Bleed, Resolution, and File Formats: A Simple Guide for Better Printing!

If you’re new to printing, you’re not alone. Most customers feel unsure about file prep the first time around. The good news is that a few small steps can make a big difference in how sharp, clean, and professional your project looks.

Here's a simple guide to three things that matter most when designing your artwork: bleed, resolution, and file formats.

Bleed is extra image space that extends past the edge of your final finished size. It may sound technical, but it’s simply a safety zone.

For example, if your finished postcard is 5 × 7 inches, we need an additional 0.125 inches of image on each side. This allows our cutting machines to trim the stack cleanly without leaving unexpected white borders.

Think of bleed as a small buffer that protects your design. If your background color or photo goes right to the edge, always add bleed so nothing gets cut off or leaves a thin white line!

Resolution determines how crisp your printed images will look.

Screens show everything at 72 DPI, but printing requires much more detail. For professional-quality results, aim for 300 DPI at the size you want it printed. If you stretch a low-resolution image to make it bigger, it may look okay on your computer, but it will print blurry or pixelated. A good tip is to zoom in on your artwork at 200–300 percent. If it looks sharp at that zoom level, it should print nicely.

When in doubt, send us the file and we can check it for you.

File formats are simply the type of file you upload.

For most print jobs, PDF is the best option because it preserves fonts, colors, and layout exactly as you designed them.

High-quality JPGs or PNGs can work for photos or simple graphics, but complex designs are safest as PDFs.

(If you’re sending artwork with transparency or layers, such as from Photoshop or Illustrator, it’s best to export a flattened or print-ready PDF so nothing shifts when we open it.)

The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to be an expert. We handle printers, cutters, calibration, and color matching every day. Your job is simply to give us the clearest version of your design so we can make it look its best. If something doesn’t look right in your file, we will always reach out before printing. That's what proofs are for/!

With a couple of simple habits, you’ll have print-ready files every time, and your projects will come out clean, sharp, and professional. That’s what we’re here for — to make great printing easy.

At Conolly Printing, we work with these details every day, and we’re here to make the process easy and stress-free. Visit us in-person or online today!