Send a PDF at final size with 3 mm bleed, a 5 mm safe margin inside the edge, CMYK colours, images at 300 DPI, and fonts embedded or converted to outlines.

1. Set the right size, with bleed
Bleed is extra artwork that runs 3 mm past the cut edge on all sides, so trimming never leaves a white sliver.

2. Keep text inside the safe margin
Keep text and logos at least 5 mm inside the trim edge (3 mm on small cards). Cutting is accurate to about a millimetre, not perfect.

3. Use CMYK, not RGB
Screens use RGB and printers use CMYK. Bright RGB blues, greens and oranges look duller once converted. A phone screen is brighter than the print.

4. Images at 300 DPI at final size
A photo saved from a website is usually 72 DPI and looks blurry in print. Use the original file, not a screenshot or a WhatsApp copy. Don’t enlarge a small image.

5. Fonts: embed or convert to outlines
If we don’t have your font, it gets swapped and the layout shifts. Export the PDF with fonts embedded, or convert the text to outlines.

6. Export as PDF
Word files change when opened on another computer. Images get distorted in print. Send a PDF. If you don't have a PDF, send us whatever you have anyway and we’ll check it.

If you design in Canva

Most print files we receive come from Canva, and it works well if you set it up right.

1. Start with a custom size in millimetres. Add 3 mm on each side. A visiting card is 96 × 60 mm, an A5 flyer is 154 × 216 mm.

2. Keep text and logos inside the safe margin. Canva’s page edge is the bleed edge, so leave a margin yourself.

3. Upload original images, not screenshots or images saved from WhatsApp.

4. Download as PDF Print. Go to Share, then Download, then choose “PDF Print”. “PDF Standard” is for screens and is lower quality.

5. Colour: Canva designs in RGB. CMYK export is available on Canva Pro. On the free plan, export PDF Print anyway and tell us, and we’ll convert it.

6. Fonts: Canva embeds fonts in its PDF export, so you don’t need to do anything extra.

(Canva’s menus change from time to time. If a name differs, look for the print option in the download menu.)

If you use AI to generate images

AI tools can now design a full layout, text included. What they don’t know is print rules, so tell them at the start. Copy the prompt below into a new chat, change what’s in [brackets], and keep the same chat until the design is final.

You are my print design assistant. I am designing a [PRODUCT: visiting card / A5 flyer / A4 brochure / poster] to be professionally printed in India. Follow these print rules for the whole chat.

1. SIZE

- Final cut size: [90 x 54 mm], orientation [landscape].

- Design canvas INCLUDING 3 mm bleed on every side: [96 x 60 mm] (final size + 6 mm in each direction).

- Before designing, tell me the canvas size and its pixel size at 300 DPI.

2. BLEED AND SAFE AREA

- Backgrounds, colour blocks and photos that touch the edge must run to the full canvas edge.

- Keep all text, logos, QR codes and phone numbers at least 5 mm inside the final cut edge (3 mm for visiting cards).

- Do not draw borders, frames, rounded corners or shadows at the edge of the canvas.

- Do not add crop marks or registration marks. The printer adds them.

3. COLOUR (print uses CMYK)

- Use a print-safe palette of at most 3 main colours plus black and white. For each colour give a HEX code and approximate CMYK percentages.

- Avoid neon and fluorescent colours, pure RGB blue (#0000FF), pure RGB green (#00FF00) and very bright cyan, because they print duller.

- Avoid small light text on large dark solid backgrounds.

- No lines thinner than 0.25 pt and no text smaller than 7 pt.

- My brand colours (if any): [name, HEX, CMYK if known]

4. TEXT

Use exactly this text, spelled exactly, and do not invent any: [paste all your text, phone number, email, address]

5. IMAGES

Use vector shapes or high-resolution images only. Any photo must be at least 300 DPI at its printed size.

6. BE HONEST

Tell me plainly if you cannot do something, such as true CMYK output, embedded fonts or 300 DPI. Do not pretend. State the actual colour mode and pixel size of anything you produce.

7. PROCESS

First ask me any questions you need (who it is for, mood, quantity of text). Then describe 3 design directions in words. After I choose one, refine it with me until I write FINAL.

8. WHEN I WRITE FINAL

Export a PDF, not an image: full canvas size including bleed ([96 x 60 mm]), one page per side (front, back), live vector text, fonts embedded, images at 300 DPI. If you cannot create a PDF, give me a PNG per side at [1134 x 709 px] and tell me clearly. Then give me a checklist: canvas size, bleed, safe margin, colours used with CMYK values, fonts used, and anything I must check before sending to the printer.

Common Mistakes

• No bleed, which leaves a white edge after cutting.

• Text too close to the edge, so it gets cut off.

• Downloading Canva as “PDF Standard” instead of “PDF Print”.

• A low-resolution logo sent over WhatsApp, which prints blurry.

• Expecting screen colours to match print exactly.

FAQs

• What is bleed in printing? Extra artwork past the cut line, usually 3 mm.

• What DPI for printing? 300 DPI at the final printed size.

• CMYK or RGB for print? CMYK.

• Can I print a Canva design? Yes. Download it as PDF Print.

• Can I use AI-generated images for print? Yes, but check that image dimensions match your expected print size. Refer the Prompt above

• What file format is best? A PDF at final size with bleed and embedded fonts.

• Can you check my file before printing? Yes we can, send it to us over Mail or Whatsapp!