Preparing your file for printing: the complete guide

You have a design ready in Canva, Illustrator or Photoshop. Before sending it to us for printing, there are six simple steps to make sure the result will match exactly what you see on your screen. A well-prepared file is 80% of the final result. Here is the complete guide, even for non-designers.

1. Export as a print-ready PDF

PDF is the universal format for printing. Avoid JPG, PNG or native files (PSD, AI, INDD), which can lose information on import. In your software, use the "export as high-quality PDF" or "PDF/X-1a" option. The latter is designed specifically for printing and guarantees font embedding and correct colour conversion.

2. Use a resolution of 300 dpi

Resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi). For screen, 72 dpi is enough. For printing, you need at least 300 dpi. In practical terms, this means a 10 cm wide image must be at least 1180 pixels wide. If you downloaded an image from the internet at 200 pixels wide, it will look blurry even printed at thumbnail size. Check the resolution of every image included in your design.

3. Work in CMYK mode, not RGB

Your screen displays colours in RGB (red, green, blue). The printer uses CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). If you send a file in RGB, some vivid colours (especially bright blues and neon greens) will look dull in print. Set up your document in CMYK from the start, or use a standard ICC profile such as "Coated FOGRA39" for coated paper. If you are unsure, we check the file before printing and alert you in the event of a problematic conversion.

4. Add a 3 mm bleed

The bleed is a safety margin around the design that extends beyond the final cut area. If your business card is 85x55 mm, your file must be 91x61 mm with your coloured background or image extending 3 mm beyond each side. Without bleed, the cut can leave a thin white line along the edges, even with a precise machine. All our templates already include this bleed, so download them before you start your design.

5. Respect the 5 mm safety margins

Unlike the bleed, the safety margin is an area inside your final format where you place no important element (text, logo, key illustration). Allow 5 mm all around your design. This protects you from the tiny shifts of industrial cutting: your text will never be cut off and your logo will never be trimmed. It is the golden rule of professional printing.

6. Check your fonts before sending

Fonts must either be embedded in the PDF (tick the "embed fonts" option on export) or outlined (converted into geometric shapes via "convert text to outlines"). Without this step, your font may be replaced by a default font when the file is opened on our workstation, and the final design will no longer look like yours. Outlining is the safest method, but it will prevent you from editing the text afterwards. Save a backup first!

Not comfortable with these steps? That is exactly why we offer a file preparation and design service through our in-house studio. From CHF 89, we take your brief, your logo and your content, and deliver a print-ready file that complies with all the rules above.