5 Common Print Design Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
Print design is unforgiving. Unlike digital work where you can push an update in seconds, once a job goes to press, you're committed—often to thousands of copies. I've spent years on both sides of the production line, and these are the mistakes I see designers make repeatedly. The good news? They're all entirely preventable. 1. Missing Bleed: The Silent Killer The Problem: You submit a perfect business card design at 85mm × 55mm. The printer asks for 3mm bleed. You shrug it off. Two weeks later, your cards arrive with thin white strips along the edges because the guillotine cut wasn't perfectly aligned. Why It Happens: Bleed exists because cutting paper is a mechanical process with microscopic tolerances. Without that extra 3mm of background colour or image extending beyond the trim line, any shift in the cut exposes unprinted paper. The Fix: Set up your document with bleed from the start (typically 3mm or 0.125") Extend background colours, images, and design ele...