Artwork and File Preparation for Printing: Formats, Bleed, Margins, Colour and Product Rules

Most printing problems start with the file. This page is the quick route to a print-ready file for every Valenna custom product: which format to send, how big to build it, how close to the edge to keep things, and what to do with colour and fonts. Rules differ by product, so use the table, then follow the link for your product.

⚠️ Warning: Valenna prints your file exactly as you upload it. Our workflow is automated, so nobody reviews, proofreads, corrects or rearranges a file first, and we do not offer a design or layout service. Check every page yourself. See does Valenna check my artwork? and design and layout services.

📋 Product-by-product file rules

Product	File	Bleed and margins
Custom notebooks	One PDF: front cover, inside front cover, pages, back cover	Exact finished size on every page, no bleed, 10 mm safe margin
Custom notepads	One PDF, one page per sheet	Exact size, no crop or bleed marks, 10 mm safe margin
Custom deskpads	One flattened PDF, landscape sheets	Exact size, no marks, 10 mm safe margin
Flyers and documents	One PDF (front then back for flyers)	Flyers: 3 mm bleed, essential content 3 mm inside the edge. Documents: exact page size
Envelopes	Two-page PDF: front, then back	No bleed, important front artwork 30 mm from edges
Notecards	Two separate files per design: front and back	Extend backgrounds beyond the finished edge, keep text away from the cut edge
Bookmarks	PNG or SVG, one front and one back per design	Both sides 50 × 140 mm, safe area, keep tassel area clear
Die-cut stickers	Transparent PNG or SVG per design, one ZIP per billed sheet	About 2 to 4 mm white padding, or 2 to 4 mm bleed for borderless; never your own cutline
Pens and pencils	Word or Excel list, one entry per item	Text only, up to 20 characters per line
PU and fabric notebooks	AI or SVG vector, text outlined, one colour	Placement mock-up or measurements
Cover-only printing	One PDF with the front and back cover pair	Allow for roughly 2 to 6 mm of trimming

📤 Which file format, and can I send a Canva link?

Export one finished, print-ready PDF with every page in the exact order it must print, unless your product asks for another format (PNG, SVG, AI, Word or Excel).
A Canva share link is not a production file. Export the design from Canva first.
One standalone PDF page per printed page. Do not submit two-page spreads.
Remove crop marks, cutting guides and registration marks, unless your product asks for them.
Files up to 25 MB upload on the product page. For a larger PDF, put it in Google Drive, set access to "Anyone with the link" and add the link to the order notes. OneDrive, WeTransfer and live Canva links are not accepted for oversized artwork.

See what file format to upload and how to upload your design.

📐 Bleed, safe area and crop marks are three different things

Bleed: background extended about 3 mm beyond the finished edge so cutting never leaves a white sliver. Only for products that need it.
Safe area: keeps names, logos, QR codes and key text away from the trim and from punching or binding.
Crop marks: printer's marks showing the cut position. Most Valenna products do not want them.

📝 Note: custom notebooks and planners need no bleed in any size. We print directly onto the cover and interior stock and cut to the finished size, so there is nothing to wrap. Supply every page at the exact finished size and keep important content 10 mm from every edge. See bleed, safe area and crop marks explained and do custom notebooks need bleed?

🎨 Resolution and colour

✅ Aim for about 300 DPI at the final printed size for photographs and other raster images. Screenshots and small web graphics look soft or pixelated when enlarged, and changing the DPI number does not restore missing detail.
✅ Use CMYK where your software allows it. RGB bright blues, greens, oranges and neon colours can print duller because not every screen colour has a printed equivalent.
✅ Vector logos scale cleanly, but photos inside them still need enough resolution.

💡 Tip: CMYK makes the likely colour shift easier to judge, but no screen can guarantee a perfect print match. If colour is brand-critical, order a physical sample on the exact material. See 300 DPI and CMYK, RGB vs CMYK and when to request a proof or sample.

🔤 Fonts, page order and names

Embed fonts in the PDF, or convert text to outlines, so a missing font is not swapped. Keep an editable copy for yourself. See embedding fonts.
Open the exported PDF and check every page in sequence for blanks, orientation and page order. See checking page order, blank pages and orientation.
Name files clearly, for example notecard-01-front-final.pdf, and list the quantity for each design. See naming and organising files for several designs.
Personalisation field vs artwork upload: use the text field for the exact name or short wording a retail product asks for, and the upload for a complete final design. See which field to use.

✅ The one-page checklist

Run through the print-ready PDF checklist before every upload.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Will you fix my artwork or design it for me?

No. We print customer files as supplied and do not offer a general design or correction service.

Can I send a Word or PowerPoint file?

Export it to PDF first unless your product asks for Word or Excel (for example a pen or pencil name list).

What if I find a mistake after ordering?

Contact us straight away with your order number and corrected file. See what happens if you notice an artwork mistake after checkout.

👉 Next steps and help

How to upload your design
Not sure your file meets a product's rules? Use the contact form, email support@valenna.co.za or WhatsApp 061 500 4106 before you order. We can explain the rules, but we cannot check or correct the file itself.

Print-Ready Artwork Guide South Africa | PDF, Bleed, CMYK, 300 DPI | Valenna