Preparing documents for printing: a practical checklist

Most print problems start before the printer

Missing fonts, cut-off margins, the wrong page size and a forgotten page range are behind most reprints. Whether you are printing at home, at a print shop, or sending a file remotely, a few minutes of preparation saves both money and a second trip.

Send a PDF whenever you can

A Word or PowerPoint file can look different on another computer: fonts get substituted, lines reflow, and images move. A PDF fixes the layout so it prints the way it looked on your screen.

• In Microsoft Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice, use File → Download or Export as PDF rather than printing to PDF from a browser preview.
• Open the PDF before sending it and scroll through every page. Check page count, headers, tables and images.
• Give the file a clear name, such as 'Assignment-3-final-12-pages.pdf', so the person printing it knows they have the right one.

Check page size and margins

In India and most of the world the standard paper size is A4. Documents created with US templates often default to Letter size, which is slightly wider and shorter, and can cause cut-off text or unexpected scaling when printed on A4. Set the page size to A4 before you finish the layout, not after.

Most office printers cannot print right to the edge of the paper. Keep important text and images at least 5 mm, and preferably 10 mm or more, from every edge. If your document needs edge-to-edge colour, such as a poster or certificate, ask the print shop whether they can print it with bleed and trim it afterwards.

Specify exactly what to print

Be explicit about these settings with every request. They are the details most often lost in a hurried message:

• Number of copies.
• Page range, for example '1-4, 7, 10-12', if you do not need the whole file.
• Single-sided or double-sided. For portrait documents bound on the left, double-sided printing should flip on the long edge.
• Colour or black and white. Colour costs noticeably more per page, so use it only where it adds meaning, such as charts and diagrams.
• Paper size and type if anything other than plain A4 is needed.
• Binding or stapling, and whether pages should be collated.

Images, scans and photos

An image that looks sharp on a phone screen can print blurry. For printing, images should be roughly 300 pixels per inch at the size they will appear on paper. When scanning a document, 300 dpi is a good default for text; photos may benefit from higher resolution.

If you photograph a page with your phone instead of scanning it, use a scanning mode or app that straightens the page and increases contrast. Shadows and a grey background waste toner and make text harder to read.

Final checklist before you send

• The file is a PDF and opens correctly.
• Page size is A4 (or what the printer expects) and nothing important is near the edge.
• Copies, page range, sides and colour are stated clearly.
• The file name identifies the document and version.
• You know when and where the prints will be ready.

Jinhub Cloud Print is designed around the same checklist: you select the document, attach preferences such as copies, page range, colour and paper with the request, and follow its status until it is ready. You can try it at print.jinhub.co.in.