Tips and Templates

Print and Mail Services

Tips and Guidelines for Your Print Project

Preparing your print project just got easier. St. Cloud State University Printing Services offers helpful tips to ensure your materials are print-ready and professionally produced. Whether you're designing posters, flyers, or mail merge documents, these resources will guide you through best practices and streamline your printing experience.

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USING CANVA

DOS AND DON'TS

DESIGN TIPS

SAVING AND PACKAGING FILES

TEMPLATES

LOGOS

Canva and Other Online Design Platforms

Canva and other online design platforms provide a great platform for persons who may not have the skillset to design within the Adobe suite. However, the results of these designs are not always compatible with Printing Services.

Common Issues

Resolution may be lower than the industry standard of 300 DPI, resulting in blurry or pixelated prints.
Bleed/trim/crop marks are not always incorporated which can lead to uneven cuts or undesired white borders.
Limitations in file formats – PDF, .indd, .ai, or .psd, files are preferred by our shop, which may not be available.

Before utilizing one of these online services, consider:

Can your design be set up to the dimensions that will fit Printing Services printing equipment?
Will you be able to export as PDF Print with bleed and crop marks?

Proper Canva Set-up

Create your document using Custom Size (set Units to inches)
Common project sizes:
- 4.25x5.5 (quarter sheet handout)
- 5.5x8.5 (half sheet flyer)
- 8.5x11 (full sheet flyer)
- 11x17 (small poster)
- 24x32 (large poster for Atwood or easels)
A3, A4, A5 sizes are not compatible with our equipment.
When complete and ready for print, export your design with File Type "PDF Print" and select "Crop Marks and Bleeds."

Print Services Dos and Don'ts

Do This Design/Set-up/Export - Do:

Design your project in Adobe InDesign whenever possible.
Use U.S. standard paper sizes (Letter: 8.5×11", Legal: 8.5×14", Tabloid: 11×17").
Save your file at its final size, with one layout per page.

Proofing & Accessibility - Do:

Run a spell check before submitting.
Perform a manual review for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Run an accessibility check and remediate any flagged issues, such as color contrast or readability.

Image/Graphics - Do:

Use high-resolution images (300 DPI or higher).
Submit image files with extensions such as .jpeg, .jpg, .tif, .eps, or .psd.

Ordering - Do:

Include a sample of your project with your Printing Services Request Form.
Send all fonts and linked images used in your file along with the file itself.
Complete the Printing Services Request Form thoroughly.
Allow at least [insert number] business days for your project to be processed.

Don't Do This

Design/Set-up/Export - Don't:

Design page layouts in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or Publisher.
Skip page 1 when using the “Facing Pages” option.
Use international paper sizes (e.g., A4, A3) instead of U.S. standard sizes.
Create page layouts in Adobe Photoshop (use layout-specific software like InDesign instead).

Proofing and Accessibility - Don't:

Skip running a spell check.
Skip manually reviewing spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Skip a digital accessibility check that may reveal issues with color contrast, readability, or language clarity.

Image/Graphics - Don't:

Submit images embedded in Word documents (.doc, .docx, .dot).
Use low-resolution graphics intended for web use.
Copy and paste images into InDesign; always use the “Place” function to import graphics properly.
Use the Transparency panel to create screened or tinted colors; instead, use the screen slider in the Color Swatch panel.

Ordering - Don't:

Expect same-day service without prior coordination.

Saving and Packaging Files

Follow these steps to save, package, and export your InDesign file before sending to Printing Services for processing.

Choose File > Export.
- Specify a name and location for the file.
- Specify format as "Adobe PDF."
In the Export Adobe PDF box, under General:
- Specify Adobe PDF Preset: "High Quality Print."
- Specify Standard: "None."
- Specify Compatibility: "Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4)."
- Specify which pages you want to convert to PDF; "All" or selected pages.
- Specify "Spreads" if applicable.
- In the "Options" and "Include" boxes below, nothing should be checked.
Under Compression:
- Changes all drop down menus to "Do Not Downsample."
- Change Compression Drop Down Menus to "None."
- Uncheck "Compress Text and Line Art" and "Crop Image Data to Frames."
- If your document has many photos, saving it as a PDF with these settings will create a large file size. To minimize file size, change "Do Not Downsample" to "Average Downsampling To" 300 pixels per inch for Color and Greyscale images.
Under Marks and Bleeds:
- Without bleeds
  - Uncheck All "Marks" boxes.
  - Bleed amounts at "0 inches."
- With bleeds
  - Check "Crop Marks" box.
  - Uncheck "Use Document Bleed Settings."
  - Make Bleed Amounts "0.125 inches."
  - Uncheck "Include Slug Area."
Under Output:
- Specify Color Conversion: "No Color Conversion."
- Specify Profile Inclusion Policy: "Include All Profiles."
Under Advanced:
- In the Fonts Box, change subset font percentage to 100 percent.
- In the OPI Box, uncheck any boxes.
- Uncheck "Create PDF File Using Acrobat."
Under Security:
- Unless your file needs to be password protected or you want certain editing/printing features disabled, all boxes should be unchecked.
Click the 'Export' button when finished.

Jobs that get sent to Printing Services with missing fonts or images may be sent back. Once you are finished designing your file, follow these steps when packaging your files.

Go to File menu > Package.
Click “Package” to go past summary window.
Create New Folder with "Job Name" + "Collected" (ex. SampleJobCollected).
Check boxes for Copy Fonts, Copy Link Graphics, Update Graphic Links in Package, Include PDF(Print)
Click Package to save the Collected File folder. If a font warning box pops up after clicking save, click OK to continue packaging files.