Free tool
Print-ready file checker
Drop in a PDF or image and see what will go wrong at the press: bleed, fonts, low-resolution images, RGB colour and text too close to the edge. It runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your computer.
What it checks
- Bleed and trim: whether the file has 0.125 in bleed, read from the PDF’s trim box or worked out from standard sizes.
- Fonts: every font must be embedded or outlined, or the press may swap it.
- Image resolution, where it’s used: the real pixels per inch of every placed image at the size it prints, not the number in the file.
- Colour: RGB images, text and shapes that will shift when converted to CMYK.
- Spot colours and dielines: named inks like CutContour or Dieline, and a reminder to set them to overprint.
- Safe area: text within 1/8 in of the trim, which cutting can clip.
Questions
- Is my file uploaded anywhere?
- No. The checker runs inside your browser. Your file is read on your own computer and never sent to us or anyone else. Only if you ask us to email the report do we receive the list of results, not the file.
- What does the print-ready file checker check?
- For PDFs: bleed, trim and finished size, whether fonts are embedded, the real printed resolution of every image, RGB versus CMYK colour, spot colours and dielines, and text too close to the trim. For JPEG, PNG and TIFF images: pixel size, resolution at the size you will print, shape, and colour mode.
- What resolution does an image need for print?
- About 300 pixels per inch at the size it prints for anything held in the hand, like business cards, flyers and menus. Posters seen from a few feet need around 150 ppi, and banners or signs read from across a room can be 100 ppi or less.
- How much bleed do print files need?
- The US standard is 0.125 inch (1/8 inch) on every side, so a 3.5 × 2 inch business card becomes a 3.75 × 2.25 inch file. Keep text and logos at least another 0.125 inch inside the trim.
- What can’t an online checker catch?
- Total ink coverage, overprint and knockout settings, very thin lines, rich black on small text, spelling, and whether colours match a brand. A person still needs to check the proof.
Want the reasoning behind each check? Read what “print-ready” actually means, or let us handle it: prepress and file cleanup.
Failed a check? We’ll fix it.
Send the file and we’ll return it print-ready, usually the same day, under your shop’s name.
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