Are you struggling to set up your design file for print? 

Preparing your artwork can be an overwhelming process, but getting it right the first time can save you time, reduce frustration, and help you get your final product and future products out faster.

Saving your art correctly speeds up production because we (or whoever is printing your file) doesn’t have to chase missing fonts or assets. This is the major culprit for proof and production delays and will sometimes incur extra pre-production fees, as a designer has to fix the file before it’s print-ready.

So whether you're creating art for our matchboxes and matchbooks, or working on a different print project, this guide will walk you through the essential steps to make your print files production-ready. 

What This Guide Covers

This guide will cover key things you need to do before sending your artwork off for print, including:

• Setting the correct colour mode

• Outlining fonts

• Embedding images

• Adding bleed

• Ensuring true black

• Checking resolution

• Saving and testing your file

You can follow along & see visual examples for each step by watching our video tutorial here:

This guide uses Adobe Illustrator as the design platform, but Adobe InDesign works similarly. If you’re using Canva or another platform, keep reading - we’ve got advice for that too.

Common Print File Issues

Here are the three most common problems we see:

1. Images are not embedded

2. Fonts are not outlined

3. Images are embedded - but too low in resolution

These issues can delay your project or lead to unexpected design changes.

Using our Matchbox and Matchbook Design Template

To help speed up the design process and to allow you to visualise your artwork on a matchbox/matchbook, we have 2 PDFs of our Matchbox and Matchbook Templates available for download. Each PDF includes simple instructions on how to import your design, but continue reading this guide to ensure your submitted file will be print-ready.

STANDARD Matchbox Template

LONGSTEM Matchbox Template

Matchbook Template

Simply import your designs into the unlocked ART LAYER of the file. You do not need to touch the Die or Info Layers. 

Step 1: Set Colour Mode to CMYK

When preparing a print file, ALWAYS use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) - not RGB.

Why? RGB is for screens and often produces colours that don’t print as expected. CMYK reflects how colours will actually appear on physical materials.

Pro tip: CMYK colours tend to print darker than they appear on screen. Expect subtle differences.

Step 2: Outline Your Fonts

If you're using a unique font, we often do not have the typeface you used downloaded on our computers. More so, if you've used a paid font and we can't access it, we have to substitute your fonts, which can affect how your design looks.

Therefore, to avoid this, you must outline your fonts. 

How to Outline Fonts:

1. Select all text (Command+A on Mac / Ctrl+A on PC)
2. Go to Type > Create Outlines

3. Or use the shortcut:

   • Mac: Command+Shift+O

   • PC: Ctrl+Shift+O

This turns your text into vector shapes - so they’ll print exactly how they appear in your original file.

Step 3: Embed All Images

When you place a JPEG, PNG, or other image, make sure it’s embedded in the file - not just linked. Otherwise, it won’t show up correctly when the designer opens your file.

To embed in Illustrator, select the image and click Embed in the Properties window.

Step 4: Check Image Resolution

Low-resolution images may look fine on screen but will print pixelated.

Recommended Resolution:

• 300 DPI minimum, but ideally 600 DPI for packaging and fine detail.

Quick Test:
Zoom in on your image at 4x the printed size. If it looks blurry at this zoom level, it will print blurry.

Step 5: Add Bleed

Adding bleed ensures that when your artwork is printed, there are no undesired white edges. Even with high-end printers, slight movement and shifting can occur during printing and cutting, therefore adding bleed prevents visible errors in your end product.

 To add bleed:

• Extend any background colours, patterns or elements at least 3mm beyond the die line.

• Don’t place important text or graphics within 2mm of the edge.

Step 6: Use True Black

Does your artwork have a solid black background? To create a deep, rich black add 30% CYAN to your black: C:30 M:0 Y:0 K:100

Step 7: Test Print Your Design

If you have access to a printer, do a test print at actual size.

Doing so helps you spot design details that may not have come up on the screen. It's easy to forget scale when working on a digitally, especially when creating artwork for our matchboxes and small packaging! Check that your text is still legible at the actual size, that any detailed graphics print well, and make any adjustments where needed. 

Step 8: Final Checks

Before saving and sending your file, run through this quick checklist:

✅ All fonts outlined

✅ All images embedded and high resolution

✅ Bleed added 

✅ True black applied where needed

✅ Spelling and grammar double-checked

✅ No missing images or graphics

✅ Test print reviewed

Saving Your Print File

Export your file as a PDF using print-ready settings.

In Adobe Illustrator, go to File > Export > Export As...

Then select the Adobe PDF option.

In Presets, select "High Quality Print"

Using Canva or Other Non-Professional Tools?

Canva and other online design tools are great for mockups, but are not ideal for print production. These platforms often don’t support bleed, embedding, or CMYK colour.

If you're using Canva, we strongly recommend exporting your design to Adobe Illustrator and adjusting your artwork there, or getting a designer to help with setup. We offer an artwork setup service for a small fee to help with converting Canva files into print-ready files.

Still Overwhelmed? Don't Have the Tools on Hand?

We always want to give our clients the opportunity to do it themselves—it saves time, money, and gives you more control.

However, if this still feels overwhelming, or you don’t have the right tools or software (we know Adobe can be expensive!), we offer an artwork setup service for a small fee.

Pricing varies by file complexity - like locating fonts or redrawing low-resolution artwork.

Please email us first at production@cocreativedesign.com.au so we can give you a quote based on your file.

Final Thoughts

Setting up your art files correctly can save you time, money, and stress. Hopefully after following this step-by-step guide and watching our YouTube Video, you can get a grasp of the basics so that you'll feel confident submitting artwork that’s ready for production - and prints exactly the way you imagined.

Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message through Shopify or email us directly at production@cocreativedesign.com.au

Like this guide?
Check out our other resources and videos on our YouTube channel.