Whether you're designing your own files or working with a designer, getting your artwork right before submitting it for print saves time and avoids reprints. This checklist covers the practical points that matter most when preparing business cards, door hangers, and signage files for a salon or spa opening.
1. Confirm Your File Format
Print-ready files are typically supplied as a high-resolution PDF, with layered source files (such as AI or PSD) kept on hand in case revisions are needed. Avoid submitting files pulled directly from a phone gallery or a low-resolution web export, since these often look sharp on a screen but pixelate badly in print.
2. Check Resolution Before You Submit
Images and logos should be high enough resolution to print clearly at their final size, not just on a screen. A logo that looks crisp as a small social media icon can look blurry once enlarged onto a door hanger or storefront sign. If you're unsure, ask whoever supplied your logo for the original vector or high-resolution file rather than resizing a small image upward.
3. Use CMYK Colors, Not RGB
Screens display color using RGB, but print uses CMYK. Colors that look vibrant on your laptop can shift noticeably once printed if the file wasn't set up in CMYK from the start. If your brand has specific colors (for example, a signature salon pink or a spa's calming green), it's worth converting and checking those values in CMYK before finalizing artwork, especially for pieces like signage where color consistency matters most.
4. Build in Bleed and Keep Text Inside the Safety Margin
Printed pieces are trimmed after printing, so any background color or image that should reach the very edge of a card or hanger needs to extend slightly beyond the final size (known as bleed). Conversely, important text and logos should sit a small margin inside the edge, so nothing gets clipped if the trim shifts slightly. This matters most on business cards and door hangers, where the final size is small and any misalignment is more noticeable.
5. Outline or Embed Your Fonts
If a font isn't installed on the printer's system and isn't embedded or outlined in your file, text can shift, substitute, or disappear entirely. Converting text to outlines (or embedding fonts in your PDF export) avoids this risk, particularly for a business name or tagline set in a custom or unusual typeface.
6. Proofread Everything a Second Time
Once the design looks right, proofread it again specifically for accuracy: phone number, address, Instagram or booking handle, and opening hours. It's common for these details to change during the planning of a salon or spa opening, and an outdated detail is one of the easiest mistakes to catch before printing, and one of the most frustrating to discover after.
7. Keep Branding Consistent Across Every File
If you're preparing separate files for business cards, door hangers, and storefront signage, use the same logo version, color values, and contact details in each one. Reviewing all your files side by side before submitting them is a simple way to catch inconsistencies early. See the Business Card Printing page and Door Hanger Printing collection for the pieces this checklist applies to most directly.
Where This Fits in Your Opening Plan
Artwork preparation is just one step in getting your full salon or spa opening printing bundle ready. For the bigger picture of what to order and in what order, see our salon & spa opening printing package overview, or read our opening-day printing checklist for a full planning sequence.
