Here’s What’s On Our Preflight Printing Checklist

January 22, 2025 | High Velocity Printers

When it comes to executing a large print job, there’s no room for error—literally. Once you send a design to the printer, any oversight that slipped through the cracks will be replicated hundreds or even thousands of times. Fixing these mistakes after the fact often means reprinting the entire run—an expense you probably didn’t budget for. Fortunately, you can save yourself time, money, and headaches by getting it right the first time. That’s where a preflight printing checklist comes in.

If you don’t already have a preflight printing checklist, it’s time to create one. This straightforward tool helps you systematically review every aspect of your design to ensure it’s as flawless as possible before hitting “print.” Perhaps you’ve been relying on an informal review process or your own memory to catch errors, and so far nothing disastrous has happened. But let’s be honest: our brains are already overworked, and even the smallest oversight can lead to costly mistakes—like printing hundreds of business cards with the wrong address or dozens of book covers with misaligned text.

A preflight printing checklist is an easy yet effective solution to avoid these pitfalls. If you don’t have one—or your current checklist isn’t comprehensive enough—take a look at our list below for inspiration. 

Our Preflight Printing Checklist

Document Setup

The foundation of any successful print job starts with a properly prepared document. Errors here can result in misaligned cuts, incomplete designs, or poor-quality output, so take the time to get these details right. 

  • Verify trim size: Ensure your design aligns with the printer’s required dimensions to avoid resizing or incorrect cropping during production.
  • Ensure bleeds are added: Bleeds allow your design to extend beyond the trim line so that the final print doesn’t have unintentional white borders. As a general rule, add at least 1/8 inch of bleed to your design.
  • Check your margins: Protect essential elements like text and logos by keeping them at least 1/8 inch inside the trim line. This ensures they won’t be cut off during trimming.
  • Double-check file resolution: To ensure sharp, professional-quality prints, you’ll want to use at least 300 DPI for all images and graphics.

Colors

One of the most frustrating outcomes in printing is when the design on screen doesn’t look the same once it’s printed. To make sure the colors translate right, make sure to complete these steps. 

  • Convert all colors to CMYK: Printers use CMYK color mode, while screens display RGB. If you don’t convert your colors, you’ll likely see significant differences between your digital design and the printed result.
  • Use consistent color swatches: Keeping your swatches consistent throughout ensures everything looks cohesive. It’s an easy way to avoid accidental mismatches.
  • Define any specialty spot colors: If you’re working with brand colors or special finishes like metallics, define them as spot colors and share those details with your printer.
  • Flatten transparencies: Transparency effects can cause trouble in print. Flattening them ensures your colors and layers behave the way you expect.

Fonts & Text

If there is any issue with your text or fonts, your print could fail to effectively communicate its message, so it’s especially important to make sure it’s readable and accurate. Here’s how to keep it clean and professional:

  • Ensure all fonts are embedded in the file: If your fonts aren’t embedded, the printer’s system might substitute them with something else. That can throw off your whole design.
  • Outline text: Outlining your text locks in its appearance so it’ll print exactly as you see it. Just save an editable version of your file before doing this, in case you need to make changes later.
  • Make sure smaller text is legible: Small text can be tricky to read; keep it at least 6 points and steer clear of thin or decorative fonts.
  • Do a final spellcheck: No matter how good a design comes out, if there’s a typo it’s all anyone will see. Give everything a last look (or better yet, ask someone else to review it, too).

Images & Graphics

If your design includes images or graphics, you need to take some time to make sure they’ll be rendered correctly during printing. 

  • Make sure all images are 300 DPI: Anything less than 300 DPI can look pixelated or blurry when printed. Double-check this before you send your file off. 
  • Convert image colors to CMYK: Just like with your overall design colors, images in RGB mode can print unpredictably. Switch them to CMYK for better results.
  • Check that all linked files are included: If an image or graphic is missing, it’ll leave a blank spot in your design. Use your software’s “Package” feature to make sure everything’s accounted for.
  • Flatten transparencies in images: Transparencies in images can cause printing issues. Flatten them to keep everything looking sharp and clean.

File Format

The way you save your files does, in fact, matter. Make sure you pay close attention to any settings before sending a file to print. 

  • Save the file as a PDF with printer-preferred settings: PDFs preserve your design exactly as you see it. Use settings like PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 to avoid compatibility issues.
  • Flatten or properly organize layers: Hidden or unflattened layers can create problems in printing. To avoid any issues, combine or label your layers to keep things organized and error-free.

Printing Marks

Including printing marks will help you avoid common issues like uneven cuts, misaligned graphics, or inaccurate color registration—that is, if they’re correct. 

  • Include crop marks: These marks show exactly where the printer should cut your design.
  • Add registration marks: Registration marks ensure all color layers align perfectly during printing.
  • Include color bars: Color bars help the printer maintain consistent colors throughout the run. They’re not always necessary for small projects, but for bigger ones, they’re a good idea.

Layers and Special Effects

If you’re adding special finishes or working with layered effects, these steps will help everything come out as planned.

  • Ensure special finishes are on separate layers: Things like foil stamping or spot UV need to be isolated on their own layers, so the printer knows how to handle them.
  • Check overprint settings: Incorrect overprint settings can make things disappear or blend where they shouldn’t. Preview them to catch issues early.
  • Verify that transparency effects render correctly: Transparency effects don’t always print the way they appear on screen. Flatten or rasterize them to avoid surprises.

Streamline Your Preflight Process with Ashore

Creating a flawless print job takes careful attention to detail, but with Ashore’s upcoming preflight proofing tool, many of the most tedious steps can now be automated. Instead of manually checking bleeds, color profiles, or rasterizing PDFs, Ashore handles these tasks for you—quickly and seamlessly.

With automatic rasterization, Ashore ensures your PDFs are print-ready in just one click, eliminating the need to flatten transparencies or worry about tricky layers. Forgot to add a bleed? Not a problem. Ashore automatically extends your design beyond the trim line, preventing any unintended white borders and saving you from last-minute edits. And when it comes to colors, Ashore converts everything from RGB to CMYK effortlessly, ensuring your colors print accurately and consistently every time.

Still want to make sure your proof is print-ready? With Ashore’s proofing software, you can easily share your file with stakeholders for review and approval. Approvers can draw directly on your design, leave comments, and even attach images or files for context. Plus, every piece of feedback is tracked in real time on a proof timeline, so nothing will slip through the cracks.

Bringing your concept from screen to print is no small task, but Ashore is here to ensure nothing gets lost in translation. With tools that simplify and automate the preflight process, you can focus on your creativity while we handle the technical details.

Sign up for free today and experience the easiest way to make sure your designs are print-perfect.

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