ARE YOUR FILES PRINT READY? 

FIRST CHOSE THE RIGHT PROGRAM -THEN:

MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOS

Speaking of photos, it's important to use high-resolution images with at least 300 DPI (dots per inch).  This will ensure any photos used in your print piece are crisp and clean, not blurry and out of focus.  It's also important to keep in mind the size and scale of your print project as the appropriate DPI can vary when designing a postcard compared to a poster.  It's also important to remember that images for the web run about 72 DPI, so images culled from websites will take some editing for print use.  

DESIGN WITH A BLEED ALLOWANCE IN MIND

With images that are intended to run to the very edge of the paper, it's important to include a bleed allowance so these images to not get cut off during printing.  Best practice for the size of the bleed is 0.125" (1/8").  With a standard 4 x 6 postcard, you would want to design the piece to 4.25" C 6.25" to account for the bleed.  

For more information on files, printing, techniques, layouts and paper: