Production Files & Preflight
The files every order arrives with — print-resolution PNG, production PDF, vector SVG, cut-path die-line — plus live print guides, DPI maths, and preflight checks.
The app's core promise: what customers design is what your printer receives. That rests on three things — real print dimensions, live guides, and preflight.
Play with the print maths#
Bleed, trim & safe zone — live
(3″ + 2×0.125″) × 300 DPI = 975 × 975 px
The production PNG is rendered at exactly these pixel dimensions — no upscaling, ever. Guides are drawn live on the customer's canvas so designs arrive printable.
Real dimensions, real pixels#
Every canvas is defined in physical units — inches, cm, or mm — at a target DPI (default 300). The production render is calculated exactly as the playground shows: (size + 2 × bleed) × DPI. A 3″ × 3″ label with 0.125″ bleed at 300 DPI is rendered at 975 × 975 px — never upscaled, never guessed.
Bleed, trim, and safe-zone guides are drawn live on the customer's canvas while they design (toggleable per template), so staying in spec doesn't require knowing what "bleed" means.
The files on every order#
| File | Format | Use | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design preview | JPEG | Cart drawer, checkout, order confirmation | All plans |
| Production PNG | PNG at full print resolution | Raster printing, RIP software | All plans |
| Production PDF | PDF at exact physical page size (trim + bleed) | Send straight to the printer | Starter+ |
| Vector SVG | Traced single-colour curves | Laser software (LightBurn, Inkscape), plotters | Starter+ |
| Cut path | SVG die-line following the trim edge | Die-cutting, digital cutters, embossing | Starter+ |
Download them from the Designs gallery in the app — or grab the URLs straight off the order's line item properties (see The Storefront Block).
On the Free plan the customer-facing preview carries a small "Powered by Design Studio" watermark. Production files are never watermarked, and the preview watermark disappears on any paid plan.
Vector tracing for engraving#
Templates flagged for vector trace export render their SVG through a tracing pipeline: the design is supersampled at 4× DPI, thresholded to pure black-and-white, and traced into clean vector curves. The stamp starter templates use this by default — the output drops into laser and engraving workflows unchanged.
Preflight checks#
Before submit, the app checks the design and warns about the three classic print failures:
- Safe-zone violations — an element extends beyond the safety margin and may be cut off during trimming
- Tiny text — text that will render too small to read at physical size (flagged with its approximate point size)
- Bleed coverage — the background doesn't fully cover the bleed area, risking white edges
Warnings explain the problem in plain language so customers fix it themselves — instead of you discovering it after the order lands.
Related guides#
- Images & Background Removal — engraving filters (threshold, grayscale, invert)
- Templates & the Starter Library — per-template print specs
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