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QuickPrepMedia

Print file check

Check a JPEG, PNG or PDF before you send it to print: its resolution at the print size, its shape and colour, and a PDF's page boxes, fonts and output intent. Sending it to a print supplier or Etsy? Choose that destination to check against its own rules too. Nothing is uploaded.

  • No upload — runs in your browser
  • Free, no account
  • Checks JPEG, PNG, and PDF files
  • One file, up to 200 MB
  • Each rule shows who states it

How to check a file before you print it

  1. Choose the size and destination

    Pick the size the image will print at, or let a PDF use its own page size. With no destination, the file is checked against general print guidance; choose where it's going to add that destination's own rules.

  2. Add your file

    Drop in one JPEG, PNG, and PDF file, up to 200 MB. It's read in your browser: an image from its header, without decoding its pixels, so even a very large image is checked quickly; a PDF from its structure and each page's drawing instructions.

  3. Read the report

    Each row says what the file has, what it's checked against and who states the rule, with a link to the page that says so. Change the size or the destination and the report updates without reading the file again.

What the check reads

The check reads a print file the way a print shop would before it prints: is there enough resolution for the size, does the shape match, is the colour what the printer expects, and does a PDF carry the page boxes and fonts a press needs. It reports what it finds; it never changes the file.

Resolution is worked out at the print size: the image's pixels divided by the inches it will cover. 300 PPI or more is the common target for prints seen up close; below 150 PPI a print can look soft. In a PDF, each page reports the lowest resolution of the images it places, at the size it places them.

A CMYK file gets a warning, never a "not print-ready" verdict: print suppliers for posters and wall art generally want RGB, and some convert a CMYK file, which can shift the colours. A file tagged with another profile than sRGB gets a note, or a warning under a destination that asks for sRGB.

For a PDF, the check reads each page's boxes (media, crop, bleed, trim and art) and tells a box the file sets apart from one that falls back, then checks that every font is embedded, whether a page has a CMYK image, and the output intent and PDF/X version the file declares.

Every rule has a level. A stated requirement comes from the chosen destination's own pages and is the only kind of rule that can fail a file. A recommendation is a warning. A rule no page states is our guidance. With no destination, nothing fails: the suppliers disagree on bleed, colour and resolution, so no number binds until you choose one.

Need the file at several print sizes? Make the common print sizes from one master image, then check each one here.

Limits

  • One JPEG, PNG, and PDF file at a time, up to 200 MB.
  • TIFF files can't be checked yet. Save the file as a JPEG or PNG to check it.
  • When something can't be measured, such as a page whose images can't be read, a safe margin or a font size, the row says so and asks you to check it yourself. It is never counted as a pass.
  • A PDF's PDF/X version is what the file declares in its own metadata. The check reads it and a few structural facts; it doesn't validate the file against the standard.
  • The rules are file-level. Suppliers publish product sizes and print areas in their own templates and editors, so the check makes no claim about a particular product.
  • The file never leaves your browser, and the check never changes it.

What each destination checks

Each destination's own rules, read from its help pages (and, where a supplier asks for PDF/X, from the PDF/X standard), with the date they were last reviewed. The general print guidance applies under every destination too. Choose one to check your file against it.

Printful's rules

Checks images and PDFs

Reviewed on October 10, 2026

  • File types

    PNG and JPEG.

    Recommendation · Images

  • PDF files

    PNG and JPEG recommended; a flattened PDF is accepted.

    Recommendation · PDFs

  • File size

    Up to 200 MB per file.

    Stated requirement · Images and PDFs

  • Pixel dimensions

    Up to 20000 × 20000 px.

    Stated requirement · Images

  • File name

    No two dots before the extension.

    Stated requirement · Images and PDFs

  • Minimum resolution

    At least 150 PPI at the print size.

    Stated requirement · Images and PDFs

  • Recommended resolution

    300 PPI at the print size.

    Recommendation · Images and PDFs

  • Colour profile

    sRGB IEC61966-2.1. A file with no profile is read as sRGB.

    Recommendation · Images

  • Colour mode

    RGB rather than CMYK.

    Recommendation · Images and PDFs

Source

Printify's rules

Checks images

Reviewed on October 10, 2026

  • File types

    JPEG, PNG, and SVG.

    Stated requirement · Images

  • File size

    Up to 100 MB per file.

    Stated requirement · Images

  • Recommended resolution

    300 PPI at the print size.

    Recommendation · Images

  • Colour mode

    RGB rather than CMYK.

    Recommendation · Images

Source

Gelato PDF's rules

Checks PDFs

Reviewed on October 10, 2026

  • PDF/X version

    The file declares PDF/X-4.

    Stated requirement · PDFs

  • TrimBox

    A TrimBox on every page.

    Stated requirement · PDFs

  • Page boxes

    The TrimBox inside the BleedBox and the MediaBox.

    Stated requirement · PDFs

  • Output intent

    A PDF/X output intent.

    Stated requirement · PDFs

  • Output condition

    An output intent naming GRACoL 2006.

    Recommendation · PDFs

  • Fonts

    Every font embedded.

    Stated requirement · PDFs

  • Font size

    Text of at least 7 pt.

    Recommendation · PDFs

  • Bleed

    4 mm on every side, beyond the TrimBox.

    Stated requirement · PDFs

  • Safe margin

    Text and key details at least 4 mm inside the trim.

    Stated requirement · PDFs

  • Minimum resolution

    At least 150 PPI at the print size.

    Stated requirement · PDFs

  • Maximum resolution

    No more than 300 PPI at the print size.

    Recommendation · PDFs

  • Colour mode

    RGB rather than CMYK.

    Recommendation · PDFs

Source

Etsy's rules

Checks images and PDFs

Reviewed on October 10, 2026

  • File types

    A file name ending in .bmp, .doc, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .mobi, .mov, .mp3, .mpeg, .pdf, .png, .psp, .rtf, .stl, .txt, .zip, .epub, and .ibook.

    Stated requirement · Images and PDFs

  • File size

    Up to 20 MB per file.

    Stated requirement · Images and PDFs

  • File name

    Up to 70 characters: letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores and dots.

    Stated requirement · Images and PDFs

Source

Checking a file for an Etsy digital listing

Under Etsy, the check adds Etsy's rules for the files of a digital listing to the general print guidance: each file up to 20 MB, one of the file types Etsy lists (.bmp, .doc, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .mobi, .mov, .mp3, .mpeg, .pdf, .png, .psp, .rtf, .stl, .txt, .zip, .ePUB, .iBook), and a name of up to 70 characters using letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores and dots.

Etsy lists its file types as file-name extensions, so under Etsy the type is judged by the extension, as Etsy lists it. When the extension and the file's content disagree, such as PNG data in a file named .jpg, the report adds a note. That note is our guidance, not an Etsy rule.

Ready to deliver? The download pack plans all of a listing's files within Etsy's limits.

Print file check FAQ

Is my file uploaded?

No. The file is read in your browser and never leaves your device. An image is read from its header only; a PDF's pages are read by the PDF code in your browser.

What resolution does a print need?

It depends on the size and how close people look at it. 300 PPI at the print size is the common target; below 150 PPI a print can look soft. The check works the resolution out at the size you choose, so the same image can pass at one size and warn at a larger one.

What does the check use with no destination?

General print guidance: resolution at the print size, the shape against the size, colour mode and profile, and for a PDF its page boxes, fonts and output intent. Nothing fails with no destination, because no supplier's number applies until you choose one.

Is a CMYK file wrong?

Not wrong, but worth a warning. Suppliers of posters and wall art generally want RGB files, and some convert a CMYK file, which can shift the colours. Unless your printer asks for CMYK, export in RGB with an sRGB profile.

How much bleed do I need?

It depends on where the file is printed: suppliers state different amounts. 3 mm (0.125 in) is common. With no destination, the check states no requirement; choose your supplier to check against its own number.

Does the check validate PDF/X?

No. It reports the PDF/X version the file declares in its own metadata, together with the structural facts PDF/X asks for: a TrimBox, page boxes inside each other, embedded fonts and an output intent. A full validation needs a preflight tool.

Why does a row say it couldn't measure something?

Some things can't be read from a file's structure, such as a safe margin or the size of the text, and a page's images sometimes can't be read. Such a row asks you to check it yourself; it is never counted as a pass.

Can I check a file against Printful, Printify or Gelato?

Yes. Choose Printful for an image or a PDF, Printify for an image, or Gelato PDF for a PDF. Each applies the file-level rules stated on that supplier's help pages; where a supplier asks for PDF/X, as Gelato does, the page boxes and output intent PDF/X requires are checked too. The sources are linked in the report with the date they were reviewed.

What does the check apply for Etsy?

Etsy's rules for the files of a digital listing: each file up to 20 MB, one of the file types Etsy lists (.bmp, .doc, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .mobi, .mov, .mp3, .mpeg, .pdf, .png, .psp, .rtf, .stl, .txt, .zip, .ePUB, .iBook) judged by the extension, and a name of up to 70 characters. The general print guidance applies too.

What to do next

Check your print file now

Add a JPEG, PNG or PDF and read the report. Your file never leaves this device.

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