As Canada’s print experts, we’re here to tell you that most printing mistakes are easily avoided—which means extra frustration if you carelessly make one.
Don’t make the basic print mistakes detailed below, and save yourself from the wasted time, money, and endless headaches they’ll cause.
1. Spelling Errors Will Come Back to Haunt You
Imagine slaving over a brochure for months on end. The creative is tight, the marketing message is clear, and your hard work is finally about to pay off – only for you to realize a minor spelling mistake in the copy.
This wouldn’t be a big deal, if you hadn’t already paid for – and printed – thousands of copies. Sure, you could cross your fingers and hope nobody catches the mistake, but you don’t want a potential client reading that you’re offering the best “sloutions” in your industry.
So, you’re stuck paying for another print job with the correction—costing you double the money, and twice the pain, over one measly typo.
You may think “not me, my spelling is perfect”, but even the best of us have fallen victim to using “there” when we should have used “their”.
The solution is simple: there can never be too many eyes double-checking copy for spelling errors.
2. Bleeding Blunders
The bleed is the part of the design that leaks past a document’s edges.
People commonly forget to add bleeds to files, causing print delays and designs that don’t look the same in print as they do on your monitor.
Create a minimum 3 mm border for bleed on standard documents. Large formats require even more bleed room; while 25″ or .5″ borders will usually get the job done, you can still ask your printer what bleed-size is appropriate.
By printing to the very edge of your document, you maximize your design and space, getting the best bang for your printing buck.
3. The Wrong Resolution Gives off the Wrong Message
Your marketing materials represent your business, and the colours and images on display must be sharp and vibrant to strengthen your brand image.
Still, many people print with the wrong resolutions, muddying up marketing materials, and painting a sloppy picture of your company.
A minimum image resolution of 300-400ppi is ideal for the clear printed visuals.
4. Hard Reading Means Hard Luck
You can diligently edit your work until it’s free of errors, but without readable text, your attention to detail is completely futile.
Avoid low contrast text and backgrounds, and crowded lines of text. Similarly, hard-to-read fonts alienate your audience.
By selecting common typefaces, such as Helvetica, Times, Garamond, and Univers, you will ensure superior readability for your print marketing materials.
5. Choosing the Wrong Printing Company
If you don’t do your research on the right printing company, you may be in for a nasty surprise. You need to make an informed decision, or else you’ll fall victim to a printing company that’s ill-equipped to get the job done.
Evaluate and compare several printers before you make your final choice!
And after you do your research, we’re pretty confident you’ll find that Print Three is the right choice for printing your marketing materials!
With over 40 years in the print industry, we know the ins-and-outs of the best printing practices, producing an exemplary final product that’ll embolden your brand’s image.
Find a Print Three location near you and grow your business today!