed:
• Standard bleed size is 0.125 inches (3 mm) on all sides.
• Bleed applies to designs that have elements (like images or background colors) extending to the edge of the page.
• Make sure to extend your background or images into the bleed area to avoid gaps after trimming.
What is the margin/safe zone?
The safe zone is an inner margin that acts as a buffer between the edge of the page and the content you want to remain fully visible after trimming. Typically, we suggest leaving at least 1/8 inch (3mm) between important elements and the trim line. This space accounts for any slight movement during the cutting process, ensuring your design looks clean and professional.
Key Points About The Safe Zone:
• Keep all important information (text, logos, images) within the safe zone.
• Double-check that decorative elements that run to the edge, such as backgrounds or borders, extend into the bleed area but keep essential details well within the margin.
• The larger your print size, the more you may want to increase the safe zone for better results.
File Format
Choosing the right file format is crucial for ensuring your design prints accurately and looks professional. While several formats can be used for print, we highly recommend submitting your artwork as a PDF for the best results.
Why PDF?
PDF (Portable Document Format) is the most reliable file format for print because it preserves the integrity of your design. PDFs embed all necessary elements—images, fonts, and layout—into a single, compressed file that can be opened and printed without any unexpected changes.
Benefits of Using PDFs:
• Consistency: PDFs maintain consistent formatting across different devices and software, so what you see on your screen is what we’ll print.
• Font Embedding: Fonts are embedded directly into the file, avoiding any font substitution issues.
• Compression: PDFs allow high-quality images to be compressed efficiently, keeping your file size manageable without sacrificing quality.
Other Acceptable Formats
While PDF is our preferred format, we also accept the following file types:
• .ai (Illustrator Files)
• .indd (InDesign files. Note that it is best to submit a full packaged file. To create a packaged file, in InDesign go to File -> Package. This will gather all necessary files into a single folder, which you can compress into a .zip file for easy submission)
• .jpg
• .tiff
• .eps
Fonts & Text
Text is essential to help your designs communicate with your audience. Here are a few things you need to know to ensure your text is correctly displayed on your print files.
Convert Fonts to Outlines
To ensure your fonts print exactly as intended, we recommend converting all text to outlines (also known as converting to curves or paths). This process turns the text into vector shapes, so the printer no longer relies on having the actual font file. This step eliminates the risk of font substitution or missing fonts, ensuring your text appears exactly as designed.
• In Adobe Illustrator or InDesign: Select your text, then go to Type > Create Outlines.
• Important Note: Once text is converted to outlines, it can no longer be edited as text. Be sure to save a version of your design with editable text in case you need to make changes later.
Embed Fonts in PDFs
If you prefer not to convert your fonts to outlines, make sure to embed your fonts in your PDF file. Embedding ensures that the font files are included with the PDF so they display and print correctly, even if we don’t have the fonts installed on our system.
• When exporting your PDF in Adobe InDesign or Illustrator, ensure the “Embed Fonts” option is selected in the export settings.
Font Size and Legibility
For print projects, it’s important to use font sizes that ensure readability:
• Body Text: We recommend a minimum size of 6-8 pt for body text, depending on the font style and the size of your print.
• Small Text: If you must use smaller text (below 6 pt), make sure to use a font that’s very clean and simple, as detailed or thin fonts may become illegible when printed.
Avoiding Font Issues:
• Check for Missing Fonts: Before exporting your file, check for any missing fonts. InDesign and Illustrator both provide alerts if a font is missing.
Stick to Standard Fonts: When possible, use widely available fonts or ensure custom fonts are embedded or outlined.
By following these guidelines, you can be confident that your fonts will print as expected, keeping your design professional and error-free.