How to Set Up Your Artwork for Print (Made Simple!)
🖼️ Getting Your Artwork Print-Ready
To make sure your order goes smoothly and your prints look perfect, we need your artwork to follow a few simple rules. Sending files that aren’t set up correctly can cause delays or even result in prints that don’t look how you expected — and nobody wants that!
This guide will help you get everything right the first time. No design degree needed — we’ve explained it as simply as possible.
✅ Quick Checklist – What We Need From You
| ✔ Requirement | 📝 Details |
|---|---|
| File Format | PDF (no JPEG, PNG, Word or PowerPoint) |
| Resolution | 300dpi (high quality print) |
| Bleed | 3mm bleed on all sides |
| Safe Zone | 4mm inside edge – keep important stuff away from edges |
| Colours | CMYK colour mode (not RGB) |
| Fonts | Embedded or converted to outlines |
📐 What is Bleed? Why Is It Important?
Bleed is a 3mm border around your artwork that gets trimmed off. It ensures your background colours, images, or graphics go right to the edge with no white borders.
Think of it like colouring outside the lines on purpose.
✅ We require 3mm bleed on all sides.
🧠 What’s a Safe Zone?
The safe zone is an invisible margin — 4mm inside the edge of your finished size. Keep all important text, logos, or graphics inside this area so they don’t get chopped off when we trim.
📏 Bleed Size Guide – Common Paper Sizes
| Paper Size | Final Size (mm) | With Bleed (mm) |
|---|---|---|
| A7 | 74 x 105 | 80 x 111 |
| A6 | 105 x 148 | 111 x 154 |
| A5 | 148 x 210 | 154 x 216 |
| A4 | 210 x 297 | 216 x 303 |
| A3 | 297 x 420 | 303 x 426 |
| A2 | 420 x 594 | 426 x 600 |
| A1 | 594 x 841 | 600 x 847 |
| A0 | 841 x 1189 | 847 x 1195 |
🔍 Resolution Matters – Use 300dpi
Your artwork should be created at 300dpi (dots per inch) — this ensures everything prints sharp and professional. Lower resolution files (like 72dpi used for web) will look pixelated or blurry when printed.
Avoid sending screenshots or downloaded social media graphics. These are usually low-res and won’t print well.
🎨 Use CMYK, Not RGB
RGB colours are for screens. Print uses CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). If your artwork is in RGB, colours may look different once printed.
Most design programs let you switch to CMYK mode easily.
❌ File Types to Avoid
Please do not send:
JPEG or PNG (low quality, poor text rendering)
Word documents
PowerPoint slides
Canva share links (export to PDF first)
✅ Always send a PDF with bleed, safe zones, and 300dpi.
⚠️ What Happens If Your Artwork Isn’t Set Up Correctly?
We don’t want to delay your order — but we also want your print to look its best.
If your artwork:
Has no bleed
Has text too close to the edge
Is low-resolution
Is in the wrong format
We’ll ask you to make the changes and resend it. We don’t offer free file editing as part of our service.
🧰 Need a Template?
We’re working on downloadable templates for popular sizes (A5, A4, business cards etc). In the meantime, you can follow the bleed sizes above to build your own layout.
🤔 Not Sure If Your File Is Right?
Feel free to send it over — we’ll happily check it before print!
📧 hello@nowprint.co.uk
📞 0151 324 5556
📌 Don’t Forget!
Before you hit send:
✅ Add 3mm bleed
✅ Keep text inside the 4mm safe zone
✅ Use 300dpi
✅ Save as a high-res PDF
✅ Double-check your colours are CMYK
Following this guide means fewer delays, better results — and one happy printer 😄