Printing Canva Art Files

File Size Set-up
Make sure to include bleed. Bleed means your background color or pattern should extend beyond the edges of the finished size and not stop at the edge. A plain white or colored border does not work for bleed and may print in the final product.

To set this up, make your artwork file .25” larger in both width and height than your finished card size. For example, a 5” × 7” card should have artwork sized at 5.25” × 7.25”. The final product will now print all the way to the edges.

Crop/Trim Marks
These are not needed on a file, but it will not hurt if they are there.

Color Profile
We print in CMYK color, so an RGB color file may appear different.

Downloading Your Creation
Download the file as a PDF Print file for the highest quality. If you do not, it will not hold it's size and will decrease to 4.77" x 6.66".
Click "Share" > "Download"  select "PDF Print”

Adding Foil

We can add foil to your custom artwork. There is a per piece foil cost that will be added following checkout.

Add a design request indicating where you would like foil added. We suggest you provide a “foil layer” file of the foil sections isolated. This helps our designers set-up your proofs quickly. You may incur an additional graphics fee due to difficult set-up without foil layers.

Please note that there are limitations and sometimes it will not be possible to foil.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1 — Open the File Menu
From your Canva design, click “File” in the top-left corner of the screen. A dropdown menu will appear.

Step 2 — Go to Settings 
In the File menu, hover over or click “Settings.” A submenu will slide out to the right showing display options for your design. 

Tip: Make sure “Show print bleed” has a checkmark next to it. If it does not, click it to enable it. 

Step 3 — Confirm Bleed Is Visible on Your Canvas 
Once enabled, your design canvas will show a thin border around the outside of your card. This shaded area represents the bleed zone. Extend your background color or image to fill this area completely. 

Tip: Also enable “Show margins” to see the safe zone — keep important text and design elements inside this inner boundary so nothing gets cut off during trimming. 

Before You Download — Quick Checklist 

Background color or photo extends into the bleed area (beyond card edge)
No important text or faces are in the bleed zone )
“Show print bleed” is checked in Settings )
“Show margins” is checked so you can see the safe zone )
When downloading, choose PDF (Print) format for best quality   

Downloading with Bleed Included 

When you are ready to download your final design: 

1. Click “File” → “Download” 
2. Select “PDF – Print” as the file type 
3. Check the box that says “Crop marks and bleed” 
4. Click “Download”

Tip: Always send the PDF Print version (with bleed) to your printer, not the standard PDF or PNG, to ensure the best print quality.