Docs/Export/Print Preflight

Print Preflight

One-click preflight for a finished design: DPI, repeat edges, out-of-gamut colour and bleed. Exports a print-ready RGB or CMYK file plus a report.

Credit Usage

Options & Settings

SettingTypeDescription
Print methodButtonsExport colour space, named by the process it feeds. Digital / POD writes RGB, which is what digital printing and most mills want; Screen / Rotary writes CMYK for separated screen and rotary work.
Digital / PODScreen / Rotary
Design typeButtonsRepeat checks that the edges tile cleanly. Placement skips the seam check, for panels and borders that are not meant to tile.
RepeatPlacement
Print sizeNumber InputsWidth and height of the printed piece, in cm or inches, used to work out the effective DPI.
cmin
Bleed (mm)Number InputMirrored bleed added around the design on export, in millimetres.

When to Use

  • Final QC before sending artwork to a mill or printer
  • Checking a design hits 300 DPI at the intended print size
  • Exporting a CMYK TIFF with embedded DPI for production
  • Confirming a repeat still tiles cleanly before a bulk run

Pro Tips

💡

Run preflight before every handoff — it catches low DPI and broken repeats early

💡

Add 3–5 mm bleed for cut-and-sew so trimming never exposes the substrate

💡

Use CMYK export only when your mill explicitly asks for it; RGB is safer otherwise

💡

A warning on the Seamless repeat row means the edges don't match; choose Placement for a panel that is not meant to tile

What to Expect

Best Results

  • Finished, final-size designs
  • Seamless repeats needing an edge check
  • Files headed to a mill or printer
⚠️

Limited Results

  • Rough drafts still being edited
  • Photographic art for CMYK (out-of-gamut estimate is a heuristic)
  • Designs without a known target print size

Real-World Examples

Mill Handoff

A 4000×4000 px floral was preflighted at 33×33 cm — just over 300 DPI, seamless, in-gamut — then exported as a CMYK TIFF with 5 mm mirrored bleed.

Catching Low DPI

A client PNG flagged 180 DPI at the requested 50 cm width; the report prompted an upscale before print instead of a blurry run.

Ready to try Print Preflight?

Open in Studio →