What you’ll make
One poster PDF checked against the printer’s specs and the real booking details.
Would you see the date walking past?
A pottery class for the shop window and the feed
Say you’re making a poster for a Saturday pottery class. The bowl photo looks great across the whole sheet. Put the date and QR code too close to the edge, though, and you’re asking the print shop to cut right by the details people need.
Here’s how I’d set up the print version and what I’d do with the same photo for a phone.
Shop window
Make a clay bowl
- A3 portrait with 3 mm bleed on each edge. The photo runs through the bleed.
- “Saturday, Nov 21 · 2–4 pm” sits under the title. The address and QR code sit at least 6 mm in from trim.
- The QR code opens the class booking page when scanned from a full-size proof.
Phone feed
Saturday bowl workshop
- 1080 × 1350 px. Crop the bowl low so the title and time have room at the top.
- Image says “Nov 21 · 2–4 pm.” The caption gives the studio address and tells people where to book.
Before you start
- Ask your printer for the finished size, bleed, safe area, and PDF export settings. Gather your final event details, artwork, and booking link.
Get the print size and event details
Bring the approved title, time, address, and link. Write down the trim size, bleed, safe inset, and export instructions the printer gave you.
Set up the poster in your editor
Open a new page at the trim size and set the bleed separately. Put your title, date, and booking code inside the safe area. Extend artwork that reaches the cut edge through the bleed.
Export the file you’ll actually send
Choose the printer’s PDF settings and reopen that export. Check the trim and bleed in a preflight viewer if you have one.
For the pottery class, I set A3 trim and 3 mm bleed on each side.
My artwork extends to 303 × 426 mm, while ‘Saturday, Nov 21 · 2–4 pm’ and the QR code stay inside the safe area.
Read and scan the proof yourself
Check the PDF against the booking page. If you’re using a QR code, scan it from a full-size proof. Keep the checked PDF with your editable source.
- Match the trim, bleed, and export settings to the printer’s requirements.
- Read back the title, date, time, and place from the PDF.
- Open the booking link or scan the QR code from the proof.
Optional: Make a separate version for phones
Duplicate the approved artwork and use the size you need for the post. Make the event name, date, and booking instructions easy to read at feed size, then open the export on your phone.
Sketch three posters with the details in place
Give Claude the artwork, event copy, and printer specs to get three layouts you can judge at a glance.
I’m making a poster for [event]. Here are the approved title, date, time, address, and booking link [details], my artwork [files], and a poster I like [reference]. At thumbnail size, tell me what you notice first in the reference. At full size, point out what lines up and where the details sit. Sketch three layouts using my artwork and event details. Show what people read first in each, where the date and booking details go, and how you’d crop the photo. Use [finished size, bleed by edge, safe inset, and PDF requirements] to label the print guides. Flag settings I still need to ask the printer for. Give me a simple comparison of the three and say which I should try at thumbnail size first. If you can’t show layouts, give me a placement sketch in text.
Make a check sheet for the PDF I’ll send
Open the final PDF and give Claude your printer’s specs to see which checks you can complete and which need the printer.
Compare [exported PDF] with [printer requirements] and [approved booking details]. Make a check sheet for page count, trim and bleed boxes, safe area, marks, fonts, effective image resolution, and color settings. For each row, record the requirement, what you can actually see or measure, and what I should check in a PDF preflight tool or with the printer. Read back the visible title, date, time, address, and URL. If there’s a QR code, tell me where to scan it from a full-size proof and what destination I should expect. Leave any check you can’t perform marked for me to do.
Lay out the same event for a phone
Bring your approved poster and feed dimensions to get a new crop, a caption, and a way to check both.
Use [approved poster and artwork] to plan a separate [width × height] feed image for [platform or placement]. Tell me where to crop the photo and place the headline and time so I can read them on a phone. Move longer details into a short caption with the real booking instructions. Compare the wording with [booking page and poster] and flag any disagreement in the date, time, place, or destination. Give me one preview crop to try. If you can’t see the platform preview, tell me what to open and which edges or lines to check.
Optional worksheet: Print and social poster worksheet
Fill this in as you go. Keep this page open while you work. Reloading it clears your answers.
Troubleshooting
Why is there a little white line on the edge?
Check if the background stops at the trim. Extend it through the bleed, export with bleed turned on, and ask the printer to check the new proof.
What if the preview cuts off the headline?
Move the headline in or crop the photo differently so you have a clear spot for it. Open the feed preview again before you post.