10 Artwork Mistakes That Delay Printing (and How to Avoid Them)
Most printing delays don’t come from the printer — they come from the artwork. A file that isn’t print-ready means a back-and-forth, a re-supply, or a missed daily cut-off, and suddenly the job that should have printed in 24 hours slips a day or more. The good news: almost every delay comes from the same handful of fixable mistakes. Here are the ten we see most, and exactly how to avoid them.
What an artwork mistake actually costs you
A print problem is rarely just a print problem — it’s a deadline problem. When a file has to be reworked or re-supplied, the job slips past the daily cut-off, and that can mean:
- Flags or banners that don’t arrive before your weekend market or event.
- A media wall that misses the expo or conference you’ve already paid to attend.
- Signage that isn’t up for your store opening or grand launch.
- A real estate sign that misses this weekend’s open home or auction.
- A promotion that goes live after the sale it was meant to advertise.
That’s why getting the file right the first time matters more than any single print spec — the fixes below take minutes, but a missed event can’t be re-run.
1. Low-resolution logos
A logo pulled from a website or an email signature is tiny and low-resolution. It looks fine on screen, but blown up onto a banner or flag it goes soft and jagged. Fix: supply a vector logo (AI, EPS or vector PDF) or a high-resolution file built at the final size. Vector art scales to any size with no quality loss.
2. Supplying RGB instead of CMYK
Screens use RGB; large-format printing uses CMYK. Bright RGB blues, greens and oranges can shift duller when converted for print, which surprises people when the banner arrives. Fix: set up or convert your file to CMYK so what you approve is what you get.
3. No bleed
If your background stops exactly at the edge, any tiny movement during trimming leaves a thin white sliver. Fix: extend the background past the trim line (bleed) so the colour runs right off the edge.
4. Key text or logos too close to the edge (or the hardware)
Different products hide different areas: a pull up banner base covers the bottom ~80 mm, a flag curves and wraps at the pole sleeve, and a media wall is zipped along the bottom and photographed from the lower-centre. Fix: keep important logos and text inside a safe margin — and for tall displays, in the upper two-thirds.
5. Fonts not outlined or embedded
If we don’t have your exact font, text can reflow or default to the wrong typeface. Fix: outline your fonts (convert text to curves) or supply a print-ready PDF with fonts embedded.
6. Artwork not built to the right size or orientation
Designing to the wrong dimensions means the artwork gets scaled to fit — stretching logos or cropping faces. Portrait art on a landscape product is a classic. Fix: build to the exact product size and orientation (each size has its own template). Designing at half-size at the correct ratio is fine; wrong ratio is not.
7. Text that’s too small
Large-format signage is read from metres away, often on the move. Fine print disappears. Fix: go big and bold, one clear message, and cut the detail — especially on roadside and event displays.
8. Low-quality, compressed images
A small JPG saved and re-saved picks up blocky compression artefacts that show up large. Fix: supply high-quality source images (high-res TIFF/PNG, or a properly exported PDF), not a screenshot or a social-media download.
9. Sending a Word, PowerPoint or screenshot file
Office and screenshot files are low-resolution, RGB, and have no bleed — so they almost always need rework. Fix: design in a print tool or export a proper print-ready PDF. Not sure how? Our design team can build or fix the file for you.
10. Leaving no time to proof
Even a perfect file needs a proof approval, and production only starts after you approve. Approving late means missing the daily cut-off and pushing the whole job back. Fix: send artwork early, check your proof promptly, and approve before the cut-off. Our quick guide to proofing your file covers what to look for.
The most common mistakes, by product
The principles are universal, but each product has its own classic slip:
- Flags: key text or logo placed too close to the curved top or the pole sleeve, where it wraps out of view.
- Pull up banners: important content in the bottom ~80 mm that the base cassette hides.
- Media walls: faces or key logos in the lower-centre photo zone (hidden by heads), or too close to the bottom zip.
- Corflute signs: text too small to read from a road or footpath at distance.
- Rectangle & flagpole flags: portrait artwork supplied for a landscape product, or vice versa.
What we see most often
In practice, delays trace back to a few real-world habits more than anything technical. The files our design team flags most are: a logo copied straight from a website or social profile (far too small to print large), a screenshot, Canva or Office export used instead of the original source file, and text nudged right up against the trim edge. None of these look wrong on a phone screen — they only reveal themselves at print size, which is exactly why they cause a back-and-forth. If you’re ever unsure, send the file through early and we’ll check it before it costs you a day.
The one-line version: supply vector or high-resolution artwork, in CMYK, built to size, with bleed, fonts outlined, and key text kept clear of the edges — and approve your proof early. Do that and your job prints on time, every time.
Related guides
- Why your logo looks blurry when printed large (a deep dive on mistake #1)
- 5 ways to proof your file before printing
- Print-ready file requirements
More print-prep guides are on the way as we build out our knowledge base — RGB vs CMYK explained, vector vs JPG vs PNG, and a print-ready checklist.
Get it right the first time
Read our print-ready file guide for the full specs, or let our design team prepare your artwork so it’s right before it hits the press. Ready to order? Browse our full range or contact our team — we print in Australia, usually within 24 hours of artwork approval.