How to Set Up Your Artwork for Print: A Guide to Bleed, DPI, and File Types
One of the most common reasons print jobs go wrong is not a problem with the printer — it is with the artwork file itself. If your design is not set up correctly for print, you can end up with blurry results, unwanted white borders, or text that gets cut off.
One of the most common reasons print jobs go wrong is not a problem with the printer — it is with the artwork file itself. If your design is not set up correctly for print, you can end up with blurry results, unwanted white borders, or text that gets cut off.
The good news is that setting up print-ready artwork is straightforward once you understand three key concepts: bleed, DPI, and file types.
1. What is Bleed?
When a printing machine cuts paper to size, there is always a tiny amount of variation — usually around 1–2mm either way. If your design goes right to the edge of the page with no extra colour behind it, that variation can result in a thin white border where the paper was cut.
Bleed solves this problem. It means extending your background colour (or image) beyond the intended cut line by 3mm on each side. That way, even if the cut is slightly off, there is still colour all the way to the edge.
Key rule: Always add 3mm bleed on all sides of your document.
2. What is DPI?
DPI stands for Dots Per Inch. It refers to the resolution of your image — how many dots of colour are packed into each inch of the print. The higher the DPI, the sharper and more detailed the image.
For professional print, you need a minimum of 300 DPI. Images taken from websites are typically 72 DPI — which looks fine on screen but will appear blurry and pixelated when printed.
Key rule: Always use 300 DPI images. Never drag images from websites into your design — always use the original high-resolution file.
3. The Safe Zone
While bleed extends your design outward, the safe zone works inward. It is the area inside the final cut line where you should keep all important content — text, logos, phone numbers — to make sure nothing vital gets cut off.
Key rule: Keep all text and logos at least 3–5mm from the edge of the document (inside the cut line, not including bleed).
4. Colour Mode: CMYK vs RGB
Screens display colour using RGB (Red, Green, Blue). Printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). If you send an RGB file to a printer, the colours will be converted — and some shades, especially bright oranges, greens, and electric blues, can look quite different when printed.
Key rule: Always set your document to CMYK before you start designing, or convert it before saving your final file.
5. File Types
The safest file types for professional printing are:
- PDF (Print-quality) — the most common and reliable format. When saving from Adobe software, choose "Press Quality" or "PDF/X-1a"
- AI (Adobe Illustrator) — ideal if your design is vector-based
- EPS — another vector format, good for logos
- TIFF — a high-quality raster format (good for photographic images)
Avoid sending JPEGs for anything with text — they can introduce compression artefacts that make edges look rough.
What if You Are Not Sure?
Don't worry — our team at Aximiz is here to help. We review every artwork file before printing, and if there is a problem we will let you know. We can also assist with design work if you need your file set up from scratch.
Summary Checklist
- ✅ 3mm bleed on all sides
- ✅ 300 DPI minimum for all images
- ✅ Text and logos at least 3–5mm from trim edge
- ✅ Colours set to CMYK
- ✅ File saved as print-quality PDF