The Designer’s Pre-Press Checklist: 7 Things to Check Before Sending to Print

“Your file has no bleed.” “This image is too low-res.” “Why do the printed colors look different from my screen?”

These are the painful conversations that happen every day between designers and print shops. A poorly prepared file doesn’t just cause delays; it can ruin an entire project. To ensure your creative vision is perfectly translated to paper, use this ultimate pre-press checklist before you export your final files.

The Ultimate Pre-Press Checklist

1. Color Mode: Set to CMYK, Not RGB

All screens use the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) light spectrum. All printing presses use the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) ink system. Always set your document’s color mode to CMYK from the very beginning in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop. This is the most crucial step for accurate color reproduction.

2. Bleed: Add at Least 3mm (0.125 inches)

Bleed is the area of your design that extends beyond the final trim edge. It’s a safety margin to ensure there are no ugly white slivers on the edge of your finished product after cutting. Extend all background colors and images to fill the bleed area.

3. Image Resolution: 300 DPI is the Golden Rule

For a crisp, clear print, all embedded images must have a resolution of 300 Dots Per Inch (DPI) at their final printed size. Images saved from websites are usually only 72 DPI and will look blurry and pixelated when printed.

4. Convert All Text to Outlines

To prevent font substitution errors (where the print shop’s computer replaces your font with a default one), you must convert all text to outlines (or “curves”). This turns the text into a vector shape, locking it in place permanently.

5. Safety Margins: Keep Content Away From the Edge

Just as bleed extends outwards, a safety margin is an inner boundary. Keep all important logos, text, and QR codes at least 3-5mm away from the final trim line to prevent them from being accidentally cut off.

6. Black Values: Rich Black vs. Standard Black

For large areas of black, use “Rich Black” (e.g., C:40, M:30, Y:30, K:100) for a deeper, more saturated result. For small text, always use Standard Black (K:100 only) to ensure sharp lines and avoid fuzzy edges.

7. Final File Format: PDF is King

Unless specified otherwise, always submit your final artwork as a high-quality PDF. A PDF embeds all your fonts, images, and vectors into one self-contained, reliable file. When exporting, choose the “High Quality Print” or “Press Quality” preset.

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