300 DPI at final size
Press files are built at 300 DPI of the size they will print. Large-format posters drop to 150-200 DPI; screens need only 72-96 PPI.
300 DPI, CMYK, press-ready PDF
Send a press-ready PDF built at 300 DPI at final size, converted to CMYK, with 3 mm bleed on every edge and all fonts embedded or outlined. Everything below is the math and the checklist that get a file to that state without color, size or font surprises.
01
Printers ask for 300 DPI at final size, and the only way to know whether a file meets that number is to divide its pixels by its print inches. The same image can be press-ready at one size and unusable at another.
02
CMYK builds the image from inks up on white paper, with total coverage capped at 260-300% so the sheet still dries. Converting from RGB before export shows the shift while it is still cheap to fix.
03
Bleed of 3 mm on every edge, a 5 mm safe margin, embedded or outlined fonts, no hairline under 0.25 pt and a proof judged under D50 light — the preflight pass is short, ordered and unforgiving about sequence.
Divide the image's pixels by its print size in inches — the result, effective DPI, is the only resolution number that matters.
Commercial print is built at 300 DPI at final size. That means a 3 × 4 in photo needs 900 × 1200 px, an 8 × 10 in needs 2400 × 3000 px, and any shortfall shows up as softness the press cannot fix afterwards.
The same file changes resolution with size: 900 × 1200 px prints at exactly 300 DPI at 3 × 4 in, but stretched to 6 × 8 in it drops to 150 DPI — acceptable for a poster viewed at arm's length, not for a brochure held in the hand.
Large-format work runs 150-200 DPI because viewing distance does the sharpening the pixels do not. Screens render at only 72-96 PPI, which is why an image that looks crisp on a monitor can still fail the 300 DPI test on paper.
Press files are built at 300 DPI of the size they will print. Large-format posters drop to 150-200 DPI; screens need only 72-96 PPI.
Full-bleed art extends 3 mm (0.125 in) past every trim edge, while text and logos stay 5 mm inside the line, clear of the cut.
Color on paper is built from inks up, and total coverage is capped at 260-300% so the sheet still dries on press.
AI, EPS and SVG scale from a 20 mm card to a 2 m banner without loss; raster art must arrive at 300 DPI of final size.
Every font is embedded or converted to outlines before export, and no rule in the file is thinner than 0.25 pt.
Proofs are read under 5000 K light; the same sheet looks cooler at 6500 K and warmer under 2700-3000 K office bulbs.
Pixels divided by inches is the only resolution number a printer can use.
Convert to CMYK while the shift is still free to fix — before export, not after plating.
| Specification | Working value | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Image resolution at final size | 300 DPI | Commercial print, sheetfed and digital |
| Large-format resolution | 150-200 DPI | Posters and banners viewed at a distance |
| Screen rendering | 72-96 PPI | Monitors, phones and web graphics |
| Bleed on every edge | 3 mm (0.125 in) | Full-bleed artwork past the trim line |
| Safe margin inside trim | 5 mm | Text and logos kept away from the cut |
| Total ink coverage cap | 260-300% | CMYK builds, so the sheet still dries |
| Minimum hairline weight | 0.25 pt | Thinnest rule that survives on press |
| Proof viewing light | 5000 K (D50) | Standard condition for judging proofs |
The figures on this page reflect widely published industry practice rather than any single printer's house rules.