How to order printing online without costly surprises

Step one: define the job before you open a website

Ordering starts on paper, not in a shopping cart. If you do not know what you need, every option on the product page looks equally good and you end up choosing by price alone.

Write a short spec for the job with these fields:

• Product and finished size, such as a flyer at 8.5 × 11 in.
• Paper weight and type, such as a thick matte cover stock.
• Finish, such as matte, gloss or uncoated.
• Sides printed: front only or both sides.
• Quantity, based on how you will distribute it.
• The date you need it in hand, not the date you want to order.

That spec keeps you focused and makes comparing prices fair later. It also makes it obvious when a product page option does not match what you intended.

If you are unsure about paper or finish, choose based on use. Pieces handled a lot or mailed need thicker stock. Pieces customers will write on need uncoated or matte. Pieces that must look vivid, such as photo heavy flyers, suit gloss.

Step two: design in the browser or bring your own file

There are two routes to artwork, and each has its place.

If you do not have a designer, start from templates and edit them in the Voqado Studio. Templates are already set to the correct size with bleed and safe areas marked, which removes the most common file errors. Replace the text and images, keep your brand colors and fonts, and preview both sides.

If you have a designer or design software, upload a PDF. It should be built at the finished size plus bleed on every edge, in CMYK, with images at 300 PPI at their final size, and with fonts embedded or converted to outlines.

Either way, keep a copy of the final file and note which template or version you used. Reordering later is much faster when you can find the exact file.

Step three: check the file before upload

Most reprints trace back to a handful of file problems. Check these before you upload.

• Bleed: backgrounds and images extend past the trim line, commonly by 0.125 in on each edge.
• Safe area: text and logos sit comfortably inside the trim, so nothing important is cut off.
• Resolution: photos are sharp at 100 percent zoom, not just when viewed small.
• Color mode: the file is CMYK, not RGB.
• Page count and order: front is page one, back is page two.

If bleed is a new concept, the article on what bleed is in printing explains it with diagrams. The free PDF health check reports on bleed, resolution, color mode and page size automatically.

Step four: read the proof like an editor

The proof is the last point where changes are free. Treat it as a separate task, not a box to tick on the way to checkout.

Read every word out loud, including the small print. Check each phone number by dialing it and each web address by typing it. Scan every QR code with your phone. Look at the edges to confirm nothing important is close to the trim. Check that the back is not upside down relative to the front, which matters for postcards and cards read by flipping.

Ask someone else to read it too. The person who wrote the text is the worst person to proofread it, because the brain fills in what it expects to see.

Remember that a screen proof shows layout, not exact color. Colors on paper will look slightly different from your screen. If exact color matters, order a sample or a small run first.

Step five: compare quotes on equal terms

If you are comparing printers, make sure each quote describes the same job. A lower price often reflects thinner paper, fewer sides, slower production or shipping that is not included.

The print quote checklist for comparable prices lists every field to align before you compare. Compare the total delivered cost, not the headline price.

Step six: plan delivery backward from your deadline

Start with the date you need the prints in hand and work backward. Subtract shipping time, then production time, then a buffer for proof corrections. The result is the date you must approve the proof, which is usually earlier than people expect.

Check the current production and shipping times on the product page and the shipping and returns page. Add at least two business days of buffer for anything tied to an event, since weather and carrier delays happen.

For events, have prints delivered to where you will be, not to an office you will not visit before the event. If several items are needed, order them together so they arrive together.

Step seven: inspect the delivery right away

Open boxes as soon as they arrive, not the morning of the event. Check a sample from the top, middle and bottom of each stack for trimming, color and any damage in transit.

If something is wrong, photograph it next to the packing slip and contact the printer quickly with your order number. Problems reported early are much easier to resolve than ones discovered weeks later.

Store prints flat, dry and out of direct sunlight. Paper curls and fades if left in a hot car or a damp storeroom.

Get the free Small Business Print Planner

Your first online order is smoother with a checklist beside you, and the Small Business Print Planner includes one. The order checklist walks through every step above so nothing is skipped when you are busy. Download it from the print planner page.

Online print ordering checklist

• Write the job spec: size, paper, finish, sides, quantity and deadline.
• Use a template or export a PDF with bleed, CMYK and 300 PPI images.
• Run the file through a health check before upload.
• Read the proof out loud and test every number, link and QR code.
• Compare quotes on identical specs and total delivered cost.
• Work backward from your deadline to a proof approval date.
• Inspect the delivery the day it arrives.