Some mistakes show up again and again. Not because people are sloppy, but because no one ever taught them the technical side of print. During my time in college and internship, these things were drilled into me so often that I check them on autopilot whenever someone sends me files. Below are the three blunders I correct most often.
1. Images at 72 DPI
What looks perfect on a screen can fall apart in print. For professional printing, images must be at least 300 dpi. Getting files to the right resolution can be a puzzle, especially when they come from Canva, but so far I’ve always managed to rescue them.
2. The wrong color mode
RGB feels punchy and bright, but printers can’t work with it. I often explain that RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is meant for screens. For print, everything must be converted to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black). I adjust this quickly because I use professional design software that handles these conversions correctly.
3. No bleed
Bleed is the extra 3 mm around your design. Printers work with large sheets that get trimmed to size. Without bleed, a thin white edge can appear after cutting, and that’s something you never want. Always add 3 mm bleed to your file to avoid surprises.
Anyone can put something together in Canva or another free tool, but when it comes to print, technical accuracy decides whether your design looks polished or problematic. With years of experience in both design and production, I help companies make sure their files are truly print ready.
If you want to know more or need your project checked, feel free to get in touch.