Most printing problems — blurry photos, dull colours, text cut off at the edge — start with the file. Here are five checks before you send your design.
1. Use the actual size
Set your canvas to the final print size (e.g. 3×5 ft, A5, 2×2 in). Designing small and stretching it later makes it blurry.
2. Check the resolution
Aim for 150–300 dpi at actual size. Photos saved from Facebook or Messenger are compressed and usually too small for big prints — ask for the original photo from the phone.
3. Add bleed and keep a safe margin
Extend backgrounds about 3 mm (0.125 in) past the edge, and keep important text at least 5 mm inside. This prevents white edges and cut-off names after trimming.
4. Mind the colours
Screens show RGB; printers use CMYK. Very bright neon greens and blues will print slightly duller. If exact colour matters (like a logo), tell us the brand colour code.
5. Export correctly
In Canva, choose Download → PDF Print. From Photoshop or Illustrator, export a PDF with fonts outlined or embedded.
Not confident? Send it anyway — we check every file for free and will tell you if something needs fixing before printing.
Ready to print?
Send us your file or idea and get a quote today.
