The Most Common Print Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Quick answer: The most common print mistakes fall into two groups. Content mistakes such as a wrong phone number, an old price, a misspelt name or a missing date are the most expensive, because only you can spot them, and once you approve a proof they go straight to print. Technical mistakes such as missing bleed, text too close to the edge, low-resolution images, RGB colours and the wrong kind of black are more common, but our free pre-flight check catches most of them before anything is printed. This guide covers both, and exactly how to avoid them.
After 28 years in print, we can honestly say we've seen every mistake in the book, and most of them more than once. The good news is that almost all of them are easy to avoid once you know what to look for. The honest news is that some of them we can catch for you, and some of them only you can.
Two examples spring to mind straight away. On a large run of menus for a new Italian restaurant, a rogue "c" had crept into the address in place of the "n" in "Greenock Road". Needless to say, it wasn't well received, and it shows why everyone involved needs to check a proof thoroughly.
The second was a technical one. A main sponsor's logo appeared on every page of a 60-page brochure, and on every page the company name was missing from it. The name was in red, sitting on a black background, and it had been set to overprint. Normally, when one colour sits on top of another, the colour underneath is "knocked out" so the top colour prints onto clean white paper. Overprint tells the press to skip that step and print the top colour straight on top instead. Red ink laid over solid black simply disappears into the black, so the name vanished in print.
It's easily missed because most PDF viewers and design apps don't show overprint on screen unless it's specifically switched on. The logo looked perfect on the designer's monitor, and in any quick preview it would have looked perfect too.
Both mistakes were visible on the pre-flighted proof sent for approval. They slipped through because the proof either wasn't checked properly or wasn't checked at all. That's why we make our approval links as clear as we possibly can, and why we point out anything that looks like a potential issue before we print.
Part One: The Mistakes Only You Can Catch
Our pre-flight check looks at the technical side of your file: size, bleed, colour, fonts and images. What it can't do is know that your new office number ends in 24, not 42, or that the event is on the 14th, not the 15th. That's why every proof we send asks you to check it carefully, and why we're upfront that artwork goes to print exactly as approved.
1. Not checking the proof properly
This is the single most expensive mistake in print, and it happens to experienced marketing teams as often as anyone. A proof gets a quick glance on a phone between meetings, someone replies "looks great", and 500 brochures arrive with a typo on the cover.
Before you approve any proof, check every one of these, slowly, one at a time:
- Email addresses
- Website addresses
- Telephone numbers
- Names and job titles
- Prices
- Dates and times
- Quantities and specifications
- Product and service descriptions
It's the same checklist that appears on every one of our quotations. Two tips that genuinely work: print the proof out or view it at full size on a proper screen, and ask someone who hasn't seen the artwork before to read it. Fresh eyes catch what familiar ones skip over.
2. Printing information that's about to go out of date
Prices change, staff move on, offers expire and phone systems get replaced. Before you print, ask: will everything on this still be true in six months? If not, consider leaving the changeable details off, pointing people to your website instead, or ordering a smaller quantity you'll use before it dates.
3. Ordering too many
The price per copy drops with larger quantities, so it's tempting to order 1,000 "to be safe". But if half of them end up in a recycling bin when your details change, you haven't saved anything. Because we print digitally, short runs are genuinely economical. Order what you'll realistically use and reprint when you need to. Our honest brochure price guide shows exactly how the numbers work.
4. Leaving it too late
A deadline that's already tight leaves no room for a proof round, a correction or a courier delay. Our standard turnaround is 2–3 working days for stitched brochures, 3–5 for wire bound and 5–7 for perfect bound. Express is available at 15% extra when we can do it, but it isn't always possible. Build in a few days' slack, and tell us the real date you need your print in hand, not the day you'd like it.
5. Choosing the wrong product for the job
A beautifully designed brochure can still disappoint if the specification is wrong: a stitched brochure pushed past 48 pages, uncoated paper for a photography-heavy catalogue, or an unlaminated cover on something that'll be handled all day at an exhibition. If you're not sure, tell us what the piece is for and how it'll be used. That's exactly the kind of advice we're here to give, and it's free.
Part Two: The Technical Mistakes (Which We'll Usually Catch)
These are the problems our free pre-flight check is designed to find. We'll fix the simple ones as standard, such as converting RGB to CMYK and embedding fonts. Bigger fixes, like resizing a file supplied at the wrong size, are charged at £35 per hour in 15-minute blocks, so a typical quick fix costs £8.75 + VAT. Getting them right first time saves you time, money and a round of back-and-forth.
6. No bleed
The most common technical mistake we see. If a background colour or image runs to the edge of the page, it needs to extend 3mm beyond the trim line on every side. Without it, even the tiniest movement in the guillotine leaves a thin white sliver along the edge, and once you've seen it, you can't unsee it.
7. Text too close to the edge
The flip side of bleed. Keep text, logos and anything important at least 5mm inside the trim. It might look fine on screen, but on the finished piece it'll feel cramped, and on brochures with lots of pages the inner pages trim slightly differently, so give yourself even more room.
8. Low-resolution images
Images need to be 300dpi at the size they're placed in your design. Images saved from websites and social media are usually 72dpi, which looks perfectly sharp on screen and soft or pixelated in print. And enlarging a 300dpi image to twice its size in your layout effectively halves its resolution. If an image is too low-resolution to print well, we'll tell you before we print, not after.
9. Designing in RGB colours
Screens show colour in RGB. Print uses CMYK, which can't reproduce the brightest screen colours, so vivid blues, greens and oranges will shift when your file is converted. We convert RGB files as part of our free check and point out the colour shift on your proof, but designing in CMYK from the start avoids surprises. Our guide to why your print doesn't match your screen explains it in full.
10. Using the wrong black
Not all black is the same black in print. Use 100% black (C0 M0 Y0 K100) for text, and a rich black for large backgrounds. Our recommended mix is C60 M40 Y40 K100. Never use "registration" black in your artwork: it puts 400% ink on the page and causes drying and smudging problems. There's a handy visual guide in our RGB vs CMYK article.
11. Supplying the wrong size
An A4 file for an A5 flyer, a landscape design for a portrait product, or a file without room for bleed all need resizing before they can print. Set your document to the finished size of the product, then add the 3mm bleed around it. Our artwork templates are set up correctly for every product we sell.
12. Fonts not embedded
If fonts aren't embedded in your PDF, the file may substitute a different font when it's opened, which can change line breaks, spacing and the whole look of your design. Export as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4, which embeds fonts automatically, or convert your text to outlines.
13. Brochure pages in the wrong format
For brochures, supply single pages in reading order, as one PDF, starting with the front cover. Don't supply spreads or try to arrange the pages for printing yourself; we do that as part of production. And remember that stitched brochures must be a multiple of four pages. Our page count guide explains why.
14. Text that's too small or too fine
Text below about 6pt, very thin lines, and light or thin text reversed out of a dark or busy background can all lose definition in print in a way they never do on screen. If your design relies on fine detail, especially on uncoated paper, talk to us before you print.
Designed in Canva? Here's How to Export
Lots of our customers design in Canva, and that's absolutely fine. A few settings make all the difference:
- Before you start designing, turn on File → Settings → Show print bleed, and extend any backgrounds to the outer edge.
- Keep text and logos well inside the margin lines.
- When you're ready, go to Share → Download and choose PDF Print as the file type, not PDF Standard, PNG or JPG.
- Tick Crop marks and bleed before you download.
Canva does update its menus from time to time, so if something has moved, its help centre will point you to the new location.
Your Pre-Print Checklist
| Check | What we need |
|---|---|
| Content | Every email, web address, phone number, name, price, date and quantity checked |
| Document size | Finished size of the product |
| Bleed | 3mm on all four edges |
| Safety margin | 5mm minimum inside the trim |
| Images | 300dpi at placed size |
| Colour | CMYK, Coated FOGRA39 profile |
| Black | K100 for text, C60 M40 Y40 K100 for large areas |
| Fonts | Embedded or outlined |
| File format | PDF, ideally PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 |
| Brochures | Single pages in reading order, multiple of four |
What We Do, and What We Ask of You
We check every file before it goes to press. We'll convert colours, embed fonts, flag problems and tell you honestly if something won't print the way you're hoping. What we can't do is check your content for you, because we don't know your business the way you do. So we'll always send you a proof, and we'll always ask you to check it carefully. Between us, that catches almost everything.
And if we get something wrong, we'll hold our hands up and put it right at our cost.
Want to see exactly where these checks happen? Follow the full journey of a print job, from order to delivery →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common print mistake?
Technically, missing bleed: backgrounds that stop at the edge of the page instead of extending 3mm beyond it. But the most costly mistake is approving a proof without checking the content carefully, because errors on an approved proof go straight to print.
What happens if I approve a proof with a mistake on it?
Artwork is printed exactly as approved, so any errors on the approved proof will appear on the finished print and a correction means a reprint. That's why every Print Studio Scotland proof comes with a checklist of details to check before approving.
Do you check my artwork before printing?
Yes. Every order receives a free pre-flight check covering size, bleed, image resolution, RGB to CMYK conversion and font embedding. Content such as spelling, phone numbers and prices must be checked by the customer on the proof.
How much bleed do I need?
3mm on all four edges. Any colour or image that touches the edge of the page should extend 3mm beyond the trim line.
What resolution should images be for print?
300dpi at the size they're placed in your design. Images taken from websites and social media are usually 72dpi and will look soft or pixelated in print.
Can I send artwork from Canva?
Yes. Turn on print bleed while designing, download as PDF Print, and tick crop marks and bleed when exporting.
Do you charge to fix artwork?
Standard pre-flight fixes such as colour conversion and font embedding are free. Additional work, such as resizing a file supplied at the wrong size, is charged at £35 per hour in 15-minute blocks, so a typical quick fix costs £8.75 + VAT.
Not Sure About Your File?
Send it over before you order and we'll tell you honestly whether it's ready to print. Call 0141 237 1924 or get in touch. Need artwork created from scratch? Our in-house designers can help at £35 per hour.
Stuart Wilson, founder, Print Studio Scotland – 28 years in print