PRINT ARTWORK GUIDELINES

Please read and follow these Artwork Guidelines when supplying your own artwork for print.

File Format

Cardzilla will accept a range of formats for print.

Cardzilla Prefers

• PDF files
• CMYK colour
• 300dpi resolution minimum
• Fonts converted to outlines or flattened

Resolution

Images such as photos in your artwork must have a minimum resolution of 300dpi. Images that have a lower resolution may print pixelated or fuzzy. Images taken from the internet often have a resolution of only 72dpi and will very rarely print very well.

Correct Colour

Digital printing uses a CMYK colour format (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). The colours on your screen are RGB colours (Red, Green, Blue).

Some RGB colours that appear on your screen can not be printed in CMYK. You must be careful when selecting colours for your printing, as some colours will print “dull” when compared to your computer screen.

Programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator can convert all colours to CMYK. Programs such as Microsoft Word can not, so you must manually select colours which are not at risk.

Fonts

You may choose to select only common fonts such as “Arial” and “Times New Roman”, or you can “embed” the fonts when saving your artwork. Preferably fonts in your artwork need to be “converted to outlines” or “flattened” into a graphic. This will eliminate the chance of fonts not displaying correctly and not printing the way you intended.

Designed By Cardzilla

CARDZILLA has a creative team of designers that can design your card for you at a very competitive rate.

Business Card Artwork Size

94mm x 59mm (including 2mm bleed)

Artwork Bleeds – IMPORTANT!

Your artwork needs to be a certain size to print correctly. For business cards it is 94mmx59mm. Part of this size is what we call the “bleed” which will be trimmed off. The bleed area is 2mm on each side. In addition to the bleed area outside the cut line, we strongly recommend making another internal margin as the cut line can vary in location. The finished size of your business cards will be 90mm x 55mm after the 2mm bleed is trimmed off.

Black Line The black line here represents where the bleed area will be trimmed off and the finished edge of your card. Do not put any important information in the bleed area, or near the bleed area as it may be trimmed off. Whiite Line Important information cannot be placed too close to the bleed area. We suggest leaving another 2mm internal margin, inside the white line.

Grey Line The background colour or image must continue into the bleed area, out to the grey line, otherwise an uneven white border may appear around the finished print.

Supplying AI-Generated Artwork

We love seeing your ideas, and AI tools are a great way to explore them. Before you send through AI-generated artwork, here are a few things worth knowing so we can get the best possible result for your print job.

Why AI files can be tricky for print

• Low resolution: AI images often look sharp on screen but come out blurry when printed. Print needs high-resolution files (usually 300 DPI or more), and most AI output falls short.
• No easy edits: AI usually delivers a flat image, not an editable file. That means name changes, new phone numbers, or small tweaks often require recreating the artwork from scratch, which adds time and cost.
• Logos that won't scale: An AI logo may suit a business card, but it can turn rough and pixelated on signage, banners, or vehicle wraps. Professional vector logos stay crisp at any size.
• Ownership and copyright: Depending on the tool, AI-generated designs may not legally belong to you. In some cases, they carry no copyright protection, which can leave your brand exposed. See the Australian Government’s IP Australia page on what to consider when using AI to create IP.

Can I use Canva?

Canva files are more workable than AI files for print. If you export as a PDF with the crop and bleed options ticked, our designers can usually edit it and prepare it properly. AI-generated files rarely give us that flexibility.

How to get the best result

AI output is genuinely welcome as inspiration or direction. Send it through to show us the look, colours, or layout you're after, and our designers will take it from there.

For print-ready quality, our team builds your artwork using professional tools like Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. That means high-resolution files, fully editable designs, scalable logos, and work you truly own.

Have an AI concept you love? Share it with us as a starting point, and we'll turn it into something built to print beautifully.