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Stop Print Delays: The 3 Art File Mistakes We Fix Every Day at Foote Printing

That thin white hairline around your postcard is not a design choice. It is a missing bleed, and it is one of the fastest ways to make a quality piece look cheap.

We want your print to look flawless and to ship on time. In our shop, the same three art file mistakes cause most delays. As Michael Duhr from our team puts it, we could list ten, but these three lead the pack: missing bleeds, font issues, and low resolution images. The good news is each one is easy to prevent when you know what to do.

The Big Three File Errors That Delay Printing

1. Missing Bleed

What goes wrong: Many designs are built to the exact trim size and exported from tools like Canva without bleed. On press, sheets are cut in stacks with a guillotine cutter. Micro shifts happen, which is normal. Without bleed, those shifts reveal a sliver of white along the edge. It is the print equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.

What to do:

Add a minimum 0.125 inch bleed on every side of every page
Extend backgrounds and images past the trim into the bleed area
Do not worry about adding too much bleed, more is fine as long as key content stays inside safe margins
Export a press ready PDF with bleed and crop marks

We often add bleed for clients when we can, but that still adds time. On complex jobs, like a 50 page booklet, retrofitting bleed can be a real delay. Build it in from the start.

2. Font Problems

What goes wrong: There are countless fonts, and if we do not own your font or it is not loaded on our RIP, the system may substitute it. Whether we are running through our Fiery for digital printing or another workflow, missing fonts can change kerning, line breaks, and the entire look of your piece.

What to do:

Convert all text to outlines before exporting
Or rasterize or flatten type layers if your workflow requires it
Avoid relying on live fonts inside packaged files unless you include the licensed font files and we confirm compatibility
Proof your final press ready PDF to ensure nothing reflowed

Outlining locks your typography into the art so it prints exactly as you designed.

3. Low Resolution Images

What goes wrong: Images pulled from the web are usually 72 DPI and in RGB. They look fine on a backlit screen, then turn soft or pixelated in print. Once a low res image is embedded in a layout, pulling it out to repair or upscale takes extra steps and time.

What to do:

Use images at 300 DPI at final print size
Work in CMYK or convert images to CMYK before export
Edit images for tone and color first, then place the final versions
Link images in your design file, then export to a press ready PDF
If you must send native files, package the document with links and fonts, but understand that opening and rebuilding on our end can add time

Our presses image at extremely high resolution, so start with the best source. We can sometimes enhance assets with AI, but prevention is faster and more predictable.

Quick Prepress Checklist

Before you hit send, run through this 60 second checklist:

Bleed added on all sides at 0.125 inch or more
Safe margins respected, no critical text near trim
Fonts outlined or flattened, no live fonts left behind
Images at 300 DPI at size, converted to CMYK
Links updated, no missing or embedded low res previews
Exported as a press ready PDF with bleed and crop marks

Why Our Advice Saves You Time and Money

We live in the details. When a file lacks bleed, has live fonts, or includes a soft image, we can fix many issues, but every fix introduces back and forth and schedule risk. Following the steps above means your art sails through prepress, prints clean, and delivers on time. As Michael likes to say, more bleeds please.

Work With Foote Printing Before You Export

Have a tight deadline or a complex piece like a booklet or catalog? Send us your specs and a proof file, and we will flag potential issues before you commit. A five minute preflight conversation can save days.

Ready to print without delays? Contact Foote Printing to schedule a quick file review, request our print ready export settings, or upload your project for a same day prepress check. Let us help you get a great printing job, with no surprises and no schedule slips.

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The Number One Art File Mistake That Delays Printing, and How To Fix It

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You can design a stunning postcard, but one tiny white sliver along the edge will make it look cheap in an instant. We see it all the time, and it is completely avoidable. At Foote Printing, the most common error that slows jobs down or triggers reprints is simple, no bleed. When files arrive without bleeds, trimming tolerances can reveal thin white edges or force us to under trim, which pushes type uncomfortably close to the cut. I am Michael Duhr, and my team and I want to help you avoid those headaches with a few practical, print-ready habits. Bleeds and Safe Zones, The Foundation of Print-Ready Files If your design prints to the edge, extend background colors, images, and elements past the trim. Add at least 0.125 inch bleed on all sides Keep critical content, logos, and type at least 0.25 inch inside the trim, the safe zone A proper bleed lets us trim cleanly even with slight mechanical variance. A proper safe zone keeps your message from crowding the edge if we must under trim to avoid a white sliver. You can give more bleed if you prefer, even 0.25 inch or more, especially useful for complex layouts. Send the Right File Format and Resolution For commercial printing, PDF is your best friend. Export a print-ready PDF with bleeds turned on Include crop marks if your workflow supports them Avoid sending JPG or PNG as your only file, those often come in at 72 dpi and oversized, which prints poorly If you have to use raster art, ensure it is 300 dpi at final s