ELITE.
Print & Digital
Design resources

Print Template / File Specifications

Everything your artwork needs to print exactly the way you see it on screen — the right size, the right colours, nothing cut off. Grab a template below, then check your file against the specs.

Recommended
Design in Canva and share an edit link

We recommend Canva — it's the most user-friendly option and cheaper than the professional design suites. Build your artwork there, then share the link with edit access so we can fix the bleed, colour and margins for you instead of sending the file back and forth.

  1. Create your design at the trim size shown on the template below.
  2. Hit Share → Anyone with the link → change Can view to Can edit.
  3. Copy the link and send it to orders@eliteprinting4you.com.
✉ Send my Canva link
ShareAnyone with the linkCan edit
1 · Start from a template
Bleed
Extend backgrounds to this outer edge (0.125 in) so there are no white slivers after cutting.
Trim
The final cut line — your finished size.
Safe area
Keep text, logos & anything important inside this line.

Open the SVG in Illustrator, Photoshop, Canva, or any design tool — it opens at the exact physical size. Design over the guides, then export a print-ready PDF (or upload the design and we'll handle setup). Delete the guide layer before you export.

Business Card bleed and safe-area template
Business Card
Trim 3.5 × 2 in · With bleed 3.75 × 2.25 in
Postcard 4×6 bleed and safe-area template
Postcard 4×6
Trim 6 × 4 in · With bleed 6.25 × 4.25 in
Postcard 5×7 bleed and safe-area template
Postcard 5×7
Trim 7 × 5 in · With bleed 7.25 × 5.25 in
Rack Card 3.5×8.5 bleed and safe-area template
Rack Card 3.5×8.5
Trim 8.5 × 3.5 in · With bleed 8.75 × 3.75 in
Flyer — Half (5.5×8.5) bleed and safe-area template
Flyer — Half (5.5×8.5)
Trim 5.5 × 8.5 in · With bleed 5.75 × 8.75 in
Flyer — Letter (8.5×11) bleed and safe-area template
Flyer — Letter (8.5×11)
Trim 8.5 × 11 in · With bleed 8.75 × 11.25 in
Tri-fold Brochure (11×8.5) bleed and safe-area template
Tri-fold Brochure (11×8.5)
Trim 11 × 8.5 in · With bleed 11.25 × 8.75 in
Door Hanger (4.25×11) bleed and safe-area template
Door Hanger (4.25×11)
Trim 4.25 × 11 in · With bleed 4.5 × 11.25 in
Poster (11×17) bleed and safe-area template
Poster (11×17)
Trim 11 × 17 in · With bleed 11.25 × 17.25 in
2 · How to set up your files
The anatomy of a print-ready file

Three lines matter on every job. Get these right and almost nothing else can go wrong.

Build in 0.125 in (1/8 in) bleed on all four sides and run backgrounds right out to it.
Keep all important art and text inside the safety margin. The more margin you leave, the better — it protects you from awkwardly close trims.
Download our guides and design over them, then delete any hidden layers that are not meant to print (setup guides, alternate artwork) so there is no risk of them appearing on the final print.
Bleed · 1/8 inRun backgrounds out tohere — no white slivers.TrimYour finished size —where the blade lands.Safe areaText and logos live inhere. More room is safer.
Go easy on borders

Printing and cutting both have a small tolerance. A border is the one design element that makes that tolerance obvious.

Avoid borders where you can. If a border sits too close to the trim, a slightly off-centre cut will look thicker on one side.
If you must use one, make it generous and hold it well inside the safe area so a small shift does not show.
✗ Border close to the trimA 1/16 in shift reads as a mistake✓ Full-bleed artworkThe same shift is invisible
One job, one PDF

Multi-page projects included. Consistent pages are what let the press back up front and back correctly.

Submit each job — including multi-page projects — as a single PDF file, with all pages the same size.
Submit with the correct orientation so front and back line up. Check the File Orientation Guide for your specific product before you export.
Make sure the PDF is high resolution and that fonts are embedded or outlined — otherwise type can reflow or substitute on our end.
✗ Loose, mismatched filesDifferent sizes and orientationsPDF✓ One job = one PDFEvery page the same size
Colour, resolution & black

Screens are RGB and light; presses are CMYK and ink. Supplying CMYK means you decide how the colour converts, not the software.

All images CMYK at 300 DPI. Supply a CMYK-only file for the best colour match — unless the product specifically requires RGB or PMS spot colours.
Black text and thin lines: C0 M0 Y0 K100. Anything else makes small type look fuzzy.
Large areas of black: C30 M20 Y20 K100 for a deep, rich black.
Skip heavy builds like C60 M60 Y60 K100 — too much ink on the sheet raises the risk of colour shift.
AaC0 M0 Y0 K100Right for type and hairlines.Goes flat over big areas.AaC30 M20 Y20 K100Deep, rich black for largesolid coverage.Avoid heavy builds like C60 M60 Y60 K100 — too much ink on the sheet.
Thin white text on rich black backgrounds

We hold strict quality standards, but minor shifts on press are always possible. White text knocked out of a rich black is the design that suffers most — it can bleed, fill in, or become hard to read from slight misregistration.

Use C30 M20 Y20 K100 for rich black. This formula minimises oversaturation and registration problems.
Thicken white knockout text so it does not fill in or become unreadable. Minimum 0.75 pt line weight and 8 pt font size.
Apply swelling. Slightly enlarging the knockout areas compensates for ink spread on press and keeps the text crisp after printing.
Elite Print Solutions — 6 pt hairline knockout✗ Fills in, closes up, goes unreadableElite Print Solutions — 8 pt minimum✓ 8 pt type, 0.75 pt minimum line weightElite Print Solutions — swelled✓ Swelled slightly to absorb ink spread on press
3 · Spec cheat sheet
Bleed
0.125 in
All four sides
Safety margin
0.125 in +
More is better
Resolution
300 DPI
All placed images
Colour mode
CMYK
Unless RGB / PMS is required
Black type
C0 M0 Y0 K100
Text & thin lines
Rich black
C30 M20 Y20 K100
Large solid areas
Min. white knockout
8 pt / 0.75 pt
Font size / line weight
File format
Single PDF
All pages the same size
Fonts
Embedded or outlined
No live text substitutions

Not sure whether your file is ready? Send it over and we'll check the bleed, resolution and colour before anything goes to press. Email orders@eliteprinting4you.com or use the Contact page.

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