How to Prepare Production-Ready Artwork for Commercial Printing

Submitting improper artwork files is the single biggest cause of delayed printing jobs, color shifts, or cut text. Here is the official G.S. AD technical checklist to ensure your designs print perfectly every time.

1. Convert Color Mode to CMYK

Digital screens display images using RGB (Red, Green, Blue) light. Commercial presses print using CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key Black) physical inks. Designing in RGB will cause vibrant screen colors (like neon green or bright blue) to look dull when printed. Always set your design document to CMYK mode from the start.

2. Add 3mm Bleed and Safe Margins

Guillotine cutting machines have a tiny mechanical tolerance. If your background color or image touches the edge of your design, you must extend it 3mm past the cut line (known as Bleed). Keep all critical text and logos at least 3mm-5mm inside the cut line (known as the Safe Zone).

3. Convert Text to Outlines / Curves

If the print press computer does not have your specific custom font installed, the software will substitute it with a default font, ruining your typography. Convert all text fonts to outlines (Ctrl+Shift+O in Illustrator, Ctrl+Q in CorelDraw) before exporting.

4. Use High Resolution Images (300 DPI)

Images downloaded from websites or WhatsApp are typically compressed at 72 DPI. For crisp print output, all embedded photos must be at least 300 DPI at full printed scale.