Why the factory rejects your artwork (and how to avoid it)

The most common causes

These are the issues that come up most often in prepress reports. The order is a practical grouping, not a statistic.

1. Wrong size or template: the file was built on another factory’s template, another format or an old version.
2. No bleed: the background stops exactly at the trim line, so a white edge can appear after cutting.
3. Text or logos outside the safe area: too close to the trim, a fold or the spine.
4. Insufficient resolution: the image looks fine on screen but lacks the pixels for the printed size.
5. Wrong colour mode: RGB images or spot colours when the factory asks for CMYK (or the other way round).
6. Fonts not embedded or outlined: the factory does not have the typeface and the text changes or disappears.
7. Badly set black: small text in four-colour black, which can blur with a slight misregistration.
8. Total ink coverage too high in dark areas, when the factory sets a limit.
9. Lines too thin or text too small for the printing process.
10. Template elements printed by mistake: dielines, guides or notes that should be on a separate layer or removed.

How to read the rejection report

The report usually names the page or piece, the problem and sometimes includes a screenshot. Before changing anything, separate issues fixed at export (colour profile, fonts, PDF format) from those that need design changes (moving text, extending the background for bleed) and from those that depend on the source material (a low-resolution image is not fixed by enlarging it).

If anything is unclear, ask the factory before resubmitting: each round of files usually delays production.

Checklist before you send

• The document is built on your factory’s current template for that exact format.
• The background extends to the bleed line on every side.
• No important text touches the safe area, folds or spine.
• Images meet the factory’s resolution at actual print size.
• Colour mode and profile follow the spec sheet; spot colours only if agreed.
• Fonts embedded or outlined, as the factory requests.
• PDF in the requested standard (for example, a PDF/X variant) with no visible template layers.
• A proof checked at actual size, on screen at 100% or printed.

If your files were already rejected

Keep the report and the original files (the editable ones, not just the PDF). With those it is possible to assess what can be fixed in the file and what needs new material. At Vector & Vinyl we start from that report and tell you what is possible before charging anything.