Common File Design Mistakes (And How to Fix Them Before You Print)

We see a lot of files come through. Thousands of them, actually — from artists, small business owners, students, bands, candle makers, photographers, and basically everyone in between who needs something printed.

Most files are fine. Some need a small adjustment. And some arrive with issues that, if we just printed them as-is, would result in a sticker or label that doesn't look anything like what the customer had in mind.

We always catch these things during the proofing stage — that's the whole point of sending a proof before we print. But we figured it'd be useful to write down the most common mistakes we see, so you can check your file before you upload it and get through the proof stage faster.

1. Resolution Is Too Low

This is the most common one by a significant margin. A file that looks crisp and clear on your screen can print blurry if the resolution isn't high enough.

For print, you want a minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch) at the final print size. Screen resolution is typically 72–96 DPI — which looks fine on a monitor but will print soft and pixelated.

The tricky part: you can't fix a low-resolution file by just increasing the DPI in Photoshop. That stretches the existing pixels — it doesn't add new detail. If your original file is low resolution, you need to go back to the source and export at a higher resolution, or recreate the design as a vector.

Quick check: In Photoshop, go to Image → Image Size and make sure the resolution is 300 DPI at your intended print size. In Illustrator or other vector programs, resolution isn't an issue — vectors scale to any size without losing quality.

2. No Transparent Background (For Die Cut Stickers)

If you're ordering die cut stickers, we cut the acrylic or vinyl to follow the outline of your artwork. To do that cleanly, we need to see where your design ends and the background begins.

If your file has a white background instead of a transparent one, we have two options: cut around the white rectangle (which is probably not what you want) or manually remove the background during proofing (which we'll do, but it adds time and the result depends on how complex your artwork is).

The cleanest approach: export your design as a PNG with a transparent background. In most design programs, this means making sure the background layer is either deleted or hidden before you export.

In Procreate: Turn off the background colour layer before exporting as PNG.
In Photoshop: Delete the background layer, then export as PNG.
In Illustrator: Make sure there's no white rectangle behind your artwork, then export as PNG with "Transparent" checked, or save as PDF/AI.

3. Design Elements Too Close to the Edge

Any text, logo, or important design element that sits right at the edge of your artwork is at risk of getting cut off. Cutting machines are precise, but there's always a small margin of variation — and if your design goes right to the edge, that variation becomes visible.

The standard practice is to keep important elements at least 1–2mm away from the cut line. If you have a border or background colour that you want to extend right to the edge, extend it slightly beyond the cut line (this is called a bleed) so there's no white gap if the cut lands slightly outside.

We'll flag this during proofing if we see it — but catching it before you upload saves everyone time.

4. Text Converted to Outlines

This one goes both ways. If you're sending an AI or EPS file with live text (text that's still editable), and we don't have the same font installed, your text will either substitute a different font or throw an error.

The fix: before saving your final file, convert all text to outlines (or curves). In Illustrator: select all text, then Type → Create Outlines. In Inkscape: Path → Object to Path. This embeds the letterforms directly into the file so no font is needed to open it correctly.

If you're sending a PNG or PDF, this isn't an issue — the text is already flattened into the image.

5. Colour Mode Is RGB Instead of CMYK

Screens display colour using RGB (Red, Green, Blue). Printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). The two colour systems don't map perfectly to each other — some colours that look vivid on screen (especially bright blues, purples, and greens) can shift when converted to CMYK for printing.

If colour accuracy matters to you — and for most of our artist customers, it really does — set your document to CMYK mode before you design, or at least check how your colours look in CMYK before you export.

That said: we print on calibrated equipment and work hard to match your file as closely as possible. If you send an RGB file, we'll convert it and the proof will show you exactly what the printed colour will look like. Most of the time the difference is minor. For bright neons and saturated blues, it can be more noticeable.

6. File Is a Screenshot or Photo of the Design

This one comes up more often than you'd expect. Someone designs something, takes a screenshot of it, and sends the screenshot as the print file.

Screenshots are low resolution by definition — they're captured at screen resolution (72–96 DPI), not print resolution (300 DPI). They also often include UI elements, toolbars, or background apps in the frame.

Always export directly from your design software. If you designed something in Canva, use the Download button and select PNG at the highest quality. If you designed in Procreate, export the canvas as PNG, not a screenshot of the canvas.

7. Multiple Designs Without Labelling

If you're splitting an order across up to 4 designs (which we allow on most products), it helps to label your files clearly — Design 1, Design 2, and so on — and note in the special instructions which design gets which quantity. "50 of the cat design, 50 of the logo" is much easier to work with than four files named "final," "final2," "final_v2," and "USE THIS ONE."

We'll always confirm quantities in the proof, so this isn't a dealbreaker — but clear labelling gets your proof back faster.

A Note on Proofs

Even if your file has one of the issues above, we catch it before we print. Every order gets a free digital proof — we review your file, flag any concerns, and show you exactly what your sticker or label will look like before a single one gets made.

So don't stress too much about getting everything perfect before you upload. Do your best, and we'll take care of the rest during proofing.

If you have a question about your file before you upload, you can always email us at info@siraprint.ca and we'll take a look.

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Sira Print Inc. — Custom stickers, labels, and acrylics made in North York, Toronto. Free proofs, 1–3 day production, free shipping available to Canada and the USA.