Select your job type to get a tailored checklist. Tick items as you verify them. Send the completed checklist with your artwork.
A print preflight checklist systematically verifies file requirements before submitting artwork to a printer. It checks: colour mode (CMYK not RGB), image resolution (300 DPI minimum), bleed (3mm on trimmed edges), fonts embedded or outlined, overprint settings correct, barcode specifications met, and correct PDF standard (PDF/X-1a).
Most common causes: RGB files submitted for print (unpredictable colour conversion), insufficient image resolution, missing bleed (white edges after trimming), font errors (missing or substituted fonts), and barcode failures. All are preventable with a systematic preflight check.
All files for commercial offset printing must be in CMYK colour mode. RGB files are auto-converted to CMYK — the conversion is unpredictable and often shifts colours significantly. Convert to CMYK yourself using the correct press ICC profile in Photoshop or Illustrator before submission.
PDF/X-1a is the standard PDF for commercial print — it requires CMYK colour mode, embedded fonts, and disallows RGB and transparency. Never send a standard PDF (not PDF/X) for commercial printing.
In Photoshop: Image > Image Size, check resolution at final print size — must be 300 DPI minimum. In InDesign: check the Links panel (Window > Links) which shows effective PPI of all placed images, accounting for scaling. All images must show 300 or more effective PPI.
Standard bleed is 3mm on all edges that will be trimmed. Bleed means extending artwork 3mm beyond the final trim edge — not adding a white border. The bleed area is printed but cut off, ensuring any variation in cutting does not leave a white unprinted edge.