Print-ready files: bleed, color, and the printer
What to lock before design starts, and the file a printer can run without guessing from a screenshot.
A printer cannot guess from a PNG. Print-ready means the piece is at the real size, with bleed, crop marks, and a color setup the shop asked for.
Lock the spec first
Before any layout: what is being printed, the finished size, the quantity, and who the printer is. A business card, a poster, a package, and a sign are different files. Folded pieces need the flat size, not just the size in your hand.
If you already have a vendor template, send that. Designing “about the right size” and hoping the shop will fix it is how jobs slip.
What you should receive
A proof you can read, then a PDF (or the format that shop requested) with bleed and the color mode they print. The layout you approved is the layout they receive. Screen colors will not match paper exactly. That is a press fact, not a mistake in the file, and it should be said before you sign the proof.
How it connects to the site
Type and color should be the same ones on the website. A card that invents a second logo is a new brand, whether you meant it or not.
This is the print service. One piece with a known size is a fixed rate. A season of cards, posters, and signage is usually a plan.
Services related to this content
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- PrintCards, posters, packaging, and signage, exported for the printer. View service
- BrandingLogo, type, and color, applied on the site and in print. View service
- UX/UI & HTMLRedesigns and rebrands, email design, HTML, and deployment. View service
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