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Digital & Print Guidelines

Digital & Print Guidelines

Do you need to design some creative assets but don’t know where to start? Or are you looking for a refresher on best practices? From colour spaces to file setup, the information below covers everything beginners and experienced designers alike need to know to bring your creative ideas to life.

Colours

Understanding how colour works across digital and print environments is essential for maintaining brand consistency and ensuring accurate reproduction. Using the correct colour mode helps avoid unexpected shifts in tone and ensures your designs look the way they were intended, whether on screen or in print.

 

Images

Image quality can make or break a design. Choosing the right resolution and format ensures clarity, professionalism, and proper scaling across different platforms. Whether it’s a photo for a brochure or a graphic for a website, the correct image setup supports a polished final product.

  • Web: 72–150 DPI (dots per inch); optimized for fast loading.
  • Print: 300 DPI minimum; ensures sharp, professional output.
  • Vector: Scalable without quality loss (e.g., logos, illustrations). Created in programs like Illustrator and typically in EPS, SVG and AI file formats. To download hi-resolution logo files. You can download high resolution McMaster logo suites from the Brand Resource SharePoint site under Logos.
  • Raster: Pixel-based – Scaling up will result in quality loss (e.g., photos). Created or edited in programs like Photoshop and typically in JPG, PNG, TIF and PSD file formats. You can download high resolution McMaster photos from the Brand Asset Library. If required, account requests can be submitted via this form.

File Setup

Proper file setup streamlines the production process and prevents costly errors. From selecting the right file type to applying bleeds and crop marks, preparing artwork according to print specifications ensures smooth handoff to printers and guarantees professional, high-quality results.

Adobe Creative Suite

  • Adobe InDesign: Industry-standard tool for page layout and print design.
  • Adobe Illustrator: Ideal for creating and editing vector graphics such as logos and illustrations.
  • Adobe Photoshop: Powerful software for editing raster images and photographs.

For more information about the full range of Adobe Creative Cloud and Acrobat software available at discounted rates for students, faculty, and staff, please contact The Campus Store. 

Canva

  • Canva Pro: Supports exporting print-ready designs in CMYK format, making it suitable for professional printing.
  • Canva Free: Best used for digital graphics; not recommended for creating print-ready files.
  • Bleed is extra image area that extends beyond the trim edge (usually 0.125” or 3mm) to avoid white edges after cutting.
  • Crop marks indicate where the paper should be trimmed.
  • Both are essential for professional, edge-to-edge printing.
  • A safe zone is the area around your text or logo that should stay clear of other design elements and the edge of the page. Keeping content inside this zone ensures nothing important gets cut off during trimming and keeps your layout clean and readable.
  • Export and submit artwork as a print-ready PDF/X-4 files.
  • Ensures embedded fonts, correct colour profiles, bleeds, and transparency handling for professional print production.

Brand Resources SharePoint Site

A new Brand Resources SharePoint site has launched. You can find logos, templates, campus photography, documents and the Faculty Toolkit on the new SharePoint site.

Click here