Print-Ready Cards: Bleed, DPI and File Formats for Printers
Published 2026-10-16 by the Dawat team
Most printing problems come from files that were made for screens. Here is how to prepare a file that your printer can use without a call back.
Resolution: 300 DPI
A card that looks sharp on a phone can look blurry on paper. Printers use around 300 dots per inch, so an A4 file should be about 2480 by 3508 pixels. Dawat exports at that resolution for every size.
Bleed
Printed sheets are cut after printing, and the cut is never perfectly exact. If your artwork has colour to the edge, the printer needs a few millimetres of extra colour, called bleed, so no white edge shows. Three millimetres is the usual request. If your design has a white border, bleed is not needed.
Safe margin
Keep text at least 5 millimetres from the edge. Dawat designs keep text well inside the frame, so you do not need to adjust anything.
PDF or PNG?
- PDF: best for print, because the physical size is built in.
- PNG: best for screens and for printers who ask for an image.
- JPG: smaller files for quick sharing.
Colour
Screens show colour with light, and printers use ink. Gold and deep greens can look different on paper. Ask for a printed proof of one card if the colour matters.
Paper
For invitations, 250 to 300 gsm card feels premium and holds its shape. For leaflets and menus, 130 to 170 gsm is common. Matt lamination reduces fingerprints, and glossy makes colours richer.
Before you print
- Check names, dates and phone numbers once more.
- Print one proof.
- Confirm the number of copies and the delivery date in writing.
Make a file in the visiting card maker or any other design on Dawat and send it straight to your printer.
