Flyer & Brochure Artwork Preparation Checklist

Flyer & Brochure Artwork Preparation Guide: How to Prepare Print-Ready Files

Everything you need to prepare a print-ready artwork.

Designing a flyer or brochure is more than making it look attractive. Setting up your artwork correctly before sending it for printing helps prevent colour differences, unwanted white borders, blurry images, or important text being cut off.

Use this simple checklist before submitting your artwork to ensure the best printing results.

1. Set Your Colour Mode to CMYK

The first thing you should do before designing is make sure your document is created in CMYK Colour Mode.

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) is the colour system used by commercial printers. Designing directly in CMYK gives you a more accurate representation of how your printed product will look.

RGB, on the other hand, is designed for digital screens such as computers, tablets and mobile phones. Colours in RGB often appear brighter and more vibrant than what printing inks can reproduce.

✔ Recommended for printing

Business Cards
Flyers
Brochures
Stickers
Booklets
Posters

💡 Common Mistake
Designing in RGB and expecting the printed colours to look exactly the same as on your monitor.

Quick Tip : If you design in RGB, don’t be surprised if the printed colours look slightly duller after conversion to CMYK.

2. Set Up Your Artwork Size Correctly

Choosing the correct artwork size depends on how much information you want to present.

Finished Size	Best For
A5 (148 × 210mm)	Promotions, events, exhibitions, handouts and flyers
A4 (210 × 297mm)	Product brochures, service information, menus and presentations
A3 (297 × 420mm)	Folded brochures, event programmes and company profiles

Need a custom size?
Need a custom size that’s not A5, A4 or A3? We offer custom flyer and brochure printing in almost any size. Contact us via WhatsApp or request a free quotation.

Bleed & Safety Zone

Besides your finished size, every artwork should also include bleed and safety zone.

What is Bleed?

Bleed is an extra printing area outside the finished size that allows slight movement during trimming. Without bleed, tiny cutting variations may leave unwanted white edges around your flyer. We recommend adding 2mm bleed on every side (4mm total in width and height).

Example (A5)
Finished Size – 148 × 210mm
Artwork with Bleed – 152 × 214mm

What is the Safety Zone?

The safety zone protects your important information. Keep all logos, text, QR codes and contact details at least 4mm inside the finished trim line. This reduces the risk of important content being trimmed during production.

Example (A5)
Artwork Size (with bleed) – 152 × 214mm
Safety Zone – 144 × 206mm

Need help?
You can request our free artwork template before starting your design.

💡 Common Mistakes
– Forgetting to add bleed
– Text placed too close to the edge
– Background colour not extending to the bleed area

3. Choose Your Folding Type Before Designing

If you’re printing a brochure, decide the folding style before creating your artwork.

Different fold types require different panel layouts.

Common folding options include:

Half Fold
Tri Fold
Z Fold
Accordion Fold (4 Panels)
Cross Fold

Each fold has a different reading sequence and panel arrangement, so planning ahead will save redesign work later.

If you’re unsure which folding style suits your content, our support team is happy to recommend one.

💡 Common Mistake
Designing first and only deciding on the fold afterwards, causing panel content to end up in the wrong position.

4. Use High-Resolution Images

Low-quality images may look acceptable on your screen but appear blurry or pixelated when printed.

For the best results:

✔ Recommended resolution: 300 DPI
✔ Avoid downloading small images from social media.
✔ Use original photographs whenever possible.

If an image looks blurry when zoomed in on your computer, it will likely print blurry as well.

💡 Common Mistake
Using images downloaded from WhatsApp, Facebook or a website, which are often too low in resolution for quality printing.

5. Submit the Right File Format

The file format you submit plays an important role in achieving the best print quality.

Preferred File Formats

PDF (Print Ready)
Adobe Illustrator (.AI)

These vector-based formats preserve sharp text, graphics and layout, making them the preferred choice for commercial printing.

Also Accepted

Adobe Photoshop (.PSD)
JPG (300 DPI)
PNG (300 DPI)

Photoshop files are raster (pixel-based), so print quality depends on the image resolution. If you submit JPG or PNG files, ensure they are exported at 300 DPI and at the final print size to avoid pixelated or blurry results.

If your artwork was created in Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint, please export it as a PDF before submitting. This helps preserve your layout, fonts and formatting more accurately during printing.

Please avoid submitting:

Screenshots
Images downloaded from websites or social media
Low-resolution JPG or PNG files

These file types often result in poor print quality and may not produce the expected printing outcome.

💡 Common Mistakes
– Sending screenshots instead of the original artwork file.
– Submitting Microsoft Word or PowerPoint files instead of a PDF.
– Exporting JPG or PNG files at a low resolution.
– Forgetting to convert fonts to outlines in Adobe Illustrator, which may cause font substitution if the original fonts are unavailable.

File Format	Recommended	Suitable for Printing
PDF	✅	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Adobe Illustrator (.AI)	✅	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Photoshop (.PSD)	✅	⭐⭐⭐⭐
JPG / PNG (300 DPI)	✅	⭐⭐⭐
Microsoft Word (.DOCX)	❌	⭐
PowerPoint (.PPTX)	❌	⭐
Screenshot	❌	❌

Final Artwork Checklist

Before submitting your artwork, go through this quick checklist:

✅ Colour mode is CMYK
✅ Correct artwork size selected
✅ Bleed added (2mm on every side)
✅ Important text kept inside the safety zone
✅ Correct folding type selected (if applicable)
✅ Images are at least 300 DPI
✅ File saved as PDF or Adobe Illustrator

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do my printed colours look different from my screen?

Because printed materials use CMYK ink while screens display RGB light, slight colour differences are normal. Colour may also vary depending on the paper type, ink absorption and printing process. Minor colour variations are considered normal in commercial printing.

2. What is bleed in printing?

Bleed is the extra printing area outside the finished size. It allows slight movement during trimming and prevents unwanted white edges on your printed flyer or brochure.

3. How much bleed should I add?

For most flyer and brochure printing, add 2mm bleed on each side (4mm larger in both width and height than the finished size).

4. What is the safety zone?

The safety zone is the area where important content such as logos, text, QR codes and contact details should remain. Keeping them away from the trim line reduces the chance of anything being cut off during production.

5. Can I submit artwork in JPG or PNG?

PDF or Adobe Illustrator (.AI) files are recommended because they preserve text and graphics at the highest quality. JPG and PNG files may be accepted if they are high resolution, but they are generally less suitable for professional printing.

6. What image resolution should I use?

Use images with a resolution of 300 DPI at their final printed size for the best print quality.

7. What is the best file format for flyer printing?

A print-ready PDF is the preferred format. Adobe Illustrator (.AI) is also suitable if all fonts are outlined and linked images are embedded.

8. Can I design my flyer in Canva?

Yes. Canva is suitable for designing flyers and brochures. Before exporting your artwork, ensure the correct dimensions are used, include bleed if available, and download your file as a Print PDF with crop marks and bleed enabled where possible.

9. Can you check my artwork before printing?

Yes. At Easitech, we provide a free artwork check to verify your file for size, bleed, safety zone and other basic print requirements before production.

Need Help Checking Your Artwork?

Not sure whether your artwork is ready for printing?

Our team offers a free artwork check before production. We’ll review your file for common issues such as bleed, safety zone, sizing and print suitability, helping you avoid unnecessary delays or reprints.