A brochure that looks perfect on screen can still cause delays, unwanted borders or disappointing colours if the artwork is not set up for press. Knowing how to prepare files for litho means fewer last-minute questions, more predictable costs and printed materials that do your brand justice.

Litho printing is an excellent choice for brochures, leaflets, folders, stationery, booklets and larger-volume campaigns where consistent quality matters. It is also a production process with clear requirements. The good news is that most are simple to get right once you know what your printer needs.

Start with the finished size, not the document size

Set your artwork to the exact finished size of the product before you begin designing. An A5 leaflet, for example, finishes at 148 x 210mm. A standard business card is commonly 85 x 55mm. If you are producing a folded leaflet or booklet, the flat artwork size and fold positions need checking too.

This sounds obvious, but it is easy to start with an online template, an old document or a guessed size. That can lead to resizing later, which may affect image quality, spacing and fold alignment. Ask for a template if you are unsure, particularly for presentation folders, multi-panel leaflets, menus, booklets or anything with a special finish.

For folded work, keep important text, logos and contact details away from folds. Paper has thickness, and folds do not always land exactly where they appear on a monitor. A simple adjustment at artwork stage avoids a logo disappearing into a crease.

Add bleed to every edge that prints to the edge

Bleed is the extra image or background area that sits outside the finished trim size. It allows the printed sheet to be cut accurately without leaving a fine white line around the edge.

As a general rule, add 3mm bleed on all sides. For an A5 leaflet, this means supplying artwork at 154 x 216mm, while the final trimmed size remains 148 x 210mm. Extend any photographs, blocks of colour, patterns and background graphics into this bleed area.

Do not add a white border unless you genuinely want one. A narrow border can look uneven after trimming, even when the job has been cut correctly within normal production tolerances. If a border is essential to the design, make it comfortably wide enough that tiny trimming variations will not be noticeable.

Keep a safe area inside the trim line

Bleed protects the outer edge of the job. The safe area protects the content inside it. Keep text and key visual elements at least 3mm from the final trim edge, and allow more room where the design calls for it.

For booklets, folders and folded leaflets, a larger safe area may be sensible near folds, creases, drilled holes or binding. It depends on the product, stock and finishing method. This is where a quick conversation before artwork is finalised can save rework later.

Use CMYK colour for predictable litho print

Screens display colour using RGB light. Litho presses print with CMYK inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. RGB artwork can look bright and punchy on screen but may shift when converted for print, especially vivid blues, greens, oranges and fluorescent-style colours.

Set your document and placed images to CMYK from the outset where possible. This gives you a more realistic view of how the piece is likely to reproduce. It does not make a screen a perfect proof, as monitors vary widely, but it removes a common source of surprise.

Be particularly careful with brand colours. If your business relies on a very specific colour, provide the correct CMYK build or Pantone reference alongside the artwork. Spot colours can be used where required, but they need to be agreed before production rather than added as an afterthought.

Black needs a little thought too. For normal body text, use 100% black rather than a mix of all four CMYK inks. Small reversed-out text should be avoided where possible, particularly on busy photographs or dark coloured backgrounds. Fine white type can fill in or lose clarity during print if it is too small.

Check image resolution before placing photographs

Images intended for litho print should normally be 300dpi at the size they will appear in the finished piece. A photograph downloaded from a website, copied from social media or enlarged from a small original is unlikely to have enough detail for sharp print.

Low-resolution images can look soft, blocky or pixelated. Increasing the dpi number in software does not create missing detail. You need the original high-resolution photograph, or a replacement image with sufficient pixel dimensions.

A useful rule is to check images at their final placed size, not at their original size. An image may be perfectly usable at 50mm wide but not when enlarged to fill an A4 page. Be wary of screenshots too. They are useful for reference, rarely for professional print.

Choose fonts and export a proper PDF

A print-ready PDF is usually the safest file format for litho work. It holds layout, fonts, images and vector graphics together in one file, reducing the risk of elements moving when opened elsewhere.

When exporting, choose a high-quality print setting and include bleed. If your software offers a PDF/X setting, PDF/X-4 is often a good modern option because it retains transparency and colour information reliably. Your printer may specify another standard, so follow their preferred setup where one is supplied.

Fonts should be embedded in the PDF, or converted to outlines where appropriate. Embedding is generally preferable for editable source files, while outlining can prevent font-substitution issues in final artwork. Do not send a Word document, PowerPoint slide or low-quality PDF and assume it will reproduce as designed. These are useful office formats, but they are not dependable final artwork formats for commercial litho print.

Supply the source file when it will help

A finished PDF is the production file, but it can be useful to supply the packaged source artwork as well if a design change may be needed. This could include an InDesign, Illustrator or Affinity file with linked images and fonts.

That said, do not rely on a printer to recreate missing content from a flattened JPEG or screenshot. If the brief includes editable names, dates, prices or event details, make sure the editable artwork is available before the deadline starts to tighten.

Proofread for the things a pre-flight check cannot judge

Artwork checks can flag missing bleed, low-resolution pictures, RGB images and unusual font handling. They cannot always spot a wrong telephone number, an out-of-date offer, a typo in a headline or a map pin in the wrong place.

Read the final PDF slowly, page by page. Check web addresses, email addresses, prices, dates, QR codes and legal wording. If the job is a booklet, check page order and make sure the total number of pages works for the chosen binding. Saddle-stitched booklets normally need a page count divisible by four.

Print a scaled proof in-house if helpful, but also view the PDF at 100% on screen. Small type, thin rules and fine detail can look very different when you see them at actual size. For high-value campaigns, colour-critical work or a new brand rollout, ask whether a printed proof is appropriate. It adds time and cost, but it can be worthwhile when there is little room for compromise.

A final checklist before sending litho artwork

Before you send a file, make sure the finished size is correct, 3mm bleed has been added where needed, and essential content sits safely inside the trim edge. Confirm images are high resolution, colours are CMYK or clearly specified spot colours, and the PDF includes the correct number of pages.

Then check the practical details around the file: quantity, paper choice, sides to print, finishing, delivery date and any special instructions. A good artwork file is only one part of a smooth print job. Clear instructions ensure the right file becomes the right product.

If any of this feels more technical than it should, send the artwork early and ask the question. Print by Volta is here to make the process straightforward, whether you have supplied press-ready files for years or need a friendly second pair of eyes before your job goes to print.