Creating Print-Ready PDFs

Overview

While most PDFs are viewed on screen, some documents — business cards, certificates, event tickets — need to be printed professionally. This guide covers how to prepare templates for high-quality print output.

Page Dimensions

Use exact dimensions for your target print size. At 72 DPI (Document Stack default):

Margins & Bleed

For professional printing, account for:

• Safe zone margin (15–20px) — Keep all important content inside this boundary
• Trim line — Where the paper is cut
• Bleed area (9px / 3mm) — Background colors and images should extend beyond the trim line to prevent white edges

Font Considerations

• Use custom fonts that you have proper licensing for
• Avoid very thin font weights (< 300) — they may not reproduce well on paper
• Minimum readable font size for print: 8px (6pt)
• Body text should be at least 10px (7.5pt) for comfortable reading

Color Best Practices

• Use high contrast — Dark text on light backgrounds prints best
• Avoid pure black backgrounds — They use excessive ink and can smear
• Test on paper — Colors appear differently on screen vs. print
• Rich black — For large black areas, dark gray (#1a1a1a) prints more evenly

Image Quality

• Use images with at least 150 DPI for print (300 DPI for premium quality)
• Avoid scaling small images up — they will appear pixelated
• Use PNG format for logos and graphics with transparency
• Use JPEG for photographic images

Print-Ready Checklist

Next Steps

• Page Settings — Configure page dimensions
• Page Sizes Reference — All standard sizes
• Custom Fonts — Upload print fonts