Print-Ready Files: The Checklist Before You Send Anything to a Printer

The flyer looked perfect on your phone. Then it came back from the printer with the edges cut off, the colours dull and the logo slightly blurry. Almost every one of those problems is a file problem, not a printing problem — and they're all avoidable.

This is the checklist we use at theHoracle Studio before sending any job to print, whether it's a stack of A5 flyers, business cards or a roll-up banner.

1. Correct size — plus bleed

Set your document to the final trimmed size (for example, A5 is 148 × 210 mm), then add bleed: an extra 3 mm on every side where backgrounds and images extend past the edge.

Why? Printers cut stacks of paper, and the blade can drift by a millimetre or two. Without bleed, you get thin white slivers on the edges. With bleed, the cut lands inside the design.

Not sure about dimensions? See our flyer size guide.

2. Safe margins

Keep all important content — text, logos, phone numbers, QR codes — at least 3–5 mm inside the trim line. Anything closer risks being trimmed off or looking cramped against the edge.

3. CMYK colour

Screens display colour with light (RGB); printers use ink (CMYK: cyan, magenta, yellow and black). Some bright RGB colours — vivid greens, electric blues, neon pinks — simply can't be reproduced with standard ink, so they print duller than they look on screen.

• Design print files in CMYK, or convert and check them before export.
• If an exact brand colour matters, ask your printer for a test print or proof.
• For large black areas, ask your printer whether they recommend "rich black" for a deeper result.

4. Resolution: 300 DPI at print size

Images should be 300 DPI at the size they'll be printed. A photo that looks sharp on Instagram might be only 1080 pixels wide — enough for a 9 cm print at 300 DPI, but blurry at A4.

Common culprits:

• Logos copied from WhatsApp or screenshots
• Photos downloaded from social media
• Images enlarged after being placed in the design

Ask for original photos and use your logo in vector format (SVG, PDF or AI), which stays sharp at any size. Our guide to logo file formats explains which file to use.

5. Fonts

• Outline text or embed fonts in your PDF, so the printer's computer doesn't substitute a different font.
• Avoid very thin fonts at small sizes — fine lines can break up in print.
• Body text below about 7–8 pt becomes hard to read on paper.

6. Black text done right

Small text should be printed in 100% black (K) only, not a mix of all four inks. Mixed-ink text can look fuzzy if the printing plates are slightly misaligned.

7. Export as a print PDF

• Export as PDF (PDF/X formats are designed for print) with bleed and crop marks included if your printer asks for them.
• Name files clearly: client-a5-flyer-front-final.pdf, not final final 2.pdf.
• Send front and back as separate pages of one PDF, in the right order.

8. Check the content one last time

Before you send the file, read every detail out loud:

• Dates, days and times — does the day of the week match the date?
• Phone numbers and WhatsApp numbers
• Prices and currency
• Names, titles and spellings
• Venue address
• Website links and QR codes (scan them!)

A typo is the most expensive printing mistake, because the whole run has to be redone.

9. Talk to your printer about materials

• Paper weight (gsm) — heavier stock feels more premium.
• Finish — gloss, matte, or laminated for durability.
• Quantity — prices often drop significantly per piece at higher quantities.
• Turnaround — and whether delivery is included.

10. Ask for a proof

This matters most for pieces people keep and compare, like the rate card we designed for Ponmile Fashoranti Photography or the property flyers for Olfad Homes.

For important jobs — business cards, brand colours, large runs — ask for a digital proof or a single printed sample before the full run. It's cheaper to fix one sheet than five hundred.

The checklist at a glance

• Final size set, with 3 mm bleed
• Text and logos inside safe margins
• CMYK colour, proof for brand colours
• Images 300 DPI at print size; logos in vector
• Fonts outlined or embedded
• Small text in 100% black
• Exported as a print PDF, clearly named
• Every detail proofread and every QR code tested
• Paper, finish, quantity and turnaround agreed
• Proof approved for important jobs

Want us to handle it? Our flyer and print design service includes print-ready files as standard, and we can coordinate the printing for you. You might also like flyer design that converts.