1. Start With the Printing Specifications

Before designing the first page, decide what you are actually printing. A designer should know the physical specifications of the catalog before building the artwork.

Bright Print Works offers custom catalog printing from 8 pages to 100+ pages with paper and binding options including Gloss Text, Gloss Cover, Matte, Saddle Stitch, Perfect Bound and Wire-O.

2. Determine the Page Count Before You Design

Do not design 17 pages and then try to figure out how they will become a printed catalog. Plan the publication structure before laying out the final pages.

Saddle-stitched catalogs are typically planned in page counts that work in multiples of four because folded printed sheets create four catalog pages. Other binding methods can have different production requirements.

If you are deciding how much content belongs in the publication, read How Many Pages Should a Printed Catalog Have?

3. Build a Page Plan Before Building the Pages

A simple page plan can save hours of redesign. Decide where major sections will begin, which products need the most space and where customers should encounter important calls to action.

4. Design for the Customer — Not Just the Designer

A catalog can look impressive and still be difficult to use. Customers should be able to scan a page and quickly understand what you sell, why it matters and what they should do next.

5. Use High-Quality Product Images

A printed catalog can only reproduce the image information contained in the original artwork. Small, compressed or low-resolution images can look acceptable on a computer screen but disappointing when enlarged and printed.

6. Remember: Screens and Printing Reproduce Color Differently

Computer and phone screens produce color with light, while commercial printing reproduces color with ink. Because of that difference, a printed piece will not necessarily look identical to a bright backlit screen.

Follow the printer's file and color requirements when preparing final artwork, especially when color consistency is important to your brand or products.

7. Build Bleed Into the Artwork

If a photograph, color or graphic is supposed to run all the way to the edge of the finished page, the artwork normally needs to extend beyond the final trim line. That extra image area is called bleed.

8. Keep Important Content Away From the Trim

Bleed protects artwork that extends off the page. A safe margin does the opposite: it keeps important content comfortably inside the finished page.

Avoid placing logos, phone numbers, product prices, page numbers and important text directly against the trim edge. Also allow appropriate space near the binding so important content does not feel crowded into the center of the publication.

9. Be Careful With Content That Crosses Two Pages

Large photographs and design elements can span two facing pages, but avoid placing critical text, faces, product details or other essential information directly through the center where the pages meet.

How much of the center area is affected depends partly on the binding method and construction of the catalog.

10. Choose the Binding Before Finalizing the Layout

Binding is not simply something added after the pages are printed. The binding method can influence page planning, margins, the center of spreads and the overall appearance of the publication.

Bright Print Works offers Saddle Stitch, Perfect Bound and Wire-O options. Compare two common choices in Saddle Stitch vs. Perfect Bound Catalogs: Which Should You Choose?

11. Choose Paper That Fits the Design

A catalog filled with colorful product photography may call for a different paper choice than a publication built around technical information, charts or a more subdued visual presentation.

Bright Print Works offers options including Gloss Text, Gloss Cover, Matte and custom paper configurations. For help choosing, see Best Paper for Catalog Printing: Text & Cover Stock Explained.

12. Proofread Everything Before Sending It to Print

Printing thousands of catalogs is not the time to discover a wrong phone number, misspelled product name or incorrect price.

13. Test Every QR Code and Link

QR codes can connect a printed catalog directly to product pages, videos, ordering pages or other online information. But once thousands of catalogs are printed, a bad QR code is printed thousands of times.

Test every QR code from the final artwork before approving the catalog for production.

14. Submit a Print-Ready PDF

PDF is commonly used for commercial printing because it can preserve page dimensions, fonts, images and layout in a format suitable for production.

Before exporting, confirm the exact file requirements for your job. Make sure the final file contains the correct page dimensions, bleed and complete artwork, and review the exported PDF itself rather than assuming the design file exported correctly.

Design Decisions Also Affect Catalog Printing Cost

Page count, paper, cover stock, binding, finished size and quantity can all affect the final printing price. Making those decisions early allows the designer to work within the actual production plan rather than creating a catalog that later has to be redesigned to fit the budget.

For complete pricing examples, see How Much Does Catalog Printing Cost? and Catalog Printing Prices Compared.

Before You Send Your Catalog to the Printer

Frequently Asked Questions

What resolution should catalog images be for printing?

For photographs and other raster images, 300 DPI at the final printed size is a common target for high-quality commercial printing. Always check the requirements for the specific printing job.

How much bleed should a catalog have?

A common commercial printing requirement is 0.125" (1/8") of bleed beyond the trim edge when artwork extends to the edge of the finished page. Confirm the specifications for your particular job before submitting artwork.

What file format should I use for catalog printing?

PDF is commonly used for commercial printing. The final file should follow the printer's specifications for page dimensions, bleed, images, fonts and other production requirements.