READY FOR PRINT

Prepare print-ready artwork.

Set up your document correctly, export a production PDF, then check it carefully before uploading.

Document size, bleed & safe area

Diagram showing a 3 mm outer bleed, the finished trim line, and a safe area 3 to 5 mm inside the trim. — Extend backgrounds to the bleed edge; keep critical content inside the safe area.

Page size: build the document at the ordered finished (trim) size—do not place a smaller design on a larger page.
Bleed: unless the product specification says otherwise, extend backgrounds and edge-to-edge images at least 3 mm beyond every trim edge.
Safe area: keep text, logos, borders and other critical content at least 3 mm inside the trim; 5 mm is safer for small-format work.
Folds and binding: keep critical content clear of fold, crease, spine, perforation and binding zones shown on the template.
Scale: supply artwork at 100% size where practical. If large-format artwork is supplied at scale, state the scale clearly.

Colour, images & black

Colour space: prepare process artwork in CMYK using the profile specified for the job. Unconverted RGB colours may shift on press.
Spot colours: retain approved Pantone or named spot colours when specifically ordered. Name special separations consistently.
Resolution: use continuous-tone images at about 300 ppi at final placed size. Use higher resolution for 1-bit line art; avoid upscaling low-resolution images.
Fine black text: use 100% K for small black type and fine rules. Use a press-approved rich black only for large solid areas.
Ink coverage: avoid excessive total ink. Follow the supplied CMYK profile or ask us for the permitted total area coverage.

Dielines, folds & special finishes

Carton dieline diagram with solid cut lines, dashed crease lines, an outside bleed and safe areas inside each panel. — A typical packaging file separates cut, crease, bleed and safe-area information.

Use the supplied dieline without resizing or redrawing it. Keep it on a separate, clearly named top layer.
Create cut, crease, perforation, varnish, foil, emboss and white-ink plates as separate named spot colours exactly as instructed.
Keep dielines as vector strokes, set them to overprint where instructed, and never merge or rasterise them into the design.
Extend artwork through the bleed beyond cut edges, while keeping important content inside the safe area.
Do not place unrequested notes, dimensions, colour bars or registration marks inside the printable artwork.

No dieline? Ask us for the correct template before designing packaging, labels or any custom-cut product.

Recommended PDF export

StandardPDF/X-4 preferred. Use PDF/X-1a only when the job specification requests it.

CompatibilityPDF 1.6 or newer for PDF/X-4; PDF 1.3 for a specifically requested PDF/X-1a workflow.

PagesExport individual pages, not reader spreads. Keep page order and orientation correct.

BleedEnable “Use document bleed settings” and include the full specified bleed.

MarksDo not add printer marks unless requested. If trim marks are required, offset them outside the bleed.

ImagesDownsample colour and grayscale images to 300 ppi only when they exceed roughly 450 ppi; use high-quality compression.

FontsEmbed all fonts. Outline fonts only when licensing or the supplied workflow requires it, and retain an editable source file.

ColourPreserve required CMYK and spot colours and include the intended output profile. Do not convert special-colour plates to process.

SecurityDo not password-protect or restrict printing, editing or extraction.

Why PDF/X-4? It supports live transparency, colour management and modern print workflows. A printer may request PDF/X-1a for an older flattened workflow; do not flatten transparency unless instructed.

Preflight before you upload

Open the exported PDF—not only the source document—and inspect every page at high zoom.

Finished page size, orientation and page count match the order
Bleed is present and backgrounds reach beyond the trim
Important content is inside the safe area
Images are sharp and links are not missing
Fonts are embedded and text has not reflowed
CMYK, spot colours, overprint and transparency preview correctly
Dieline and finishing separations use the required names
Spelling, phone numbers, URLs, barcodes and QR codes are verified

Upload after payment

Configure the product and complete checkout.
Open My orders & artwork and select the paid order.
Choose the correct file for every required artwork slot.
Perform one last filename and preview check, then click Upload artwork.

Filled slots cannot be replaced. Review the final PDF carefully before uploading.

My orders & artwork

File acceptance

Maximum size: 100 MiB per file

Configured extensions: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff, .ai, .cdr, .psd, .eps, .zip

The server validates the file type and artwork slot. Successful upload does not by itself confirm that artwork is print-ready.

Ask us to check your setup