Design Tips
Follow these guidelines to ensure your design looks just as sharp in print as it does on your screen.
Image Resolution: 300 DPI Minimum
Images that look crisp on screen at 72 DPI will appear blurry or pixelated when printed. Always use images at 300 DPI or higher at the final printed size.
How to check in most design tools:
- In Photoshop: Image → Image Size — look for the Resolution field.
- In our editor: upload your image and look for the resolution warning icon.
- General rule: a 4×6" photo at 300 DPI needs to be at least 1200×1800 pixels.
Color Mode: RGB vs. CMYK
Your monitor uses RGB (Red, Green, Blue) light to display colors. Printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) inks. Not every RGB color can be reproduced exactly in CMYK — especially very vivid greens, electric blues, and neon tones.
Colors that shift most:
- Electric blues and purples
- Vivid lime and neon greens
- Bright oranges and reds
How to minimize surprises:
- Design using CMYK sliders in Photoshop or Illustrator
- Use our editor's CMYK preview mode
- Order a physical sample for brand-critical colors
Bleed Areas: Extend Your Background
Printing presses cut finished products in stacks. Small cutting variations of 1–2mm are completely normal. Without bleed, these variations can leave thin white edges on your finished product.
The rule:
Extend all background colors, photos, and full-bleed elements 0.125 inches (3mm) beyond the trim edge on all four sides. Our editor automatically shows the bleed area as a guide.
Important: If your design has a white or solid-color background that you want to extend to the edge of the final product, you must add bleed. Otherwise you'll see a thin white line on one or more edges.
Safe Zones: Protect Important Content
While the bleed area extends past the trim, the safe zone is the inverse — it's the area where you must keep all important content. Anything outside the safe zone risks being cut off.
The rule:
Keep all essential text, logos, QR codes, and contact information at least 0.125 inches (3mm) inside the trim edge. Our editor shows this as the inner guide line.
Keep inside the safe zone:
- Your logo and brand name
- Phone numbers and addresses
- QR codes and barcodes
- Call-to-action text
Can extend to bleed area:
- Background colors
- Full-bleed photos
- Decorative patterns
- Background gradients
Supported File Formats
Our editor supports the most common design file formats. Here's a breakdown of when to use each:
Best for logos and icons. Vector format that stays sharp at any size. Always prefer SVG for brand marks.
Best for graphics with transparency. Use for logos on colored backgrounds. Ensure 300 DPI at final print size.
Best for photos. No transparency support. Use high-quality export settings (quality 90+) at 300 DPI.
Best for complete layouts. Export from InDesign or Illustrator as a print-ready PDF with bleed marks included.
Typography Tips
Text in print behaves differently than text on screen. Small type that looks fine at 100% zoom can become unreadable at actual print size.
Minimum font size: 6pt
Anything below 6pt becomes very difficult to read in print, even with sharp printing. For body copy, aim for 8–10pt minimum.
Avoid very thin (hairline) fonts
Ultra-thin typefaces (weight 100–200) can print as broken or barely visible lines. Use a weight of 300 or heavier for reliable legibility.
Contrast is key
Light gray text on a white background that looks fine on screen can disappear in print. Ensure strong contrast — dark text on light backgrounds and vice versa.
Background Tips
Background choices have a big impact on your final result — especially near the edges of your design.
Pure white (#FFFFFF) backgrounds near the trim edge can blend with the unprinted paper stock, making it look like an accident rather than a design choice.
Use a very light gray (#F5F5F5) or add a thin colored border inside the safe zone to define the edge of your design clearly.
If your design has a colored background, extend it all the way to the bleed line (0.125" past the trim) to avoid white edges after cutting.
Gradients that fade to near-white at the edges can result in uneven or inconsistent-looking edges after cutting.
Ready to start designing?
Our editor guides you through bleed, safe zones, and resolution warnings automatically.