Designing your own artwork for print doesn’t have to be complicated — especially when using Canva. Whatever you’re creating posters, banners, stickers, or point-of-sale displays, following a few key steps will ensure your designs look sharp and print exactly as expected.
1. Set up your design at the final print size
Before you even start designing, make sure your Canva document is created at the exact final size you want your printed piece to be. Canva has the option to choose custom size when creating your initial template.
- Use the custom size option (and set the size in units to millimetres, centimetres, or inches) to match your required print size.
- Avoid scaling artwork later, as resizing can affect print quality and layout accuracy.
- If your design is really large it will display on the screen at a small percentage scale (this is great so you can see the design on your screen but also so that you can scale it up to 100% before downloading to see how the images would be viewed when printed at full scale).
2. Do you need to add bleed to your design
Bleed is the extra area that extends beyond the edge of your finished artwork, ensuring no white borders appear after trimming your final printed item.
- In Canva, this can be viewed on your design by going to File (in the top left of the header bar), selecting settings and choose show print bleed to display the bleed area.
- Extend any background colours or images slightly beyond the edge to fill this space.
- Typically, a 3mm bleed on all sides is recommended.
3. Design and double-check everything
Once your document is correctly sized and includes bleed:
- Keep all important text and logos a good distance from the Edge.
- Proof read thoroughly for spelling or layout errors.
- Make sure images are high resolution (300dpi) for best print quality.
- We can only print what you send us – As we cannot make amendments to your design
4. Download as a print-ready PDF
When your design is complete, it’s really simple to download ready to send to us.
- Simply click Share (in the top right hand corner) and choose the download option.
- The first option is file type. Select the PDF Print – Best for printing option
- Then tick the options for “Crop marks and bleed” and “Flatten PDF.”
- Under Colour Profile, select CMYK (best for professional printing) for accurate print colours. This may require you upgrading to a paid version (we can’t comment as this may alter) but there are often free trials.
5. Name your file clearly
Give your file a name that reflects the final printed size and print job— for example:
“A2_Poster_Summer_Sale.pdf”
This will help our team identify your artwork easily and ensures the correct setup is used during production. It is a great help if there are multiple designs.
Final checklist before sending to print
- Artwork set up at final print size
- 3mm bleed added on all sides
- Crop marks included
- File flattened
- Colour mode set to CMYK
- File named with finished size
Ready to print?
Following these steps ensures your Canva design is truly print-ready, saving time and avoiding unexpected results. If you’re unsure or need help checking your file, our team at Screenprint and Display is always happy to review your artwork before it goes to print.
