Artwork Help

Check your selected product: some DL formats have a different width. These examples are for flat artwork, not folded panels, bound covers or display hardware. PDF crop marks can make the overall PDF page larger still.

1. Create the document. Choose File → New → Document, use millimetres and set the page to the finished size. For A5, enter 148 × 210mm. InDesign uses pages rather than Illustrator-style artboards.
2. Add bleed. Expand Bleed and Slug and enter 3mm on every edge. Set margins at least 3mm inside the page, with extra room for binding and folds. Existing files: File → Document Setup.
3. Build the design. Extend backgrounds to the red bleed line. Check linked images are high resolution at their placed size and that no fonts or links are missing.
4. Export. Choose File → Export → Adobe PDF (Print). Use Press Quality, export Pages rather than Spreads unless the product requires a flat layout, then Marks and Bleeds → Use Document Bleed Settings.
5. Inspect the PDF. A5 plus 3mm bleed covers 154 × 216mm before crop marks. Check every page. Use a separate template for a perfect-bound cover and spine.

1. Create an artboard. File → New, choose a Print preset and millimetres. Enter the finished size: A5 is 148 × 210mm. Use one artboard per printed side.
2. Set bleed and colour. Enter 3mm bleed on all edges. Choose CMYK colour mode and High (300ppi) raster effects. For an existing file, use File → Document Setup for bleed.
3. Design beyond the edge. Extend backgrounds to the bleed boundary. Keep essential text at least 3mm inside the artboard. Embed linked images and ensure fonts are available.
4. Save a print PDF. Save a Copy → Adobe PDF, select the intended artboards and choose Press Quality. Under Marks and Bleeds, enable Use Document Bleed Settings.
5. Keep an editable master. Embed fonts in the PDF, or outline text in a separate print copy when required. Check the exported PDF and remove visible template guides.

1. Create a print canvas. Use File → New with millimetres, 300 pixels/inch and CMYK for standard small-format print. Use a normal document with Artboards switched off. For A5 with 3mm bleed, enter 154 × 216mm.
2. Mark the finished edge. Add guides 3mm in from all four canvas edges. The rectangle inside is the finished 148 × 210mm page. Put text another 3mm inside those trim guides, at least 6mm from the canvas edge.
3. Fill the bleed. Extend backgrounds to the full canvas edge. Do not just enlarge your complete design, as that also moves or scales text. Increasing resolution cannot restore detail in a small image.
4. Save your master and export. Keep a PSD, then Save a Copy as Photoshop PDF using Press Quality. Do not add a second bleed. Photoshop does not create the same dedicated bleed boundary as InDesign.
5. For precise layout or several pages, place the PSD in an InDesign or Illustrator document set to the finished size with bleed, then export the PDF there. Check the finished dimensions before upload.

1. Start at the finished size. Create a design → Custom size, choose mm and enter your finished dimensions. For A5, use 148 × 210mm, not the bleed-inclusive size.
2. Show the bleed. Open File → Settings → Show print bleed. In some editor versions this is under Rulers and guides. Extend background images and colours across the bleed boundary.
3. Protect your text. Keep words and logos comfortably inside the trimmed edge. Canva’s standard margins are a guide; check the safe area required for your product.
4. Download for print. Share → Download → PDF Print, then tick Crop marks and bleed. Choose CMYK if your account offers it. Check all required pages are selected.
5. Check the downloaded file. Canva uses a fixed bleed, so do not manually add another 3mm to the design. Crop marks increase the outer PDF size. For products needing special bleed, folds, cut lines or binding, ask us to check the layout before ordering.

A Canva design link or screenshot is not a print file. Download the PDF and inspect that exact file.

Check the open sheet size and the closed size. Supply the complete outside and inside as flat artwork pages using the correct fold or cutter template. Some panels are narrower to tuck inside. Do not calculate the flat size by multiplying a panel width without checking.

Supply single pages in reading order, including intentional blanks. Check the page count and binding margin. Perfect-bound covers need a separate full cover with a spine calculated for the selected paper and page count. Do not guess the spine width.

Use the exact size and finishing template. Roller banners include a section hidden inside the cassette; the full graphic is not the same as the visible display. Keep key artwork clear of hems, eyelets, fixing holes and joins. Confirm large-format bleed, safe areas and any scale reduction before exporting.

Use the selected cut shape and extend backgrounds beyond its cut line. A shaped file can require a separate vector cutting path; do not print the guide onto the artwork. Foil and Spot UV require separate finishing artwork aligned to the print. Ask for the correct specification rather than drawing a visible border.

Use the decoration area and position, not the garment’s chest or body measurements. Garment print and embroidery do not use paper trimming bleed. Keep backgrounds transparent where required and supply clean logo artwork; embroidery may need simplified fine detail.

Correctly sized bleed is essential; crop marks are optional for standard flat paper work. If you include marks, keep them outside the bleed. Canva’s Crop marks and bleed option includes both.

PDF is preferred. JPG or PNG can suit simple single-image work at the correct dimensions and resolution. Export Word or PowerPoint to PDF and check the result carefully. A low-resolution screenshot will not become sharp simply by saving it as a PDF.

We check technical suitability for printing. We do not offer proofreading. You must check all wording, layout, dates, prices and contact details. If a technical issue prevents printing, we contact you. A separate proof is only included where offered or agreed.

Where offered, select the upload-later option and send final files or a download link with your order number and the product each file belongs to. Production starts once payment, all print-ready files and any requested approval are complete. Late artwork moves your delivery estimate.

Need corrections or design help? Ask for a quote. After ordering, contact us immediately about replacement files; artwork already in production cannot automatically be changed.