On this page 8 sections
These print artwork guidelines are the difference between a job that sails through and one that bounces back with questions. A person checks every file you upload for free and tells you if something will not print well, but getting it right first saves you a day.
Print artwork guidelines: the 60-second check #
- Right size: the finished size you ordered, or an exact scale such as 1:10 for a big banner.
- Bleed: 3 mm extra on every edge of boards and signs.
- Safe area: words 10 mm inside the trim on boards, 50 mm in from the edge on hemmed banners, nothing important in the bottom 150 to 200 mm of a roller banner.
- Sharp enough: 300 dpi at full size for things read close up, 100 to 150 dpi for banners read from across the street.
- Colour: CMYK, with Pantone numbers for brand colours.
- Fonts: outlined or embedded, one design per PDF page.
Which file to send #
A PDF is best, with the fonts embedded or turned into outlines. AI, EPS and SVG are fine, and so are high-resolution JPG, PNG and TIFF files. Made it in Word, PowerPoint or Canva? That is a fine place to start: just export a full-quality PDF rather than sending the original.
Bleed and safe areas, product by product #
Bleed is the bit of background that runs past the cut line, so there is no white sliver if the cut is a hair out. The safe area is the zone where nothing important should sit.
| Product | Bleed | Keep words and logos |
|---|---|---|
| Foamex, Dibond and Correx boards | 3 mm each edge | at least 10 mm inside the trim |
| PVC and mesh banners with hems and eyelets | none needed | 50 mm from every edge, clear of the fold and the eyelets |
| Roller banners | none needed | out of the bottom 150 to 200 mm, which the base or a table can hide |
| Flags | none needed | away from the pole sleeve side |
Document sizes for the usual jobs #
Set the page to the finished size, then add bleed where the table above asks for it.
- A4 board: 210 × 297 mm finished, 216 × 303 mm with bleed.
- A3 board: 297 × 420 mm finished, 303 × 426 mm with bleed.
- A2 board: 420 × 594 mm finished, 426 × 600 mm with bleed.
- A1 board: 594 × 841 mm finished, 600 × 847 mm with bleed.
- 850 mm roller banner: 850 × 2000 mm, bottom 150 to 200 mm kept clear.
- 6 ft × 3 ft banner: 1829 × 914 mm, words 50 mm in from the edges.
- 8 ft × 4 ft banner: 2438 × 1219 mm, words 50 mm in from the edges.
Working on a big banner? Design at 1:10 (a 6 ft × 3 ft banner becomes 182.9 × 91.4 mm) and keep the proportions exact.
Resolution: how sharp is sharp enough? #
It depends how close people stand. A business card or a small safety sign is read at arm’s length, so photos need 300 dpi at full size. A banner on a fence is read from across a car park, so 100 to 150 dpi at full size looks crisp. Logos and text are best as vector artwork, which stays sharp at any size; a logo copied off a website usually is not.
Getting colours right #
Printers use CMYK inks, screens use RGB light. RGB files are converted for print, and very bright greens, blues and oranges can come out a little flatter. If a brand colour matters, give us the Pantone reference and it will be matched as closely as the material allows.
Words people can actually read #
For signs seen from a distance, pick a plain bold typeface and strong contrast. A sign-trade rule of thumb: about 25 mm of capital letter height for every 3 metres of reading distance. Then check every spelling, phone number and web address twice, because we print the file you send.
No artwork? Three ways round it #
Every product has an Artwork choice. Upload your own file (free file check), design it yourself in the free online designer, or pick a fixed-price design option: typesetting, design from your brief, a logo redraw or a new logo. The fee appears as its own line in your basket and covers the whole quantity of that item. The artwork and design service can also be booked on its own, and includes 1 design and 2 rounds of changes.
Choosing a size first? See what size banner you need and the roller banner guide, or ask us.