Creativity That Sticks

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...

Marketing your Kiwi business can feel like a juggling act. Between keeping your social media active, your signage fresh, and your print materials up to date, it’s easy to let things slip through the cracks. But what if you had a simple, step-by-step checklist to keep everything on track? We’ve helped hundreds of NZ businesses streamline their marketing—and now we’re sharing our proven framework with you. Why You Need a Holistic Marketing Checklist Consistency Builds Trust: When your signage, social media, and print materials all align, customers see a professional, reliable brand. Save Time & Money: Avoid last-minute rushes, costly redesigns, or missed opportunities by planning ahead. Maximise Impact: Integrate your efforts so each channel supports the others (e.g., social media driving traffic to your newly designed website). The Ultimate NZ Marketing Checklist Use this to audit your current marketing or plan your next campaign. 1. Branding & Design Logo & Colours: Are the...

Print Design 101: How to Prepare Files Like a Pro (And Avoid Costly Mistakes) If you’ve ever sent a file to print only to get back misaligned colours, cut-off text, or blurry images, you know how frustrating it can be. The truth? Most printing errors happen because of incorrect file setup. At Glu Group, we print hundreds of projects every month—from business cards to banners—and we’ve seen it all. In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly how to prepare your files so they print perfectly every time. How to Supply Print- Ready Files (The Right Way) 1. Always Include Bleed What is bleed? Bleed is the extra space (usually 3mm) beyond your design’s edge. It ensures no white borders appear when your design is trimmed. How to add bleed: Adobe InDesign/Illustrator: Go to File > Document Setup (InDesign) or File > New (Illustrator).  Set bleed to 3mm on all sides. Extend background colours/images past the crop marks. Canva: Make sure you have some of your design bleeding over th...