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Print Quick-Reference Guide

Every designer needs a cheat sheet. This concise, printable guide covers DPI, colour modes, bleed, paper sizes, and file formats — so you never have to Google them again.

By Khalil Rahman Updated 5 min read Editorial policy

Printable format. This page is designed to print cleanly on A4. Click the print button below to save it as a PDF or send it to your printer.

  • 8 sections
  • 5 min read
  • 3 tools
  • 2 primary sources

1 Resolution (DPI vs PPI)

The first rule of print design is understanding resolution. DPI (dots per inch) and PPI (pixels per inch) are often used interchangeably, but they mean slightly different things.

  • PPI (Pixels Per Inch) is the density of pixels in a digital image.
  • DPI (Dots Per Inch) is the number of ink dots a printer places on paper.

For practical purposes, here is what you need to remember:

300 PPI

Professional Print

Use for flyers, brochures, and anything viewed up close.

150–200 PPI

Large Format

Use for posters and banners viewed from a distance.

72 PPI

Web Only

Do not use for print. Web images do not need high resolution.

2 Colour Mode (RGB vs CMYK)

Designing in the wrong colour mode is one of the most common reasons a printed job looks dull or completely wrong.

  • RGB is for screens (red, green, blue). It has a wider gamut and brighter colours.
  • CMYK is for print (cyan, magenta, yellow, key/black). It has a narrower gamut, which is why some bright RGB colours cannot be reproduced on paper.

The workflow: Design in RGB if you prefer (or if your brand assets are RGB), but always convert to CMYK before exporting the final print-ready file. Your printer will thank you, and what you see on screen will closely match the final product.

Colour Profiles

For digital use, choose sRGB. For coated paper stock, Fogra39 (ISO 12647-2) is the standard in Europe. Always confirm the exact profile with your print vendor.

3 Best File Formats

When you send a file to a printer, the format matters. Here is what to use:

PDF (Print-Ready)

The universal standard. Use PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 to ensure fonts are embedded and colours are correct. It preserves the layout exactly.

TIFF

Best for high-quality images and lossless compression. Use this when a printer specifically asks for a raster format.

EPS

Vector-based, ideal for logos and illustrations. Older, but still widely accepted by print shops.

AI / PSD

Source files. Include these only if the printer needs to edit the file. Always package fonts and linked images.

4 Bleed, Trim & Safe Zone

Printers cut paper in stacks, and the blade can drift by a millimetre or two. If your design has a white border and the blade drifts, you get an ugly white sliver on the finished product. Bleed prevents this.

Bleed

3 mm (0.125 in)

Extend your background colour or image past the trim line.

Trim

Final Size

The actual dimensions of the finished printed piece.

Safe Zone

5 mm inside trim

Keep all important text and logos inside this area.

In the US, the standard bleed is 0.125 inches (1/8 inch). In Europe and most of the rest of the world, it is 3 millimetres. Always ask your printer for their specific requirement.

5 Common Paper Sizes

The ISO A-series is used almost everywhere except North America. Here are the ones you will use most often:

A4

210 × 297 mm

A3

297 × 420 mm

A5

148 × 210 mm

DL

99 × 210 mm

US sizes: Letter (8.5 × 11 in), Legal (8.5 × 14 in), Tabloid (11 × 17 in).

6 Typography Tips

  • Minimum font size: 8 pt. Anything smaller becomes hard to read in print.
  • Body text: 10–12 pt is comfortable for most printed documents.
  • Line spacing: 120–145% of the font size. Too tight looks cramped; too loose looks disconnected.
  • Fonts: Always embed fonts in your PDF, or convert text to outlines if your printer asks.

7 Common Print Mistakes

Avoid these

  • Low resolution images — Use 300 PPI for print, not 72.
  • RGB colour mode — Convert to CMYK before exporting.
  • No bleed — Add 3 mm (or 0.125 in) on each side.
  • Text too close to the edge — Keep it 5 mm inside the trim line.
  • Wrong paper size — Confirm with the printer before sending.

8 Pre-Print Checklist

Before you send a file to the printer, run through this list:

  • Images are 300 PPI (or 150–200 PPI for large format).
  • Colour mode is CMYK and profiles are set correctly.
  • 3 mm bleed added on all sides (or 0.125 in).
  • Fonts are embedded or outlined.
  • PDF/X-1a standard used for the export.
  • Spell check completed — typos on paper are expensive.

Tools to prepare your files

Now that you have the cheat sheet, use these free tools to prepare your images for print or web.

Print Size Chart

A reference for standard paper sizes and their pixel dimensions at different resolutions.

Open guide

DPI Converter

Change the DPI metadata of an image for print without resampling or losing quality.

Open tool

Universal Image Converter

Convert images between formats (PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF) before sending them to print.

Open tool

Business Card Maker

Design a print-ready business card with the correct bleed and trim marks.

Open tool

Sources

These are the primary references for the standards mentioned in this guide.

  1. ISO 216 — Writing paper and certain classes of printed matter (A-series sizes)
  2. ISO 12647-2 — Process control for the production of half-tone colour separations, proof and production prints (Fogra profile)
  3. PDF Association — PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4 standards

Khalil Rahman

Founder, SkillsInsider

Khalil spent years as an enterprise data auditor before building SkillsInsider, a small studio in Khanpur, Pakistan that ships free browser tools. He is DigiSkills.pk certified in WordPress, digital marketing and SEO, and writes the guides and reviews published on this site.

About the team Editorial policy [email protected]