Designing a business card that actually gets kept
How DPI, bleed, and safe zones work inside HDPrint, and how to set them up correctly in Print Studio.
Print quality guide: DPI, bleed, and margins
Three concepts determine whether your print looks sharp or blurry: DPI, bleed, and safe zones.
DPI (Dots Per Inch)
DPI controls the resolution of raster content — primarily images. The rule:
- 300 DPI — standard print quality. Photos and raster graphics should be at 300 DPI at their printed size.
- 150 DPI — acceptable for large format prints viewed from a distance (posters, banners).
- 72 DPI — screen resolution only. Never use 72 DPI images in print.
HDPrint's export panel shows the effective DPI of each image in your project. A flagged image below 150 DPI will look pixelated when printed.
Bleed
Bleed is the area that extends beyond the trim edge of your design. It exists because no cutting machine is perfectly precise.
- Set a bleed of 3 mm on all edges when any element reaches the edge of your design.
- In Print Studio, set the bleed in File -> Document setup.
- All content in the bleed area will be trimmed away. Keep all critical content inside the safe zone.
Safe zone
The safe zone is the area inside the bleed where you keep all critical content. It is typically 3 mm inside the trim edge. Nothing important should be placed outside the safe zone.
Margins
Margins are the space between the trim edge and your content. They prevent content from being cut off or from looking crowded at the edge.
- For most documents: 10-15 mm margins.
- For designs with a full-bleed background: extend the background to the bleed edge; keep text inside the safe zone.
Checking your project
Print Studio shows a preview at actual print size. Zoom to 100% to see what the print will look like. The bleed area is shown as a red tint outside the trim edge.