In short
- We have never had a problem with a Canva PDF prepared according to our guide.
- The rule is simple: if everything looks right in the PDF, the print will look right too.
- In Canva you only set three things: size with a 2 mm margin, important elements away from the edge, and saving as “PDF Print”.
- We check every file before printing, and you see a preview to approve.
The short answer: yes
Many of our customers design in Canva, from people ordering their first business cards to companies printing flyers every month. So far we have not received a single Canva PDF prepared according to our guide that looked different in print than on screen.
You don’t need to know anything about design or printing. Canva saves print files correctly; you just need to pick the right options.
Three settings that make all the difference
- Size with a margin. Create a design with a custom size in millimetres and add 2 mm on each side. A 90 × 50 mm business card is 94 × 54 mm in Canva. Stretch the background and photos all the way to the edge, because this extra margin is cut off.
- Keep important things away from the edge. Keep text and logos at least 5 mm from the edge of the file. Guides help (Shift + R).
- Save as “PDF Print”. Click Share, then Download, choose “PDF Print” (not the standard PDF) and tick “Flatten PDF”.
How to check your file before sending it
Open the downloaded PDF on your computer, in a browser or in Adobe Reader. Judge the design by this file, not by the view in Canva, because this file is what gets printed. Check:
- that the background reaches the very edge of the file, with no white strip anywhere,
- that no text or logo touches the edge,
- that photos stay sharp when you zoom in,
- that the fonts look the same as in your design.
If everything checks out, the file is ready. What you see in the PDF is what you will see on paper.
What about colours?
A screen glows, while paper reflects light, so very bright colours such as neon green, intense blue or pink come out slightly calmer on paper. This applies to every file, not just Canva. Ordinary colours, photos and black come out the way you see them.
With Canva Pro you can choose the CMYK colour profile in the “PDF Print” window. The PDF on screen then shows colours closer to the print. Without this option the file arrives in RGB and we convert it for print ourselves.
What happens to your file at our end
We check every file: size, trim margin, photo sharpness, colours and fonts. Before printing you will see a preview and approve it with one click. If anything needs fixing, we will tell you what and how.
We check every file. If something is wrong, we will get in touch before printing.