How You Should Upload Your Files for the Best Results
Artwork Specifications for your posters
It can be hard to know the specifics when exporting your artwork for poster printing.
At PrintShrimp, we ensure a human check on all printed artwork, to ensure your artwork is produced as close as possible to how it looks on your device. However, how designs look on digital displays will always vary slightly compared to once it is printed.
By following the below specifications, you can make sure your artwork is printed in as high quality as possible.
To see what sizes PrintShrimp offers, click here.
In This Article, You Will Learn:
- The different paper types available and their benefits
- The recommended DPI for high-quality printing
- The importance of using CMYK color mode over RGB
- Which file formats to use and why PDFs are not recommended
- How to optimize file sizes for upload
- The necessary bleed and safe margin guidelines
- Recommended pixel dimensions for each print size
What paper type should I print on?
This is largely up to your personal preference, and how you envision your posters.
When choosing poster paper for selling, the finish makes a big difference in how the print looks and feels. Here’s a simple breakdown:
- Glossy – Shiny and vibrant! Colors pop, and details look sharp. Best for eye-catching posters but can have glare under bright lights. Fingerprints may show up.
- Satin (aka Semi-Gloss) – A middle ground. Slightly shiny but not too reflective. Colors are still rich, but with less glare than glossy. A good balance for both looks and durability.
- Matte – No shine at all. Gives a soft, elegant look with deep, rich tones. Great for art-style posters or text-heavy prints since there’s no glare.
So, if you want bold and flashy, go for glossy. If you want a balance, pick satin. For a classy, non-reflective finish, matte is best.
We offer all 3 finishes at all of our locations worldwide. It is up to you if you want to offer your customer a choice between the 3 types. We normally recommend selecting one on your end, and just offering this finish. Sometimes, offering this choice for customers can be confusing for them.
1. What DPI should I use?
We recommend that all artwork should be at 300 DPI (dots per inch) for high-quality prints. Lower DPI may result in pixelation or blurriness. 150 DPI is often fine, but for highest quality 300 DPI is recommended.
2. Color Mode
Using CMYK is recommended (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) for accurate print colors. RGB is for screens and may cause unexpected color shifts in printing.
3. File Formats
JPEG, PNG (must be high resolution, preferably uncompressed). PDFs are not advised as printers often need to convert these on their end to JPEG/PNG.
4. Bleed & Safe Margins
We print border to border, so you don’t need to account for this when designing your poster. However, it is advisable to not place elements too close to the edge of the print due to a 2–3mm safe area for trimming.
Difference Between File Types
- PNG – Best for high-quality images with transparency and lossless compression. PNG files retain more detail but tend to be larger in size.
- JPG – Uses lossy compression, which makes file sizes smaller while maintaining good image quality. Ideal for most poster prints where file size is a concern.
- PDF – While useful for documents, PDFs are not ideal for printing posters due to potential conversion issues.
File Size Limits
The maximum file size we accept is 75MB.
If your file is too large, you can reduce its size by:
- Re-exporting the file through Photoshop or Canva.
- Using online compression tools like TinyPNG or JPEG-Optimizer to shrink file sizes while maintaining quality.
Recommended Pixel Dimensions for each Print Size:
You can read more about what poster sizes to offer and their aspect ratios here.
| Print Size (cm) | Print Size (inches) | Recommended Pixel Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| 13 × 18 cm | 5 × 7" | 1500 × 2100 px |
| 15 × 20 cm | 6 × 8" | 1800 × 2400 px |
| 20 × 25 cm | 8 × 10" | 2400 × 3000 px |
| 21 × 29.7 cm | 8 × 12" (A4) | 2500 × 3500 px |
| 27 × 35 cm | 11 × 14" | 3300 × 4200 px |
| 28 × 43 cm | 11 x 17" | 3300 × 5100 px |
| 29.7 × 42 cm | A3 | 3500 × 5000 px |
| 30 × 40 cm | 12 × 16" | 3600 × 4800 px |
| 30 × 45 cm | 12 × 18" | 3600 × 5400 px |
| 40 × 50 cm | 16 × 20" | 4800 × 6000 px |
| 40 × 60 cm | 16 × 24" | 4800 × 7200 px |
| 42 × 59.4 cm | A2 | 5000 × 7000 px |
| 45 × 60 cm | 18 × 24" | 5400 × 7200 px |
| 50 × 70 cm | 20 × 28" | 6000 × 8400 px |
| 59.4 × 84.1 cm | A1 | 7000 × 9900 px |
| 60 × 80 cm | 24 × 32" | 7200 × 9600 px |
| 60 × 90 cm | 24 × 36" | 7200 × 10800 px |
| 70 × 100 cm | 28 × 40" | 8400 × 12000 px |
| 75 × 100 cm | 30 × 40" | 9000 × 12000 px |
| 84.1 × 118.9 cm | A0 | 9900 × 14000 px |
As mentioned before, we always check your posters before shipping to ensure they meet both our and your standards. If you are not technical and all of the above is confusing, don’t panic. 99.99% of the time, a design exported from Canva or Photoshop will print well. However, following the above guidelines is best practice and ensures your posters are as high-quality as possible.