AI Designs Supplied To Us

Why AI-Created Designs Often Can't Be Printed as Supplied

We're increasingly asked to print designs that customers have created using AI tools (such as ChatGPT or other AI image generators). While these designs can look great on screen, they are often not suitable for professional printing as supplied.

Here's why:

The simple reason

AI designs are screen images, not print-ready artwork.

They are designed to look good digitally, not to meet the technical requirements needed for printing.

Common issues with AI designs

AI-generated artwork usually:

• Is low resolution for print
• Is supplied in RGB (screen colours, not print colours)
• Has no bleed or trim areas
• Contains text that isn't editable
• Uses effects that don't print cleanly
• Becomes blurry or pixelated when resized

Because of this, printers may reject the file or the final result may look poor.

Why this matters

Printing artwork that isn't set up correctly can result in:

• Blurry images
• Washed-out colours
• Cropped text or graphics
• Poor overall quality
• Wasted print costs

We never want customers to pay for something that doesn't meet expectations.

What's needed for professional printing

For print, artwork must be properly prepared, including:

• Correct size and resolution
• CMYK colour setup
• Bleed and safe margins
• Editable text where possible
• Print-safe image quality

AI artwork does not include these by default.

The correct solution

If a design has been created using AI, it needs to be checked and rebuilt where necessary by a designer before printing.

This may include:

• Rebuilding layouts in professional design software
• Replacing text with proper fonts
• Correcting colours for print
• Re-exporting at print-ready quality

Once done, the design can be printed correctly and consistently.

Think of it like this

An AI design is like a rough digital mock-up.

A print-ready design is the finished artwork.

Our approach

We're always happy to:

• Use AI designs as inspiration
• Prepare or rebuild artwork properly for print
• Advise honestly if a design isn't suitable as supplied

This ensures your printed items look professional and exactly as intended.