What to know before you print.
The five questions that decide whether your print job disappoints.
Most printing disappointments are not printing problems, they are file problems that only become visible on paper. Here is what to check before anything goes to press.
1. Is the file actually print-ready?
A design downloaded from WhatsApp is compressed and will print blurry. Print needs the original file at full resolution, as a rule of thumb, 300 DPI at the final printed size. A graphic that looks fine on a phone can be unusable at A2.
2. RGB or CMYK?
Screens mix light (RGB); printers mix ink (CMYK). Bright screen colours, vivid oranges, electric purples, can print duller if the file is not prepared for CMYK. A professional print file is converted and checked before production, so what you approve is what you receive.
3. Is there bleed?
If your design’s background reaches the edge, the file needs a few extra millimetres beyond the cutting line, called bleed. Without it, trimming leaves thin white edges on some cards and not others.
4. The right material for the job
Business cards feel different at 250gsm versus 350gsm. Outdoor banners need PVC and solvent inks; indoor rollups do not. Vehicle branding needs vinyl rated for sun and rain. Material choice is where cheap quotes usually cut corners, ask what you are getting.
5. Proof before quantity
For large runs, approve a single printed proof first. Screens lie about colour; paper does not. Ten minutes of checking a proof protects the other 4,990 flyers.
The short version
Send original files, approve a proof, and work with a partner who checks colour, bleed and materials as part of the process, not after the complaint.
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