{"id":1651,"date":"2026-05-29T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/blog\/?p=1651"},"modified":"2026-06-17T11:29:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T01:29:59","slug":"how-to-design-a-postcard-for-printing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/blog\/how-to-design-a-postcard-for-printing","title":{"rendered":"How to Design a Postcard for Printing: Artwork Setup, Bleed and File Formats"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Postcard print files that look great on screen but arrive muddy or with text trimmed are the number one reason for missed campaign deadlines. A Sydney studio gets 5,000 real estate postcards back with white slivers along the top edge; a restaurant wastes a fortnight reprinting menus because the CMYK shift turned brand-critical blues into purple. These are entirely preventable problems, and every one of them traces back to a file that was not set up correctly before it went to the printer. This guide covers every spec you need to get right, from bleed and safe zones through to resolution, font embedding, and the export settings that Australian print shops actually want to receive.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f8f6f3;border-left:4px solid #c9a96e;padding:20px 24px;margin:28px 0;\">\n<strong>Postcard File-Prep Cheat Sheet<\/strong><\/p>\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px;\">\n<tr style=\"background:#1a1a1a;color:#fff;\">\n<th style=\"padding:11px 16px;text-align:left;\">Spec<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:11px 16px;text-align:left;\">Required Value<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">File format (preferred)<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">PDF\/X-1a or PDF\/X-4 (Press Quality preset)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#fff;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">File formats (acceptable)<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">JPG, PNG at 300 DPI minimum<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">Colour mode<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">CMYK (not RGB)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#fff;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">Resolution<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">300 DPI at final print size<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">Bleed<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">3mm all sides beyond trim<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#fff;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">Safe zone (text\/logos)<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">3-5mm inside trim edge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">Fonts<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">Embedded in PDF or converted to outlines<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#fff;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">Rich black (large fills)<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">C40 M40 Y40 K100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background:#f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">Body text black<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:11px 16px;\">C0 M0 Y0 K100 only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>File Specs at a Glance<\/h2>\n<p>Before diving into each spec in detail, here is the short version that covers most projects. Australian printers almost universally ask for PDF (Press Quality or PDF\/X-1a), CMYK colour mode, 300 DPI for all raster images, and 3mm bleed on every edge. Fonts must be embedded or outlined. If your file meets all five of those requirements, you will avoid the majority of print-job failures. The sections below explain why each spec exists and what happens when it is wrong.<\/p>\n<h2>Bleed, Margin, and Safe Area Explained<\/h2>\n<p>These three terms are often confused, but each refers to a distinct zone of your postcard file, and getting them wrong causes different problems.<\/p>\n<h3>What is bleed?<\/h3>\n<p>Bleed is the strip of artwork that extends beyond the final trim size of your postcard. When postcards are printed in large sheets and then cut to size, the cutting machine has a small tolerance. If your background colour or full-bleed image stops exactly at the trim line, any tiny cut variation leaves a white sliver along the edge. Adding 3mm of bleed on all sides means the artwork runs past the edge of where the cut will land, so the finished card has colour or image right to the edge regardless of minor cutting variation.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A6 (105 x 148mm) with bleed: set your document to 111 x 154mm<\/li>\n<li>A5 (148 x 210mm) with bleed: set your document to 154 x 216mm<\/li>\n<li>DL (99 x 210mm) with bleed: set your document to 105 x 216mm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Anything you want to appear right to the edge of the finished card &#8211; backgrounds, photography, patterns, colour blocks &#8211; must extend all the way to the bleed edge of your document.<\/p>\n<h3>What is the safe zone?<\/h3>\n<p>The safe zone is the inverse of the bleed concern. Just as cutting variation can leave a sliver at the edge, it can also trim into content that sits too close to the edge. Keep all important elements &#8211; your headline, logo, contact details, QR code &#8211; at least 3-5mm inside the trim line. This means if you are working in InDesign or Illustrator, your text frames and logo placements should sit at least 3mm away from the final card edge (not the bleed edge).<\/p>\n<h3>What is the trim line?<\/h3>\n<p>The trim line is the actual finished size of the card. Everything outside the trim line gets cut away. Bleed extends 3mm beyond it. The safe zone sits 3-5mm inside it. Your document crop marks (if included) indicate where the trim line falls.<\/p>\n<h2>File Formats Accepted by Australian Printers<\/h2>\n<h3>PDF (preferred)<\/h3>\n<p>PDF is the industry standard for commercial print in Australia and everywhere else. Specifically, PDF\/X-1a (for CMYK-only jobs with no transparency layers) or PDF\/X-4 (which allows transparency and is supported by modern RIP workflows) are the two variants print shops most commonly request. When exporting from InDesign or Illustrator, the &#8220;PDF (Print)&#8221; or &#8220;Press Quality&#8221; preset gets you most of the way there. Check that your export settings include bleed (3mm), embedded fonts, and CMYK output.<\/p>\n<p>PDF version 1.4 or later is needed to preserve transparency effects correctly. If your design has drop shadows, soft glows, or layered transparency, use PDF\/X-4 rather than PDF\/X-1a, which flattens transparency during export and can cause unexpected results on complex artwork.<\/p>\n<h3>JPG and PNG (acceptable with caveats)<\/h3>\n<p>JPG and PNG files are accepted by most Australian print shops for simpler designs, but they come with trade-offs. JPG uses lossy compression, which means each re-save degrades image quality slightly. If you are sending a JPG, it should be exported at maximum quality directly from your design application, not repeatedly re-saved. PNG is lossless and handles areas of flat colour or text more cleanly than JPG, but file sizes can be larger.<\/p>\n<p>Both formats must be supplied at 300 DPI at the actual print size. A 72 DPI web image that looks sharp on screen will print visibly soft at 105 x 148mm.<\/p>\n<h3>What to avoid: Word and PowerPoint exports<\/h3>\n<p>Files exported from Microsoft Word or PowerPoint are a common source of print problems. These applications are not designed for commercial print output. Problems include: RGB colour mode by default, fonts that may not embed correctly, resolution that is locked to screen output rather than print, and no bleed. If your design was created in one of these applications, have it re-exported via a proper PDF print workflow or convert it in Acrobat with appropriate settings before submitting.<\/p>\n<h2>Colour Setup: CMYK vs RGB<\/h2>\n<figure style=\"margin:32px 0;\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pc-ai-1651-inline_1.jpg\" alt=\"Slim printed process-colour bar beside a rectangular postcard on a neutral surface, illustrating CMYK versus RGB colour mode for printing.\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block;border-radius:4px;\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Commercial printing uses CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) inks. Screens use RGB (Red, Green, Blue) light. The two colour systems have different gamuts, which means some colours that are vivid on a screen simply cannot be reproduced with CMYK inks. The most common casualty is vivid blue: an RGB blue that looks electric on screen often shifts noticeably toward purple when converted to CMYK and printed.<\/p>\n<h3>Always design in CMYK from the start<\/h3>\n<p>If you build your design in RGB and convert to CMYK at export, the colour shift happens automatically and you may not notice it until the printed cards arrive. The safer workflow is to set your document colour mode to CMYK before you start placing any images or picking colours. That way the colours you see on screen in CMYK preview mode are as close as possible to what the press will produce.<\/p>\n<h3>Pantone spot colours<\/h3>\n<p>For brand-critical colours where a small CMYK shift would be unacceptable, Pantone spot colours (also called PMS colours) offer precise, repeatable matching. However, spot colour printing requires a separate ink station and comes at a cost premium. Discuss this with your printer if your brand standards demand exact colour fidelity.<\/p>\n<h3>Rich black for large fills<\/h3>\n<p>A common rookie mistake is using C0 M0 Y0 K100 (pure black ink only) for large black background areas. This often prints as a flat, slightly washed-out black because a single ink channel at full coverage has less density than a mix. For large black fills, use a rich black build: C40 M40 Y40 K100 is a common standard. However, use pure K (C0 M0 Y0 K100) for body text and fine lines. Applying rich black to small text causes colour registration issues and blurs sharp letterforms.<\/p>\n<h3>Gamma shift: screen vs press<\/h3>\n<p>Even after converting to CMYK, your monitor displays colours with a gamma and backlighting that makes them appear brighter and more saturated than print output. Experienced designers typically allow 10-15% brightness and saturation over what they ultimately want to appear on the printed piece, or they use a calibrated monitor profile paired with a CMYK soft-proof view in Photoshop or Illustrator.<\/p>\n<h2>Resolution Requirements<\/h2>\n<p>The 300 DPI rule is one of the most repeated specs in print, and also one of the most misunderstood. DPI (dots per inch) only means anything in relation to the actual physical size the image will be printed.<\/p>\n<h3>300 DPI at print size &#8211; not at screen size<\/h3>\n<p>An image that is 300 DPI at 50 x 70mm will be 150 DPI when scaled to 100 x 140mm on the printed card. If you pull a photo from a website at 72 DPI and scale it up to fill an A5 postcard, it will be noticeably soft in print. The way to check: in Photoshop, set Image Size with &#8220;Resample&#8221; turned off, then type the intended print size. The DPI figure shown is your actual print resolution.<\/p>\n<h3>Image upscaling does not add detail<\/h3>\n<p>Photoshop&#8217;s &#8220;Preserve Details 2.0&#8221; upscaling and AI-based tools like Adobe Super Resolution can improve low-resolution images somewhat, but they cannot recover detail that was never in the original file. Upscaling a 72 DPI web image to 300 DPI via software adds interpolated pixels, not real photographic detail. The result still looks soft in print, just slightly less soft than a straight resize. Always source images at the correct resolution from the start.<\/p>\n<h3>Vector artwork has no resolution limit<\/h3>\n<p>Logos, icons, and typography created in Illustrator or as SVG files are vector-based. They scale to any size without loss of quality. Always use vector files for logos rather than embedded raster versions, and make sure they are saved as vectors in the final PDF export rather than rasterised at a fixed resolution.<\/p>\n<h2>Fonts: Embed or Outline Before You Submit<\/h2>\n<p>If your font is not embedded in the PDF or converted to outlines (paths), your printer&#8217;s RIP (Raster Image Processor) will either substitute a different font or fail to open the file correctly. Font substitution is a common source of layout disasters where text reflows or the wrong typeface appears on the finished card.<\/p>\n<h3>Embedding vs outlining<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Embedding:<\/strong> The PDF includes the font data so it can be rendered correctly at any printer. This is the default for &#8220;Press Quality&#8221; PDF exports and is the preferred method. The text remains editable if you need to send back for corrections.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Outlining (converting to paths):<\/strong> Each letter becomes a vector shape. There is no font dependency at all. The trade-off is that the text is no longer editable once outlined. Many designers outline fonts as a final step just before export, keeping an editable version of the source file.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Font licensing<\/h3>\n<p>Commercial printing is a commercial use of a font. Free fonts from Google Fonts are licensed for commercial use including print. Many premium fonts from Monotype, Adobe Fonts (via Creative Cloud), or other foundries have commercial print licences that cover standard use. Check the licence if you are using a font outside a subscription service. Fonts purchased for personal use may not cover commercial print runs.<\/p>\n<h3>Minimum legible font sizes for postcards<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Body text and supporting copy: 8pt minimum<\/li>\n<li>Contact details, addresses, terms: 8pt minimum, 9-10pt recommended<\/li>\n<li>Content aimed at older audiences: 10pt minimum body text<\/li>\n<li>Fine print and legal copy: 6pt absolute minimum, but readability suffers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Serif fonts at small sizes can lose fine stroke detail in CMYK print, especially on uncoated or textured stocks. If legibility is critical at small sizes, sans-serif typefaces generally hold up better on press.<\/p>\n<h2>Design Templates and Starting Points<\/h2>\n<p>A useful way to internalise the spec requirements is to see them applied to real-world postcard briefs. Here are three typical postcard use cases with the key setup decisions called out for each.<\/p>\n<h3>Real estate just-listed postcard (A5, full-bleed photography)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"background:#fafafa;border-left:3px solid #ddd;padding:16px 20px;margin:20px 0;font-style:italic;\">\nProperty photo extends to bleed edge (154 x 216mm document). Headline and address sit in the safe zone, 5mm from trim. Agency logo and agent contact details on reverse, also in safe zone. CMYK throughout. Photo resolution verified at 300 DPI at A5 size before placing. Fonts outlined in final export. Rich black (C40 M40 Y40 K100) for any large dark overlays. PDF\/X-1a export.\n<\/div>\n<p>The most common failure on this type of card is the property photo: real estate photography is often supplied as high-resolution JPG, which is fine, but confirm the resolution at the intended print size before placing it. A photo delivered at 3000 x 2000px is roughly 286 DPI at A5, which is borderline. Ask the photographer for a higher-resolution file if available.<\/p>\n<h3>Retail grand opening postcard (A6, bold typography-led design)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"background:#fafafa;border-left:3px solid #ddd;padding:16px 20px;margin:20px 0;font-style:italic;\">\nSolid colour background extends to bleed (111 x 154mm document). All type and the logo sit minimum 4mm inside trim. Pure K (C0 M0 Y0 K100) for body text. Brand accent colour converted from RGB to CMYK and checked in soft-proof view before finalising. PDF\/X-4 if any transparency layers are present in the artwork. Fonts embedded via Press Quality export.\n<\/div>\n<p>Bold typographic designs are where CMYK soft-proofing matters most: a brand&#8217;s signature orange or green can shift noticeably in conversion. Review the soft proof in InDesign or Illustrator before sending, and if the shift is significant, ask your printer to provide a hard-copy proof before running the full quantity.<\/p>\n<h3>Restaurant weekly special DL postcard (99 x 210mm, product photography)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"background:#fafafa;border-left:3px solid #ddd;padding:16px 20px;margin:20px 0;font-style:italic;\">\nDL document at 105 x 216mm (with bleed). Food photography at 300 DPI at DL size confirmed before placing. Price callouts and dish names in a legible sans-serif at minimum 9pt. White text on dark background: verify contrast is legible in CMYK values, not just on RGB monitor. PDF\/X-1a preferred unless soft overlays are used.\n<\/div>\n<p>Food photography for print is a common resolution trap. Many menu and hospitality photos are shot for Instagram at resolutions that work at 1080px wide on screen but fall short of 300 DPI at DL print size. The DL format is 99mm wide, which at 300 DPI needs approximately 1170 pixels across. Check this before placing the image.<\/p>\n<h2>Approving Your Mockup<\/h2>\n<p>Before giving the go-ahead on a print run, your printer will send a digital proof or a hard-copy proof. Here is what to check systematically rather than just eyeballing it for obvious problems.<\/p>\n<h3>Six-point pre-flight checklist<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Bleed and trim:<\/strong> Confirm that full-bleed elements (backgrounds, photography, colour fills) reach all the way to the bleed edge on all four sides. If the proof has visible white margins at the edges where you expect full bleed, raise this before approving.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Text position from edges:<\/strong> Check that no text or logo elements are closer than 3mm to the trim edge. On a digital proof, use the document ruler or measure from the trim marks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Image sharpness:<\/strong> Zoom to 100% on any embedded photography. If it looks soft at 100%, it will print soft. Flag low-resolution images before approving.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Colour shift:<\/strong> Compare the proof against your on-screen design in CMYK preview mode. Blues turning purple, oranges going muddy, and greens shifting yellow are the most common CMYK conversion issues. If the shift is significant, ask for a colour-corrected version or accept the press values.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Font rendering:<\/strong> Check that all typefaces match your design intent. If a substitute font has been applied because the original was not embedded, the layout may reflow or look wrong. Request a corrected file if this occurs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Content accuracy:<\/strong> Read every word on the proof. Phone numbers, website URLs, addresses, dates, and prices should all be verified character by character against the original brief. A print run with a typo in the phone number is expensive to fix.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Getting approval right before the press run is the last point at which changes are free. After print commences, a reprint is at full cost.<\/p>\n<h2>The Real Cost of Getting the File Wrong: A Studio Example<\/h2>\n<p>Sydney-based design studio MakeShift submitted a postcard PDF for a real estate client without the required 3mm bleed. The design featured a full-bleed aerial property photo that ran right to the document edge. When the 5,000 cards came back from the printer, each one had a visible white sliver along the top edge where the cut had fallen just outside the image area. The reprint cost the client $1,800 and delayed a letterbox campaign by 11 days. The studio now runs a mandatory six-point pre-flight checklist on every file before submission, covering bleed, safe zone, CMYK, resolution, font embedding, and PDF export settings.<\/p>\n<h2>Where to Print Your Postcards in Australia<\/h2>\n<figure style=\"margin:32px 0;\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pc-ai-1651-inline_2.jpg\" alt=\"Rectangular postcard with crop marks, registration marks and a bleed margin, illustrating a correctly exported print-ready postcard file.\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block;border-radius:4px;\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Paperlust Print Shop prints postcards on 360gsm premium card stock as standard, with other finishes including silk and gloss available on request. Sizes covered are A6, A5, DL, and square formats. Print methods include standard digital colour, foil, metallic, and white ink options. Same-day artwork review means your file is checked and proofed the day you upload it, so if something is not right you find out immediately rather than after the run has started.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/products\/postcard\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#1a1a1a;color:#fff;padding:13px 28px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;border-radius:3px;margin:8px 0;\">Order Postcards from Paperlust Print Shop<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Related Guides in This Series<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/blog\/postcard-printing-australia\">Postcard Printing Australia: Sizes, Paper, Pricing and How to Order<\/a> &#8211; the complete head-term guide covering everything from quantity pricing to turnaround times<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/blog\/a6-vs-a5-vs-dl-postcards-australia\">A6 vs A5 vs DL Postcards: Which Size is Right for Your Campaign?<\/a> &#8211; how size choice affects your bleed dimensions and safe zone calculations<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/blog\/postcard-vs-flyer-printing\">Postcard vs Flyer: Which Format Gets Better Results?<\/a> &#8211; file spec differences between the two formats and when each suits the job<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<h3>What is the difference between PDF\/X-1a and PDF\/X-4?<\/h3>\n<p>PDF\/X-1a requires all colours to be CMYK or spot colour only and flattens any transparency in the artwork during export. It is the more conservative standard and works with older print workflows. PDF\/X-4 allows live transparency (so drop shadows and soft glows remain as transparency layers rather than being flattened) and is supported by most modern RIP systems. If your design uses transparency effects, PDF\/X-4 is the safer choice. If in doubt, ask your printer which standard their workflow prefers.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I submit a JPG instead of a PDF?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, JPG files are accepted by most Australian printers including Paperlust Print Shop. The requirements are the same: CMYK colour mode, 300 DPI at print size, and the image should include the 3mm bleed in the file dimensions. The downside of JPG is lossy compression. Export at maximum quality directly from your design application and do not re-save the file after export. PDF is preferred for complex designs with multiple elements.<\/p>\n<h3>My design was done in Canva. How do I export it correctly?<\/h3>\n<p>Canva&#8217;s &#8220;Print-ready PDF&#8221; export option (available on Canva Pro) outputs at 300 DPI and includes crop marks and bleed. Select this option rather than standard PDF or image export. Note that Canva works in RGB internally and converts to CMYK on export, so colour shifts can occur, particularly with vivid blues and greens. Review the exported file carefully before submitting. For brand-critical projects, a professional design application like Illustrator or InDesign gives you more control over the CMYK conversion.<\/p>\n<h3>Do I need to include crop marks in my file?<\/h3>\n<p>Some printers want crop marks included; others prefer files without them (they add their own). Check your specific printer&#8217;s artwork guidelines. Paperlust Print Shop does not require crop marks in submitted files &#8211; the bleed area itself is sufficient. If you do include crop marks, make sure they fall outside the bleed area, not inside it.<\/p>\n<h3>What resolution do I need for a photo that covers a full A5 postcard?<\/h3>\n<p>At A5 (148 x 210mm) plus 3mm bleed on each side (154 x 216mm), you need the image to be at least 1819 x 2551 pixels to hit 300 DPI at that size. A quick calculation: print width in mm divided by 25.4 (to convert to inches) multiplied by 300 gives the minimum pixel width. For A5 that is (154 \/ 25.4) x 300 = approximately 1819px wide. Most modern smartphone cameras and DSLRs produce files well above this; the issue usually arises with images sourced from websites or social media.<\/p>\n<h3>How do I know if my black is rich black or pure black?<\/h3>\n<p>In Illustrator or InDesign, click on a black fill and open the Colour panel. Pure black shows C0 M0 Y0 K100. Rich black shows values in all four channels (a common build is C40 M40 Y40 K100). Use pure black for body text and fine lines. Use rich black for large background fills, dark areas, and black bars where a denser, more uniform appearance matters.<\/p>\n<h3>What postcard sizes does Paperlust Print Shop offer?<\/h3>\n<p>Paperlust Print Shop prints postcards in A6 (105 x 148mm), A5 (148 x 210mm), DL (99 x 210mm), and square formats. All are printed on 360gsm premium card stock as standard. Silk and gloss finishes are available on request. Print methods include digital colour, foil, metallic, and white ink. <a href=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/products\/postcard\">View postcard printing options and pricing.<\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#faf7f2;border:1px solid #c9a96e;border-radius:4px;padding:28px 32px;margin:40px 0;text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"font-size:18px;font-weight:700;margin:0 0 8px 0;color:#1a1a1a;\">Ready to print your postcards?<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 20px 0;color:#555;font-size:15px;\">360gsm premium card. From $0.15 inc. GST. Ships AU-wide from Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/products\/postcard\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#c9a96e;color:#fff;text-decoration:none;padding:13px 28px;border-radius:3px;font-weight:600;font-size:15px;letter-spacing:0.3px;\">Order Postcards Online<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Set up postcard print files right the first time. Bleed, safe zones, CMYK, resolution, font embedding and file formats for Australian printers explained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-postcards"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Design a Postcard for Printing: Artwork Setup, Bleed and File Formats - Printshop by Paperlust<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/printshop.paperlust.co\/blog\/how-to-design-a-postcard-for-printing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Design a Postcard for Printing: Artwork Setup, Bleed and File Formats - Printshop by Paperlust\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Set up postcard print files right the first time. 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