# Print Layout > Prepares a design for commercial print - document setup with correct bleed and safe zones, CMYK color management, print typography, image resolution, and a full prepress checklist through PDF/X export and proofing. Use when someone asks "get this file print-ready", "what bleed do I need", "why did my printer reject this PDF", "will these colors print right", or is sending business cards, brochures, posters, or packaging to a print shop. Do NOT use for on-screen design deliverables or developer handoff - use design-handoff-doc instead. - Skill: `skillmedev/print-layout` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add skillmedev/print-layout` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/skillmedev/print-layout/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Design & Media - Author: SkillMedev (https://skillmd.com/u/skillmedev) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/skillmedev/print-layout --- # Print Layout Print failures are paid for twice: once for the ruined run, once for the reprint. The classic disasters - content cut off at the trim, colors that shifted from screen to press, files rejected at prepress - are all preventable with numbers known before the file is built. This skill takes a design to print without those surprises. ## Inputs to collect 1. **Trim size** - the final cut dimensions. No default; this must come from the user or the printer's spec sheet. 2. **Printer's specifications** - ask for the spec sheet or at minimum: required PDF standard, ICC profile, ink limit, and bleed requirement. If unavailable, use the defaults below and label the file "pending printer confirmation". 3. **Print method** - offset, digital, or large-format. This sets resolution and color decisions. 4. **Color-critical?** - brand colors or product photography that must match. If yes, plan a hard proof from the start. ## Operating procedure Follow the steps in order - color and type decisions depend on the document setup, and the checklist only means something after everything upstream is done. ### Step 1: Set up the document - **Trim size** - the final cut dimensions of the piece. - **Bleed** - extend any artwork that touches the edge by 3mm (0.125in) past trim, so a slightly off cut never reveals white paper. - **Safe zone** - keep all critical content (text, logos) at least 3-5mm inside the trim to survive cutting tolerance. - **Resolution** - design at 300 DPI for the final print size; 150 DPI may suffice for large-format viewed from a distance (roughly beyond arm's length). ### Step 2: Manage color - Work in **CMYK** for offset and digital print, not RGB - screen colors won't all reproduce on press. Convert and review before delivery; expect vivid blues, greens, and oranges to dull, and check them individually after conversion. - Assign the correct **ICC profile** for the press and paper - ask the printer (e.g., US Web Coated SWOP for US web offset, FOGRA39 for European coated stock). - Use **spot/Pantone** colors only when specified; each costs an extra plate. - **Rich black** for large dark areas (e.g., C60 M40 Y40 K100); **pure K100** for small text and thin rules, so misregistration cannot blur them. ### Step 3: Set type for print - Embed or outline all fonts so the printer's system never substitutes them. - Minimum text size around 6pt; fine text prints on a single plate (K only) to avoid registration blur. - No hairline rules thinner than 0.25pt - they may not print reliably. ### Step 4: Check images and links - All raster images at 300 DPI **at placed size**, not source size - a 300 DPI image scaled to 200% is effectively 150 DPI. - All links embedded or packaged; never deliver a file with missing links. - Total ink coverage under the press limit (commonly ~300%) to prevent smearing and slow drying. ### Step 5: Run the prepress checklist Copy and complete before export: ``` PREPRESS CHECKLIST - [FILL: job name] / [FILL: printer] Trim size: [FILL] Verified: [ ] Bleed 3mm/0.125in on all edge-touching elements: [ ] No critical content outside safe zone (3-5mm): [ ] Color mode CMYK, RGB elements converted: [ ] ICC profile attached: [FILL: profile] [ ] Rich black on large areas / K100 on small text: [ ] Fonts embedded or outlined: [ ] Images 300 DPI at placed size: [ ] No missing links: [ ] Total ink under limit: [FILL: e.g. 300%] [ ] Overprint/knockout reviewed (no white set to overprint): [ ] Crop marks and bleed marks on export: [ ] Export standard: [FILL: PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4] Proof plan: [FILL: hard / soft] ``` Watch overprint especially: white text accidentally set to overprint vanishes on press and no soft proof will show it unless overprint preview is on. ### Step 6: Export - Export to **PDF/X-1a** or **PDF/X-4** - confirm which the printer wants (X-1a flattens and forces CMYK; X-4 preserves transparency and layers). - Include bleed and trim marks; set the correct output intent to the agreed ICC profile. - Flatten transparency only if the printer requires it. ### Step 7: Proof - Request a **hard proof** for any color-critical job; soft proofs miss paper stock and press shifts. - Check the physical proof for registration, color, and trim position before approving the full run. ## Worked contrast **Bad handoff:** an RGB PDF at trim size with no bleed, text 1mm from the edge, fonts not embedded, exported "High Quality Print". Result: prepress rejection, or worse, a run with white slivers at the edges and substituted fonts. **Good handoff:** a PDF/X-4 with 0.125in bleed on all sides, safe zone respected, CMYK with FOGRA39 output intent, fonts embedded, 300 DPI images at placed size, crop marks on - plus the completed checklist in the delivery email so prepress can verify in one pass. ## Deliverable Produce the print-ready PDF/X file plus the completed prepress checklist confirming bleed, safe zone, color profile, fonts, image resolution, and ink limits were all verified - and a note of any items pending printer confirmation. ## Do NOT - Do not trust screen color for anything color-critical - the gamut lies; only a hard proof tells the truth. - Do not fake bleed by scaling artwork up; it shifts the composition and drops effective resolution. - Do not build rich black from four full channels (C100 M100 Y100 K100) - it exceeds ink limits and smears. - Do not set body text in four-color builds; misregistration turns it fuzzy. - Do not export the "print" preset and hope - the printer's required PDF/X standard is a spec, not a suggestion. ## Quality bar Every checklist line checked or explicitly waived by the printer; bleed present on every edge-touching element; no RGB objects remaining; effective image resolution ≥ 300 DPI at placed size (150 for large-format); ink coverage under the stated limit; the export matches the printer's named PDF/X standard. ## Escalation When the printer's spec conflicts with these defaults, the printer wins - they know their press. For screen-bound deliverables and developer handoff, route to design-handoff-doc; for type-system decisions before layout, pair with typography-system.