Artwork guide

File types we take

A PDF is best for anything with text or logos: it keeps the edges sharp at any size. For photos, a JPG or PNG is fine. We also take WEBP and GIF. Anything up to 10 MB attaches to an order or a message here on the site; bigger files can be emailed to theprintshop@live.co.uk or brought in on a memory stick.

If you designed it in Word, Publisher, Canva or similar, export it as a PDF rather than sending the working file. We may not have the same fonts, and a PDF carries them with it.

Resolution: 300 dpi at the printed size

Screens get away with far less detail than paper. For a sharp print, a picture needs about 300 pixels per inch at the size it will be printed. A business card at 85 x 55 mm wants a picture roughly 1000 x 650 pixels; an A4 poster wants about 2500 x 3500; an A1 poster about 7000 x 10000. A photo lifted from a website or a social media post is usually 600 to 1200 pixels wide, which prints well at a few inches and goes soft beyond that.

Enlarging a small picture in software does not add detail. If what you have is small, send it anyway: we will tell you honestly how big it can go.

Sizes we print

Paper sizes are the usual A series. Each one is half the one before it.

Size	Millimetres	Typical use
A6	105 x 148	Flyers, postcards
A5	148 x 210	Flyers, leaflets, greetings cards (folded from A4)
A4	210 x 297	Letterheads, menus, sticker sheets, small posters
A3	297 x 420	Posters, plans
A2	420 x 594	Posters
A1	594 x 841	Large posters, foam board signs
A0	841 x 1189	Exhibition prints
Business card	85 x 55	Standard UK card
DL	99 x 210	Vouchers, compliment slips, a third of A4
Roller banner	800 x 2000	Pull-up display stand

Banners, canvases, stickers and signs come in whatever size you need: pick it on the product page, or tell us the measurements when you ask for a quote. Set your file up at the finished size, not scaled down.

Bleed and the safe area

Paper is printed on a bigger sheet and cut down, and the cut can land a fraction of a millimetre either way. Two habits make sure that never shows:

• Bleed. If a colour or picture is meant to run right to the edge, carry it 3 mm past the edge on every side. A business card with bleed is set up at 91 x 61 mm and cut to 85 x 55. Without bleed, a shift in the cut leaves a thin white line along one edge.
• Safe area. Keep text, logos and anything important at least 3 mm inside the edge, so it is never close to the cut.

Our business card designer draws both for you, and the sticker builder adds the bleed round your shape itself.

Colour

Screens make colour with light (RGB) and printers with ink (CMYK), so very bright blues, greens and oranges on screen come out a little duller on paper. If a colour has to be exact, a brand blue say, tell us and we will match it as closely as the process allows. Black text prints cleanest as plain black rather than a mix of colours.

Printing on clothing

For vinyl-cut designs on T-shirts, hoodies and workwear we need a clean shape: a PDF or a PNG with a transparent background, no photo-style shading. Full colour prints take photos and anything else. For embroidery, send the logo as large and clean as you have it; we digitise it into stitches, which is a one-off charge, and the file is kept for every order after. See the colours we stock for T-shirts, hoodies and beanie hats.

Stickers and labels

A sticker is cut round its outline, so the file needs a clear edge: a PNG with a transparent background is ideal, and a photo on a plain background can usually be cut out by the sticker builder. Stickers are printed on white vinyl, so a white part of your design stays white and a transparent part shows the vinyl, which is the same thing.

We check everything first

Nothing is printed from a file we have not looked at. We check the size, the resolution and the bleed, and send you a proof to approve, by email or at the counter. If something is going to look wrong, you hear about it before it costs you anything. Ask us if you are unsure about any of this; it is quicker than guessing.