Why Choose Mainprint for Design Services?

Mainprint's design services ensure your print projects look professional and are prepared correctly for printing. Our experienced Mac operators and graphic designers can create new designs, refine existing artwork, or prepare your files to exact printing specifications.

We understand the technical requirements of print production—bleeds, colour modes, resolution, fonts—ensuring your files are perfect before they go to press. This attention to detail prevents costly delays and reprints.

With 26 years of printing experience, our design team knows exactly what works on press. We don't just make things look good—we ensure they print perfectly, saving you time, money, and frustration.

‍

Design Services We Offer

Complete Design Services
Brochure design, catalogue layout, magazine design, book cover design, business card design, letterhead design, logo design and branding. From concept to print-ready files.

File Preparation & Pre-Press
Converting files to print-ready PDFs, adding bleeds and crop marks, colour mode conversion (RGB to CMYK), image resolution checks and enhancement, font embedding and outlining, file optimisation.

Design Refinement
Adjusting existing designs for print, reformatting for different sizes, updating graphics and text, colour correction, layout improvements.

Free Pre-Flight Checks
Every file we receive gets a free pre-flight check. We identify and fix potential printing issues before production, ensuring your job prints correctly first time.

‍

Why Professional Design Matters

Avoid Costly Mistakes

Incorrect bleeds = white edges on printed pieces
Wrong colour mode (RGB instead of CMYK) = colour shifts and washed-out prints
Low resolution images = pixelated, blurry prints
Missing fonts = text substitutions and layout changes
Incorrect file setup = production delays and reprints

Our design team prevents these issues before they become expensive problems.

‍

Print-Ready File Requirements

When preparing files for print, we ensure:

Correct Dimensions:
- Final size + 3mm bleed on all sides
- Crop marks and registration marks
- Safe area for important text and images (5mm from trim edge)

Colour Mode:
- CMYK colour mode (not RGB which is for screens)
- Correct colour profiles embedded
- Black text as 100% K (not CMYK black which causes registration issues)

Resolution:
- 300 DPI minimum for all images
- Vector graphics for logos and text (scalable, sharp)

Fonts:
- All fonts embedded or outlined (no missing fonts)
- No system fonts that might substitute

File Format:
- High-resolution PDF
- Correct PDF export settings for print
- No flattening issues or transparency problems

‍

Our Design Process

1. Consultation
Discuss your requirements, brand guidelines, target audience, and vision for the project. We ask questions to understand exactly what you need.

2. Concept Development
We create initial design concepts based on your brief. Usually 2-3 design directions to choose from.

3. Revision & Refinement
You review concepts and we refine based on your feedback. Usually 2-3 rounds of revisions included in quote.

4. Final Approval
You approve the final design. We make any last tweaks needed.

5. Print-Ready Files
We prepare final print-ready files with correct specifications—bleeds, colour mode, resolution, fonts all perfect.

6. Printing
Your design goes straight to production—no delays, no issues, no surprises.

‍

Common File Problems We Fix

_{Problem: RGB Colour Mode}
‍

Images and colours are in RGB (screen colours) instead of CMYK (print colours). Result: Colours shift dramatically when printed, looking washed out or completely different.
Our Fix: Convert to CMYK with proper colour profiling to maintain colour integrity.

_{Problem: Low Resolution Images}

_‍
Images are 72 DPI (screen resolution) instead of 300 DPI (print resolution). Result: Pixelated, blurry, unprofessional printed images.
Our Fix: Source higher resolution images or use AI upscaling where appropriate.

_{Problem: No Bleeds
‍}
Design is exact finished size with no bleed. Result: White edges when trimmed, or important content cut off.
Our Fix: Add 3mm bleeds and reposition elements into safe area.

_{Problem: Missing Fonts
‍}
Fonts not embedded or outlined. Result: Text substitutes with different fonts, breaking layout.
Our Fix: Embed fonts or outline text to lock design.

_{Problem: Incorrect Page Setup}

_‍
Pages in wrong order, wrong imposition for binding. Result: Pages print out of sequence or upside down when bound.
Our Fix: Correct page order and imposition for binding method.