Sending a document for professional printing helps ensure that you have the best quality for your dissertation, portfolio, or client work. However, what’s on your screen doesn’t automatically translate to what your physical copy will look like. Some online printing services will give you a 3D model to get a better idea, but there’s still work you need to do before you get there.
In this guide, we’ll look at the key considerations you need to make before sending out your files for professional printing.
Set the Correct Page Size and Bleed
If you overlook the page size, you’ll easily set back the whole print job. The size doesn’t matter much on your screen, but it’s quite crucial for printers, as they are mechanical. And if you use the wrong file size, you’ll end up with some awkward white borders or even chop off text or graphics you’ve worked hard on.
Printers work with specific dimensions, so ensure you start your project with the right document size. Adjusting it later may affect the quality of your layout.
There’s then the issue of bleed. If your design has images that run to the edge, you need to allow some space that will be trimmed off after printing. If you don’t, you’ll likely end up with fine white lines where the cutter didn’t align perfectly with your design.
Use High-Resolution Images (300 DPI)
It’s easy to slip up here as a beginner, as most images will look just fine on your screen. However, screens are quite deceptive when it comes to photos. If you copied yours from a website or you took a screenshot on a low-resolution device, it may not be sharp enough for print.
On top of that, screens generally work in pixels and display at 72–96 dpi (dots per inch), while professional printers demand 300 dpi for high-quality printing.
It’s always good to check the image properties before inserting one into your document. You should also ensure (under advanced settings) that the program you are using to create the print file doesn’t compress the image.
Choose the Right Colour Mode: RGB vs. CMYK
Colour is quite tricky in printing, as screens and laptops don’t see it the same way. An image may look vibrant on your laptop, but the glow somehow just disappears after printing.
This is because screens use RGB (Red, Green, Blue), relying on light to mix the colours. So, it’s easy for images to appear vivid on your screen. But on the other hand, printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black). Instead of light, they layer the colours to produce the final result. This technique means that a printer’s colour range is limited.
Before sending out your file for printing, set the colour mode of your professional images. Programs like Adobe InDesign and Illustrator let you switch to CMYK and adjust the hue. Otherwise, if you let the printer do it on your behalf, you won’t be sure what you’ll get.
Review Fonts and Compatibility
Fonts are easy to choose, but they can give you quite a headache if you don’t give them a thought before printing your document. This is because they aren’t universal. If the printer doesn’t have the font you are using, it will substitute it with something else. This can be more than just an inconvenience, as it can completely shift your layout. Page breaks may move, and the line spacing may change. Even worse, the whole vibe of the document might look “off”.
If you are using a customised font or one that’s not universal, embed it in your PDF. This option is available under advanced settings, so ensure “embed fonts” is selected. Otherwise, you can stick to the more universal fonts, like Times New Roman and Garamond.
If you also have diagrams in your text, it’s advisable to convert them to vector shapes, as they can easily change or disappear when printing.
Do a Final Pre-Print Check
Before sending the document to the printing service, do one last sweep to catch small details that can undo your hard work. These are things like margins, page numbers, and image placement. You can also print a draft copy for the final checks, as it will help catch issues that the screen won’t show you. This way, you’ll have a better chance of ensuring that your final copy comes out just as you would like it to.
