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✓ Print artwork
Flat, edge to edge
One straight-on design. No shadows, holes, jewelry, props, border outside the artwork, or photographed paper. The image is the artwork itself.
How to Create Print-Ready AI Artwork for Display Cards | Homegrown Creativity
Homegrown Creativity · Artwork help
Make AI artwork we can actually print.
AI can make beautiful designs for your earring cards, necklace cards and hang tags. The key is to request the flat artwork file that goes on the card—not a photo of a finished card.
Artwork vs. mockup: what to send us
The right-hand example is an illustrative AI-generated mockup. Send the full, straight-on design only, with nothing photographed around it.
✕ Mockup
Looks great online, but cannot be printed as artwork
An angled card with faux paper texture, shadows, punched holes, jewelry or a styled background is a preview photo. It does not give us the clean design underneath.
Four easy steps
1
Choose your card first
Find the exact size and shape you plan to order. A 2 × 2 inch square needs a square design; a 2 × 3.5 inch card needs a tall design. Use that same width-to-height proportion in your AI request.
2
Ask for a flat design
Say “print artwork only, viewed straight on, filling the entire canvas.” Explicitly exclude mockups, cards on tables, paper grain, shadows, earrings, holes and cut lines.
3
Generate large enough
Ask for at least 5 inches wide at 300 dpi (at least 1,500 pixels wide). Keep the matching height for your chosen card proportion. More pixels are welcome.
4
Finish in our template
Download the highest-resolution file. Place it in the product template or online design tool, then keep important text and logos clear of edges, holes and slits. Check the final proof before printing.
Find your minimum artwork size
Enter the finished card size in inches. This keeps the correct proportions while making the artwork at least 5 inches wide.
For a 2 × 3.5 inch card: at least 1,500 × 2,625 pixels.
These dimensions are for the design before adding bleed. Add bleed in your final card template. At 300 dpi, 1,500 pixels equals 5 inches. Pixel dimensions matter: changing only the DPI setting on a small image does not add detail. Do not enlarge a blurry AI image and expect it to become sharp.
Copy this prompt into your AI image tool
Replace the words in [brackets] with your details. For best results, use the calculator above, then copy its suggested pixel size into the prompt.
Create FLAT, PRINT-READY ARTWORK for a [2 inch wide × 3.5 inch tall] jewelry display card for [brand name]. Use a [2:3.5 width-to-height] portrait aspect ratio. Create a [describe your colors, artwork and style] design. Leave clear space for [logo or wording] and for the product's earring holes or slits. The design itself must fill the entire rectangular canvas, viewed perfectly straight on, with crisp details and a clean, solid-color background. Output the highest-resolution downloadable image available, at least [1,500 × 2,625 pixels], suitable for 300 dpi printing at 5 inches wide. ARTWORK ONLY: no card mockup, no photographed cardstock, no paper or linen texture, no shadows, no perspective, no tabletop, no props, no earrings or jewelry, no punched holes, no rounded corners, no border outside the canvas, no cut lines and no watermark. Do not render text unless it can be spelled exactly; otherwise leave room for me to add it afterward.
Tip for logos and lettering: AI often misspells words and distorts logos. Add your real logo and text afterward in our design tool or your own editor. For specialty gold, silver or clear ink, contact us about the required vector artwork before ordering.
Working with a graphic designer—or designing it yourself?
Ask for the finished flat artwork sized to the exact card you are ordering. A photo or mockup of the card is useful for previewing, but we need the original design file to print.
Best files to send
Vector artwork is ideal for logos, lettering and clean line art. Ask your designer for a print-ready PDF with fonts outlined or embedded and images included. An SVG, AI or EPS source file can also be helpful—please include a PDF preview. For artwork built from pixels, send a full-size PNG or high-quality JPEG, not a screenshot or a small web preview.
Size and layout
Build the design using the product's actual dimensions and template. Raster artwork should be at least 300 pixels per inch at its final printed size; for our easy upload guideline, aim for at least 1,500 pixels wide with a matching height proportion. Vector elements stay sharp when scaled, but any photos or textures placed inside a vector file still need sufficient resolution.
Keep the design clean
Supply a straight-on, flat file with no product photo, faux card edges, shadows, mockup scene, watermarks or pre-drawn earring holes. Keep important text and logos away from edges and cuts. If artwork runs to the edge, follow the bleed and safe-area markings in the template for the card you selected.
Before sending it
Check spelling, fine lines and small text at actual card size. Include any required font or convert lettering to outlines in a copy of the vector file. If your design uses specialty gold, silver or clear ink, contact us first: those areas require vector artwork. Tell your designer the chosen card size, shape, paper and cut locations.
Simple request for your designer: “Please provide the flat print artwork for my [card size and shape], using Homegrown Creativity's product template. Send a print-ready CMYK PDF with fonts outlined or embedded and placed images included, plus the editable source file. Keep my logo and text clear of the marked trim, holes and slits. Please add 1/8 inch of bleed on each side for edge-to-edge artwork and keep text at least 1/4 inch inside the trim line, and do not flatten the design into a card mockup.”
Bleeds, safe spacing & print colors
These requirements apply whether your artwork comes from AI, a professional designer or your own design software.
Add 1/8 inch of bleed on every side
If a picture, background color or design reaches the edge of your card, extend that artwork 1/8 inch (0.125 inch) beyond each trim edge. This extra artwork is called a bleed. It allows for small cutting variations and helps prevent unwanted white edges. Extend the actual background or picture—do not add a white border.
Example: A finished 2 × 3.5 inch card needs a 2.25 × 3.75 inch artwork area including bleed. The card is still trimmed to 2 × 3.5 inches.
Keep text 1/4 inch inside the trim line
Keep all text at least 1/4 inch (0.25 inch) away from the finished paper edge or trim line to prevent accidental cropping. Keep important logos and details inside this safe area too, and clear of holes and slits. Measure this space from the finished card edge, not the outside edge of the bleed.
Illustration is not to scale. Follow the template for your selected card shape and cut locations.
Prepare your final print file in CMYK
CMYK means Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black). Printing combines these inks on paper to make colors. Set your final artwork to CMYK mode and export a print-ready PDF that preserves those CMYK colors. This helps you preview colors that can be reproduced with printing inks.
If your designer is preparing the file, ask them to use CMYK and include any needed bleed. Contact us if you need guidance on the color profile for your artwork.
Why screen colors can look different
RGB means Red, Green and Blue. Screens mix colored light to display images. RGB can show very bright colors that ordinary CMYK inks cannot reproduce, so some colors become less vivid or shift when converted for printing. Paper color and texture can also affect the printed result. CMYK helps you plan for printing, but a screen preview is not an exact printed color match.
Using AI or PNG artwork? AI tools usually deliver RGB images, and PNG does not support CMYK. Use that image as a starting asset, then have the final layout converted and exported as a CMYK PDF. Simply asking an AI tool for “CMYK” does not verify the file's color mode.
Tell your designer: “Please supply my final artwork in CMYK mode, with 1/8 inch of bleed beyond every trim edge for artwork that reaches the edge. Keep all text at least 1/4 inch inside the finished trim line, and clear of the card's holes and slits.”
Before you upload, check these seven things
- The file shows only the flat design, not a mockup.
- Its width-to-height proportion matches your selected card.
- It is at least 1,500 pixels wide, with matching height.
- Logos and words are spelled correctly and look sharp.
- Text is at least 1/4 inch inside the trim and clear of holes or slits.
- Edge-to-edge artwork extends 1/8 inch beyond every trim edge.
- The final print file is prepared in CMYK mode.
A 300 dpi label alone is not a quality guarantee. Use the original high-resolution download, preferably PNG for graphics and sharp lettering or a high-quality JPEG for photo-based art. Screenshots and compressed previews often lose detail. PNG images are RGB assets; for final CMYK printing artwork, use a properly prepared PDF.