Free course · Lesson 4 of 5

Print vs. Digital Design Formatting

In this lesson you will

Choose RGB or CMYK
Set up bleed and safe zones

Designing for print is very different from designing for digital. A poster that looks perfect on your screen may come out blurry or clipped from the print shop if you ignore resolution, color mode, and bleed margins. Understanding these differences saves time, money, and frustration — especially when working with local print shops in South Sudan.

Print (CMYK, 300 DPI): Use CMYK color mode — four inks (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black). Set resolution to 300 DPI (dots per inch). Add 3mm bleed on all sides for any design that goes edge-to-edge.
Digital (RGB, 72/144 DPI): Use RGB color mode — light-based (Red, Green, Blue). Resolution of 72 DPI (social media) or 144 DPI (retina displays). No bleed needed.
Bleed & Safe Zone: In print, extend background colors and images 3mm beyond the edge (bleed). Keep important text and logos at least 5mm inside the cut line (safe zone).
In Canva, toggle between "Print" and "Digital" document types when creating a new project. In Adobe Illustrator, set the color mode in File → Document Color Mode.

Practical Skill: Build a pre-flight checklist before sending any file to print. Verify: CMYK mode? 300 DPI? Bleed added? All fonts outlined or embedded? Proofread everything. A small mistake means reprinting costs.

TemplatePrint Prep Checklist & Flyer Template

Worksheet

=== FLYER DIMENSIONS — A5 (148mm x 210mm) ===   +------------- 3mm Bleed Area -------------+  |                                           |  |   +----------- Safe Zone (5mm) --------+  |  |   |                                     |  |  |   |   ┌─────────────────────────────┐   |  |  |   |   │                             │   |  |  |   |   │   MAIN CONTENT AREA         │   |  |  |   |   │   (138mm wide x 200mm tall) │   |  |  |   |   │                             │   |  |  |   |   │   • Keep all text here      │   |  |  |   |   │   • Keep logo here          │   |  |  |   |   │   • Never put text outside  │   |  |  |   |   │     this zone               │   |  |  |   |   │                             │   |  |  |   |   └─────────────────────────────┘   |  |  |   |                                     |  |  |   +-------------------------------------+  |  |                                           |  +-------------------------------------------+ === DIMENSION BREAKDOWN ===   Document Size:  148mm x 210mm (A5 final cut size)  Bleed Extension:  3mm on all sides  Full Canvas:     154mm x 216mm (A5 + bleed)  Safe Zone:        5mm inside from each edge  Content Area:    138mm x 200mm (actual usable space) === PRE-FLIGHT CHECKLIST (Before Sending to Print Shop) ===   ☐ Color Mode: CMYK (not RGB — RGB colors shift when printed)  ☐ Resolution: 300 DPI (check in Illustrator: Effects → Document Raster Effects Settings)  ☐ Bleed: 3mm on all sides (Canva: File → Show Print Bleed)  ☐ Fonts: Converted to outlines (Illustrator: Type → Create Outlines)         OR embedded in the PDF (Acrobat: Embed All Fonts)  ☐ Images: All linked images are embedded (no missing links!)  ☐ Proofread: Read every word out loud. Check phone numbers twice.  ☐ Export format: PDF with "Press Quality" preset (not "Smallest File Size")  ☐ File name: "ProjectName_2026_Print.pdf" (no spaces, use underscores)

Practice exercise

Calculate the pixels needed for an A5 flyer at 300 ppi and sketch where the bleed, trim and safe zone go.

Key takeaways

Print uses CMYK; screens use RGB
About 300 ppi at final size for print
Extend backgrounds into a 3 mm bleed

In the full program Module 4: Print and Digital Formats See how this topic is taught in depth, with practical activities and an assessment.

Free self-study lesson — no certificate. For the full instructor-led program, see registration options.