You’ve created your design, chosen what you want to print and you’re ready to place your order. But before you upload your artwork, there are a few important things worth checking.
A design that looks perfect on your computer screen doesn’t always produce the same result when printed. Incorrect dimensions, low-resolution images, missing bleed or unsuitable colours can all affect the final result.
Whether you’re printing business cards, flyers, brochures, stickers, posters, banners or other personalised products, preparing your artwork correctly can save time, prevent delays and help ensure you get the result you expect.
Here are 10 of the most common artwork mistakes to avoid.
1. Using the wrong document size
One of the most common mistakes is creating artwork at the wrong size.
For example, if you’re ordering an A5 flyer, your artwork should be created specifically for A5 rather than simply resizing an A4 design.
The same applies to business cards, brochures, posters, stickers and large-format products.
Always check the finished size of the product before creating your artwork.
If you’re ordering online, check the product specifications for the exact dimensions and artwork requirements.
2. Forgetting about bleed
If your design has a background colour, photograph or graphic that reaches the edge of the printed product, you normally need to extend it beyond the final cutting line.
This extra area is called bleed.
A standard bleed for many printed products is 3mm on each side. This allows for small variations during the cutting process and helps prevent unwanted white edges.
For example, a finished 85 × 55mm business card with 3mm bleed on each side would require artwork measuring 91 × 61mm.
For more information, see our guide to bleed, trim and safety lines.
3. Placing important information too close to the edge
Bleed isn’t the only thing to consider.
Important elements such as logos, contact details, phone numbers, website addresses and text should be kept safely inside the cutting area.
This is known as the safe area.
Keeping important content away from the edges reduces the risk of it being too close to the trim or accidentally cut during finishing.
4. Using low-resolution images
An image can look perfectly sharp on your phone or computer and still look blurry when printed.
For most standard printed products, images should ideally be prepared at around 300 DPI at the final print size.
Simply increasing the resolution of a small, low-quality image doesn’t create additional detail. If the original image is too small, the printed result may still look pixelated or blurry.
This is particularly important for:
- Business cards
- Flyers
- Brochures
- Posters
- Photographic prints
- Large-format graphics
For large banners and signs, the ideal resolution can vary depending on the final size and viewing distance.
5. Not checking your colours
Computer screens and printed materials reproduce colour differently.
Screens generally use RGB, while professional printing commonly uses CMYK inks. As a result, some bright colours that look excellent on your monitor may appear slightly different when printed.
This can be particularly noticeable with very bright greens, blues, oranges and other highly saturated colours.
For the most predictable results, prepare your artwork using an appropriate colour profile and check the printer’s requirements before submitting your file.
6. Sending screenshots instead of the original artwork
A screenshot might look fine on your screen, but it isn’t normally the best file to use for professional printing.
Screenshots can have lower resolution, incorrect dimensions and compressed graphics. They may also be missing bleed or contain unwanted elements from the screen.
Whenever possible, send the original artwork rather than a screenshot.
A properly prepared PDF is often an excellent choice for many standard print products.
7. Forgetting to embed your fonts
If you’re creating a PDF, make sure your fonts are properly embedded.
Otherwise, a font that exists on your computer but not on another system could potentially be substituted, which may change the appearance of your design.
Depending on your design software and workflow, you can also convert text to outlines before exporting your final artwork.
This can be particularly useful when preparing professional artwork for commercial printing.
8. Not checking both sides of double-sided products
Ordering a double-sided flyer, business card or brochure? Don’t forget to check both sides.
It sounds obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to upload artwork where the front is correct but the back is missing, the pages are in the wrong order or one side is upside down.
Before submitting your artwork, open the final PDF and check every page carefully.
9. Not checking your final artwork
Before clicking Place Order, take a final look at your artwork.
Don’t just check the design. Read it.
Look for:
- Spelling mistakes
- Incorrect phone numbers
- Wrong email addresses
- Outdated prices
- Missing information
- Incorrect logos
- Alignment problems
- Images that don’t look sharp
- Unwanted borders or marks
A five-minute final check can save you from printing hundreds or thousands of copies with a mistake.
10. Uploading the wrong file
This one sounds simple, but it happens more often than you might think.
If you’ve created several versions of your design, make sure you’re uploading the final version.
Instead of having files named flyer-final.pdf, flyer-final2.pdf and flyer-final-final.pdf, use a clear naming system such as:
CompanyName_Flyer_A5_PrintReady.pdf
This makes it much easier to identify the correct artwork before placing your order.
What file format should I use for printing?
For many professional print jobs, a correctly prepared PDF is an excellent choice.
Depending on the product and design, other file formats may also be suitable. The most important thing isn’t simply the file extension — it’s whether the artwork has been prepared correctly.
If you’re unsure about the requirements for a particular product, check the product information before uploading your artwork.
What about flyers, brochures and business cards?
Different printed products can have different artwork requirements.
A standard flyer, for example, may have different dimensions and finishing requirements from a folded brochure or business card.
At Ctrl Print & Copy Hub, you can order a wide range of printed products online, including business cards, flyers, brochures, stickers, banners and more.
Don’t have a print-ready design?
No problem.
If you know what you want but don’t have a print-ready design, our graphic design services can help turn your idea into artwork ready for printing.
Whether you’re a small business, freelancer, student, organisation or individual, our aim is to make the printing process as simple as possible.
Ready to print?
Good artwork preparation makes the entire printing process easier and helps ensure that your finished product looks as good as the design you created.
Before uploading your next print job, remember the basics:
- Use the correct size
- Include the required bleed
- Keep important content inside the safe area
- Use suitable image resolution
- Check your colours
- Use a suitable file format
- Check your final artwork carefully
- Make sure you’re uploading the correct file
Once everything looks right, you’re ready to print.
Looking for professional printing in Cyprus?
Explore the range of printing services and products available online at Ctrl Print & Copy Hub, upload your artwork and place your order when you’re ready.
Print it. Personalise it. Ctrl it.
Comment (1)
Honestly saved my life with the section on adding bleed. I kept getting annoying white borders on my flyers and had no clue why until reading this. Super clear explanations without getting bogged down in confusing jargon. Proper lifesaver for anyone printing their own marketing stuff.