Platypus PrintingPlatypusPrinting Co.
File setup · 2 min read

Send this to your designer.

Hiring a designer or asking a friend who knows Illustrator? Forward them our one-page file spec sheet and your artwork will arrive print-ready the first time. No back-and-forth, no reprints.

No designer on the job? File Fix is $25 per file. We add bleed, resize, and prep your artwork for print. Free for Platypus Pro members.

The one-pager

Download the file spec sheet (PDF)

One page. Everything your designer needs, sizes, bleed, resolution, export settings. Attach it to your brief.

Download PDFOpen in browser

The specs, in full

Same content as the PDF, rendered on this page so it's readable at a glance and easy to link to.

Document
  • •Build at final print size, in inches.
  • •Illustrator over 227"? Author at 10% or 25% and note the scale.
  • •CMYK if your app supports it; RGB accepted (we convert).
Bleed & margins
  • •0.125" bleed on all sides if art runs to the edge.
  • •Keep text and logos 0.25" inside the trim (safe area).
  • •No crop or trim marks, cutting is CNC-driven from file geometry.
Resolution
  • •Large format: 100 to 150 DPI at final size is sharp.
  • •Small pieces (stickers, decals): 300 DPI at final size.
  • •Vector wherever possible, logos, type, line art.
Type & cut lines
  • •Outline all fonts before export (Illustrator: Select All → Type → Create Outlines).
  • •Custom contour cut? Include the cut path as a separate vector layer and note it.
Export
  • •PDF preferred, "High Quality Print" or "PDF/X-4" preset.
  • •Include bleed. No marks. Max 250MB.
  • •PNG/JPG fallback: export at final size, 100 to 150 DPI, sRGB.
Doing it yourself?

Step-by-step: setting up print-ready files

The long-form walkthrough, build the document, work in it, export it.

Read the guide
File in hand?

Check it in your browser

Free preflight, resolution, dimensions, bleed, color mode. Plain-language results.

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