Design Do's and Don'ts for Print Materials
Whether you're designing a business card, flyer, brochure or exhibition banner, the difference between a professional result and a disappointing one often comes down to a handful of avoidable mistakes. In this guide, we cover the most important do's and don'ts for print design — practical, specific advice that will help you get better results from every print job.
The Do's
Do design in CMYK from the start
RGB is the colour model used by screens — it has a wider colour gamut than CMYK and many RGB colours simply cannot be reproduced accurately in print. Always set your document to CMYK colour mode before you start designing — not as an afterthought before export. Converting from RGB to CMYK at the end of a project often produces unexpected colour shifts, particularly with vivid blues, bright oranges and saturated greens. See our guide: What is CMYK and Why Does it Matter?
Do add bleed and a safe zone
Bleed is one of the most important — and most frequently forgotten — elements of print artwork setup. Any background colour, image or design element that extends to the edge of your printed piece must extend 3mm beyond the trim line (bleed), or white edges will appear after cutting. Equally, keep all important content at least 3mm inside the trim line (safe zone) to ensure nothing is accidentally cut off. See our guide: What is Bleed and Safe Zone?
Do use high-resolution images
Images used in print must be a minimum of 300dpi at the final printed size. Images downloaded from websites are typically 72dpi and will print blurry and pixelated — even if they look fine on screen. Always use the original, full-resolution image file. For logos, always use a vector file (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) rather than a low-resolution JPEG or PNG. See our guide: Understanding DPI for Print
Do use white space deliberately
White space — also called negative space — is not wasted space. It's one of the most powerful tools in design. Giving your text and images room to breathe makes your design easier to read, more visually appealing and significantly more professional. The instinct to fill every available space is almost always wrong. Resist it.
Do maintain brand consistency
Your print materials should be immediately recognisable as coming from the same brand as your website, social media and other touchpoints. Use your brand colour palette, approved fonts and logo consistently across all print materials. Inconsistency — different shades of your brand colour, different fonts, different logo treatments — undermines brand credibility and recognition.
Do consider premium finishes
Lamination, spot UV, foil embellishment and premium paper stocks transform the perception of a printed piece without necessarily increasing the cost significantly. A business card on velvet lamination with spot UV, or a brochure with a matt laminated cover, communicates quality and attention to detail that a standard unfinished print cannot. See our business card range and booklet options for available finishes.
Do proof check thoroughly before submitting
Print errors are expensive — you're reprinting the entire job. Before you submit any artwork for print, check every element carefully: spellings, phone numbers, email addresses, URLs, prices, dates and alignments. Read your copy backwards to catch spelling errors your eye might skip over when reading normally. See our full proof checking guide for a complete pre-submission checklist.
The Don'ts
Don't use too many fonts
More than two fonts in a single design almost always looks cluttered and unplanned. One font for headlines, one for body text — occasionally a third as an accent — is the standard approach. If you need variety, use different weights (bold, regular, light) of the same typeface rather than introducing a new font. See our typography guide: Typography and Fonts: Essential Tips for Effective Print Materials
Don't overload with text
Print is not the place for long, dense paragraphs. Whether it's a poster, a flyer or a business card, your audience will give your printed piece a few seconds of attention at most. Identify the single most important message and make that the focus. Supporting information can be brief. If you need to communicate a lot of detail, a brochure or booklet format gives you the space to do it properly — not a flyer crammed with small text.
Don't use too many colours
A limited colour palette looks intentional and professional. Too many colours look chaotic and amateurish. Stick to your brand palette — typically two or three colours — and use tints and shades of those colours rather than introducing new ones. When you do need contrast, use tonal variation within your palette rather than adding more colours.
Don't place important content too close to the edge
Cutting is never perfectly precise — there is always a small margin of variation. Any text, logo or critical design element placed too close to the trim line risks being cut off or sitting uncomfortably close to the edge on the finished piece. Maintain a 3mm safe zone on all edges, and never place critical content directly on a fold line. See our guide: What is Bleed and Safe Zone?
Don't ignore paper stock
The paper your design is printed on is part of the design. A well-designed flyer on thin, flimsy stock feels cheap regardless of how good the artwork is. Equally, a simple information sheet doesn't need to be printed on premium 450gsm stock. Match the paper weight and finish to the purpose and perceived value of the piece. Ask your printer for guidance if you're unsure.
Don't submit RGB files for print
Submitting artwork in RGB rather than CMYK is one of the most common causes of colour disappointment at print stage. Colours that look vivid on screen can appear noticeably duller when printed from an RGB file. Always set up and export in CMYK. If you're placing photographs in your layout, convert them to CMYK before placing. See our guide: What is CMYK and Why Does it Matter?
Don't skip the proof check
It is remarkable how many errors survive multiple rounds of design review only to be noticed the moment the printed job arrives. A systematic proof check — separate from the design process, ideally with fresh eyes — catches errors that familiarity causes you to overlook. See our proof checking guide for a structured approach.
Print Your Materials with Confidence at Dipol Print
Follow these principles and your print artwork will arrive print-ready, first time. At Dipol Print, we print business cards, flyers, posters, brochures, banners and much more for businesses across Brighton & Hove and the wider UK.
Not sure if your artwork is ready? Get in touch with our team — we're happy to review your files and advise before you place your order. Or visit us at 97 St James's Street, Brighton BN2 1TP.