Canva has become a go-to platform for designers of all skill levels, offering an intuitive interface and powerful features for creating anything from social media graphics to professional brochures. But one of its lesser-known strengths is its ability to create high-quality, print-ready artwork suitable for professional print shops like Rapid Print. In this blog, we'll explore how to use Canva to create artwork for print, the benefits of using a tool like Canva, and how to properly export your design to meet printing standards.
One thing to keep in mind, Rapid Print will always give your artwork a final check before printing. We will make sure the artwork is set up properly and will never print something that doesn't look correct. We have real people looking at each project before sending to print so you can rest assured it will be done right the first time.
Why Canva is a Great Tool for Print Design
Ease of Use
Canva’s user-friendly drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible to beginners and experienced designers alike. Even if you're not familiar with professional design software like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, you can still create impressive, professional-looking print designs with Canva's pre-made templates or custom layouts.
Customizable Templates
Canva offers thousands of customizable templates for print materials like business cards, posters, flyers, and more. These templates are not only beautifully designed but are also adaptable for various dimensions and printing requirements, making it easy to create something print-ready with minimal effort.
Variety of Design Elements
Canva’s vast library of images, illustrations, fonts, and shapes allows you to personalize your designs to your exact specifications. The platform also includes tools for precise alignment, spacing, and layering, ensuring your designs meet professional print standards.
Cloud-Based and Collaborative
Canva operates in the cloud, meaning you can access your designs from anywhere and collaborate with team members in real time. This is especially helpful when working on a team project that requires multiple approvals or contributions before sending it to the print shop.
Export Settings for High-Quality Print
One of the most crucial aspects of preparing artwork for print is ensuring that you export it at the correct resolution and format. Here’s how to set up your export for optimal print quality in Canva:
1. File Format
PDF Print: This is the best format for printing as it preserves the highest image quality. Canva offers the option to export your file as "PDF Print" with 300 DPI (dots per inch), which is the industry standard for printing. PDFs also maintain the integrity of fonts and design elements, ensuring your printed material looks exactly as intended.
CMYK vs. RGB: While Canva uses the RGB color mode by default, professional print shops typically use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) for accurate color reproduction. While Canva doesn't currently allow you to design directly in CMYK, most print shops will convert the file. It’s a good idea to communicate with your print shop to confirm if they require a CMYK file and if they can make the conversion without compromising quality.
2. Resolution
300 DPI: Always export your design at 300 DPI to ensure the best print quality. This ensures that your images, text, and graphics are sharp and not pixelated when printed.
Image Quality: If your design contains images, make sure they are high-resolution images to avoid any blurriness when printed. Canva will warn you if an image is of low quality, but it’s always good to double-check.
3. Bleed and Crop Marks
When creating designs for print, especially those that go to the edge of the page (e.g., posters, flyers), it’s important to include a bleed.
What is a Bleed? A bleed is the extra space around the edges of your design that extends beyond the final cut size. It ensures that when the design is trimmed to its final size, there won’t be any white edges. Most print shops require a bleed of 0.125 inches (3mm) around all edges. Canva makes it easy to add a bleed by toggling on the bleed option in the export settings.
To enable bleed in Canva:
Click on File in the top-left corner of the editor.
Hover over Settings
Select Show Print Bleed. This will add the bleed area to your design, ensuring that any background images or elements extend beyond the edge of your final print size.
Crop Marks: These are small lines placed at the corners of your design that indicate where the print shop should cut the paper. They ensure the final product is trimmed accurately. When exporting as a PDF for print, Canva gives you the option to include crop marks in your file, making it easier for your print shop to handle the cutting process.
4. Margins and Safe Area
In addition to the bleed, it’s important to keep all critical elements (such as text and logos) within the safe area. This is the area within the bleed where important content should be placed to avoid being cut off during trimming. Canva’s gridlines and rulers can help ensure that your text and other key design elements stay well within the safe area.
Steps to Export a Print-Ready Design in Canva
Finalize Your Design: Ensure your design is complete, with all elements aligned, colors selected, and no spelling errors.
Set Bleed and Safe Area: If your design includes elements that go to the edge of the page, toggle on the “Show Print Bleed” option.
Export as PDF Print:
Click on the Share button in the top-right corner.
Select Download.
Choose PDF Print from the file type options.
Check the box for Crop marks and bleed to ensure proper trimming.
Click Download.
Review Your File: Before sending it to the print shop, open your exported PDF to ensure everything looks correct. Double-check the bleed area, resolution, and that all elements are positioned properly.
Send it! If the file is small enough attach the file directy to an email to your print shop. If the file size is too large, put the file in a file share service like Google Drive or Dropbox. This will ensure the file doesn't lose any quality when you send it to the printer.
Final Thoughts
Using Canva to create print-ready artwork is an efficient and user-friendly process, offering a variety of tools to ensure your design is high-quality and meets professional printing standards. By following the correct export settings and understanding the importance of bleed and resolution, you can confidently send your designs to a print shop, knowing they’ll turn out beautifully.
The next time you need to design a flyer, business card, or poster, try Canva—its blend of simplicity and powerful features makes it a perfect tool for both beginners and seasoned designers.
But remember, if you ever need assistance or a full design, Rapid Print is there to help. We have a full-time designer on staff that can create whatever you have in mind. Don't hesitate to reach out for help.