The difference between a print job going straight to the press and sitting on our desk for half an hour usually comes down to one thing: how the file was prepared. Whether you're designing a flyer in Canva or writing a dissertation in Word, a few quick checks on your end save us (and you) a lot of time.
1. Export as a PDF where you can
PDFs lock in fonts, images and layout so what you see on screen matches what comes out of the printer. Word and PowerPoint files sometimes shift when opened on a different computer — not always, but often enough to cause problems.
In Word: File > Save As > PDF. In Canva: Share > Download > PDF Print. Simple as that.
2. Check the page size matches your end product
If you want an A4 flyer, your document should be set up at A4 (210 × 297 mm). Designing at the wrong size and scaling up later is the single most common cause of blurry prints. Most apps let you set the document size before you start — look for "Page Setup" or "Document Properties".
3. Add a bleed if your design goes to the edge
A "bleed" is an extra 3 mm of design around the outside of the page. It stops thin white lines appearing at the edges when your print is trimmed. If your design has a background colour or image running to the very edge, add bleed. If everything sits inside a white margin, you can skip this step.
In Canva, tick "Bleed" in the design settings before exporting. In Word, manually extend your background rectangle 3 mm beyond each edge and export with crop marks off.
4. Use high-resolution images (300 dpi)
Images pulled from websites are usually 72 dpi — fine for screen, fuzzy when printed. For crisp results, use images saved at 300 dpi. Photos taken on a modern phone are almost always big enough.
Quick rule of thumb: if an image looks small on your screen, it'll look worse when printed at A4 or bigger.
5. Convert colours to CMYK if you can
Screens use RGB (red, green, blue). Professional printers use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). Colours can shift a little when converted. For most everyday jobs this doesn't matter, but if your design relies on a very specific brand colour, design in CMYK from the start — most design tools have this option in the document setup.
Don't worry about this for standard Word documents; we handle it.
6. Embed or outline your fonts
If you export to PDF, fonts are usually embedded automatically. But some free design tools strip fonts out. To be safe, in Canva or Illustrator choose "outline text" or "embed all fonts" before exporting.
Quickest safety check: open the PDF on a computer that doesn't have your fancy font installed. If the text still looks right, you're good.
7. Check the number of pages is a multiple of 4 (for booklets only)
Booklets are printed on sheets folded in half, so they always have 4, 8, 12, 16… pages. If your document has 13 pages and you want a booklet, we'll need to add blank pages or adjust the design.
8. Remove hidden comments and track changes
Before printing a Word document, accept all track changes, delete comments, and hide any review marks. Otherwise they'll appear on your printed pages.
9. Preview in "Print Preview"
Almost every program has a print preview feature. Use it. Anything funny — a header that disappears, a photo on its own page, cut-off text — will show up there first.
10. Send us the file before you come in
If you're at all unsure, email the file to quote@copyshopputney.co.uk. We'll open it, check it over, and tell you if there's anything that needs fixing. No charge, no commitment — it's just easier for all of us if problems are spotted before you arrive.
Bringing a file on USB?
USB sticks work, but please keep a backup copy somewhere (email, cloud, your phone). USB sticks fail more often than people expect. A cloud link is usually safer.
Any questions, just ring 07376 464869 — we'd rather answer a quick question than fix a bungled print run.
Published 15 April 2026 by the Copy Shop Putney team. Shop 395-A, Tildesley Rd, Putney Heath, London SW15 3BD.