You’ve finished your design in Canva and it looks great on your screen. Now it’s time to send it to SIG-1 for printing.
Before you hit Download, there are a few important settings that can make the difference between a file that’s ready to print and one that needs additional work.
The good news is that Canva makes this pretty easy once you know which settings to use.
Before exporting your file, confirm that your Canva document is set up at the actual finished size you want printed.
If you’re designing an 8.5″ × 11″ flyer, for example, your Canva document should be 8.5″ × 11″.
Don’t make the page larger to create bleed. Canva handles the bleed area separately.
If photographs, colors or graphics are supposed to extend all the way to the edge of your finished piece, make sure they extend into Canva’s bleed area.
In Canva, select:
File → Settings/View Settings → Show Print Bleed
Extend any background images, colors or graphics that are supposed to reach the finished edge completelythrough the bleed area.
For most projects, SIG-1 recommends 1/8″ (.125″) bleed on all sides.
Need more help with bleed? See our guide:
Text, logos, phone numbers, QR codes and other important elements shouldn’t sit right against the edge of your finished piece.
Keep important information at least 1/8″ inside the finished trim edge unless your design specifically requires otherwise.
A simple rule to remember:
Backgrounds go OUT into the bleed. Important information stays IN away from the trim.
When your design is ready:
For most finished page layouts, PDF Print is the format we prefer to receive at SIG-1.
Avoid sending screenshots of your Canva design or substituting a JPG or PNG when you can provide the print PDF.
This takes about 30 seconds and can catch surprisingly common problems.
After downloading your PDF, open the actual PDF file—not just the Canva design—and look through every page.
Check:
What you see in the exported PDF is much more important to us than what you see inside Canva.
Creating a PDF doesn’t magically improve the quality of the images inside it.
A low-resolution photograph placed into Canva will still be a low-resolution photograph after you create a PDF.
Images copied from websites or social media can look sharp on a screen but may not reproduce well in professional printing.
Whenever possible, use the highest-resolution original photographs and graphics available.
Your computer monitor creates color with light, while printing creates color with ink or toner. Because of this, some bright colors you see on your screen may reproduce differently in print.
This is especially noticeable with extremely bright blues, greens and other highly saturated colors.
We’ll explain this in more detail in our RGB vs. CMYK for Professional Printing guide.
Send it to us.
You don’t need to understand prepress, bleed, resolution and color management just because you designed your project yourself.
At SIG-1, we believe having an experienced person look at your file before production is still an important part of professional printing.
If something doesn’t look right, we’d much rather catch it before your job goes to press.
SIG-1 Graphics
Professional printing with real people looking at your files.
Sacramento, California
Combining old world artisan craftsmanship with cutting edge technology, Sig-1 exerts a visual mastery over every printed document and image it produces. Sig-1’s failsafe printing methods offer meticulous attention to detail, high touch personal service, served with a creative and quirky style that turns every print job into a delightful experience.
