Prep for Printing Materials

When design work is destined for physical printing, such as stickers, banners, t-shirts, brochures, there are additional steps to ensure the final product looks right.

Budget Confirmation

Before starting work on any print materials, confirm that the budget for printing has been approved. Design work for print is wasted effort if there is no budget to actually produce the materials. Get written confirmation on the ticket before you begin. Budget approval for Fedora activities is handled by the Mindshare Committee.

Converting to CMYK

Screens display color using RGB (Red, Green, Blue), but printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black). Colors that look vibrant on screen can appear dull or shifted when printed if they are not properly converted. This is why you might see a bright Fedora blue on your monitor turn out slightly purple on a printed sticker.

How to Convert to CMYK Using FOSS Tools

Inkscape does not natively support CMYK color output (yet), but you can convert your files using this approach:

Converting Colors to CMYK in Scribus

  1. Open Scribus and import your SVG or PDF file.

  2. Go to Edit > Colors and Fills to open the color manager.

  3. Select the color you want to convert, then click Edit.

  4. In the color editor, change the Color Model dropdown from RGB to CMYK.

  5. Scribus will automatically convert the RGB values to their CMYK equivalents. Review the values and adjust them if necessary. Automated conversions are not always correct, so compare against any known CMYK values you have (see the Fedora CMYK Color Codes section below).

  6. Click OK to save the updated color, and repeat for any remaining colors in your design.

  7. Once all colors have been converted, export your file as a PDF. In the export dialog under the Color tab, make sure the output is set to a CMYK color profile. A common standard is US Web Coated (SWOP) v2 for North American print shops, or FOGRA39 for European print shops. If you are unsure, ask the print shop which profile they prefer.

Fedora CMYK Color Codes

When preparing Fedora-branded materials for print, refer to the Fedora Brand Guidelines for the official CMYK color values. The Brand Guidelines are the single source of truth for all Fedora color specifications.

Print Terminology

If you are new to preparing files for print, here are the key terms you will encounter:

  • Bleed — Extra area (typically 3mm / 0.125") extended beyond the trim line on all sides. This ensures that when the paper is cut, there are no unprinted white edges. Always extend your background colors and images into the bleed area.

  • Safe zone / margin — The area inside the trim line (typically 3–5mm / 0.125–0.25" inward) where all important content (text, logos) should stay. Anything closer to the trim line risks being cut off.

  • Crop marks — Small lines printed at the corners of the page that indicate where to cut. These guide the print shop’s cutting equipment.

  • Registration marks — Small crosshair targets printed on the page, used to align the CMYK color plates during printing. If plates are misaligned, the print will look blurry or show color fringing.

  • Image resolution — For print, images should be a minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch) at the final print size. Images that look sharp on screen can appear pixelated and blurry when printed. Vector graphics (SVG) do not have this limitation which is another reason why we prefer them.

  • Die cut — A custom-shaped cut made with a metal die. Used for stickers, packaging, or any printed piece that is not a standard rectangle. When preparing a die cut file, you will need to include a separate cut-line layer showing the exact shape the die should follow.

  • Kiss cut — Similar to a die cut, but the blade only cuts through the top layer (the sticker material) and not the backing paper. This is the typical approach for sticker sheets.

When in doubt about print specifications, ask the print shop for their file preparation guidelines before you start. Every shop has slightly different requirements for bleed, color profiles, and file formats.

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