Common mistakes in printing can lead to wasted resources, lost time, and dissatisfied clients. As a knowledgeable print shop owner, it is essential to recognize and take preventative steps to eliminate potential errors. In this blog post, we will delve into some of the most common printing mistakes that even experienced professionals in our business make.

We'll explore the importance of using correct color profiles for an accurate representation of your customers’ artwork. Next, we'll discuss how poor file resolution can result in low-quality, grainy print and ways to prevent this issue. Additionally, we'll touch on selecting the appropriate paper size for your projects.

Finally, ignoring bleed settings is another common mistake leading to unsightly design edges. Learn how to set up bleeds for professional-looking results properly. By understanding these common printing mistakes and implementing best practices in your workflow, you can significantly improve the quality of your printed heat transfers, save time and money, and keep your customers coming back.

1. Overlooking Color Profiles

One common printing mistake is overlooking color profiles, which can lead to inaccurate representation of the original art and poor print quality. Color Profiles define the original colors the camera captures and how we see them on our computer displays. They provide a means of consistency between the original and the finished heat transfer. When it comes to producing high-quality printed heat transfers, using the correct color profile is essential to ensure that your final product matches what your customer wants on the shirt or substrate.

Very simply, a color profile is a data set that describes how colors should be displayed on different devices, such as monitors or printers. It helps ensure consistency across various platforms by providing a standard way to interpret and reproduce colors accurately. sRGB is the color profile that you will encounter in most of the images you get from your customers. Most computer monitors are designed to display a significant portion of the colors in this profile. The Adobe RGB profile is another you might encounter. Adobe RGB displays a wider range of the visual spectrum and is mainly used by professional photographers. While most new digital cameras can capture the full range of colors in Adobe RGB, only expensive computer monitors can display them. Remember, sublimation and transfer printing do not have the same ability to duplicate the same range as the human eye.

The Importance of Using the Correct Color Profiles

• Color Accuracy: A proper color profile ensures that the printed output closely resembles what you see on the screen, reducing discrepancies between digital designs and physical prints.
• Better Print Quality: Using an appropriate color profile allows for more accurate reproduction of gradients, shadows, highlights, and other elements within an image or design file.
• Fewer Reprints: Ensuring consistent results from one print job to another reduces waste caused by reprints due to incorrect coloring or inconsistencies in appearance.

Tips for Choosing the Right Color Profile

1. Determine Your Printer's Capabilities: Consult your printer manual or manufacturer's website for information about supported color profiles specific to your device model.
2. Select Appropriate Software Settings: In programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Inkscape, and Affinity, choose the right working space (e.g., sRGB) based on your intended output device (monitor vs. printer).
3. Create Custom Profiles: For more advanced users, consider creating a custom color profile tailored to your specific printer and paper combination using software and a color calibration tool.
4. Make sure you have a Pantone® Color Formulation Guide (Coated and Uncoated) and use it when working with customers on color. Guide them to the Pantone® Guide to pick out their color. Be sure to use the uncoated part of the guide, as the coated colors will not be a good representation of heat transfer printing.
5. Consistently Apply Color Profiles: Ensure that you apply the same color profile across all design files for a project to maintain consistency in print transfer results.
6. If your customer demands accuracy, ensure you have calibrated your monitor so what you see on the screen is what you get when you print. The process of calibration involves software, a densitometer, and a monitor screen calibration device. X-rite Pantone® are industry leaders in color calibration.

Incorporating proper color profiles into your printing process is crucial for achieving accurate colors and high-quality prints. By understanding the importance of these profiles and following best practices, small and medium print shops can avoid this common mistake while producing professional-grade materials.

2. Poor File Resolution

A poor file resolution can lead to a lack of clarity and sharpness in printed images, thus reducing the quality of the final product. To ensure your printed heat transfers are of the best quality, it is important to be aware of file resolution and use high-resolution images.

Understanding File Resolution

File resolution is typically described using two terms: DPI and PPI. The terms are frequently used interchangeably; however, they should not be. PPI describes the resolution of a digital image, whereas DPI describes the number of ink dots on a printed page. The higher the PPI/DPI value, the more detail and clarity an image will have when printed. For professional print quality, it's recommended that you use a minimum resolution of 300 DPI when you print heat transfers.

Tips for Ensuring High-Quality Images

1. Select appropriate file formats: Use lossless file formats like TIFF or PNG whenever possible since they retain all original image data without compression artifacts often found in JPEGs.
2. Avoid enlarging small images: Enlarging a low-resolution image will only make its imperfections more noticeable. Instead, try obtaining a higher-resolution version of the image or consider purchasing stock photos from reputable providers like Shutterstock.
3. Edit carefully: When editing images for print projects, always work on copies rather than originals to avoid degradation from multiple saves.
4. Preflight check: Before sending your files off to the printer, perform a preflight check using software like Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to identify any potential issues related to resolution and other aspects of print readiness.

3. Incorrect Paper Size

Using the wrong paper size for a project can cause problems with alignment and margins, leading to an unprofessional final product. To avoid this common mistake in printing, it's essential to understand the different paper sizes available and set up your print job correctly.

Global paper sizes such as A-series (A4, A5), B-series (B4, B5), and US Letter (8.5" x 11") or Legal (8.5" x 14") are widely used.

Selecting the Right Paper Size

• Determine which paper size accommodates the design layout and content you are going to print. Keep in mind the working area of a garment:
• Adult T-shirt: 8-13” x 15”
• Youth T-shirt: 6-9.5” x 9.5”
• Infant Shirt: 3-5.5” x 5”
• Consider any folding or binding requirements that may affect the choice of paper size.
• When selecting the right size for your project, consult with customers or associates before moving forward.

Setting Up Your Print Job Correctly

1. Create a custom page setup: In most graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, create a custom page/document setup by specifying dimensions that match your chosen paper size.
2. Maintain consistent document settings across files: Ensure all documents use identical settings to maintain consistency during production.
3. Use crop marks and registration marks: Including these guides in your print file can help the printer accurately align and trim your printed materials.

Paying attention to paper size selection and proper typesetting for your print job will result in a polished final product that meets aesthetic and functional requirements.

Key Takeaway: Don't make the mistake of using the incorrect paper size when printing, as it can lead to alignment and margin issues. To avoid this, understand the different standard paper sizes and create a custom page setup that matches your chosen size while maintaining consistent document settings across files. Use crop marks and registration marks for accurate alignment during production.