Full colour inkjet printing is a digital print method that sprays tiny droplets of CMYK ink directly onto the surface of a product—much like how a home or office printer works, but with industrial-grade precision and quality. This technique produces sharp, detailed prints with vibrant colour and smooth gradients, making it perfect for designs with photos, illustrations, or multi-coloured artwork.
Inkjet printing works best on flat, smooth surfaces and is commonly used on paper, cardboard, labels, packaging, and selected promotional products. It’s an efficient method for both short runs and larger jobs requiring high-resolution results.
Tips for Designing for Inkjet Printing
Use high-resolution artwork (minimum 300dpi)
To achieve crisp, professional results, always design or export your artwork at 300dpi at the actual print size. Lower resolutions can lead to pixelation or fuzzy edges, especially in fine detail or photographic elements.
Set your file to CMYK colour mode
Inkjet printers use CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) ink, so designing in CMYK helps you preview how colours will appear in print. This minimises surprises and keeps your colours looking accurate.
Flatten your design before exporting
To avoid issues with missing elements or layering errors, flatten your final artwork before saving it as a PDF. This ensures the print file reflects exactly what you see on screen.
Avoid overlapping paths in vector graphics
Overlapping shapes or stacked elements can sometimes cause unpredictable results in digital printing. Where possible, knock out or merge shapes into a single, unified path.
Convert all strokes and text to outlines
Ensure consistency and avoid formatting issues by converting text to outlines and changing any strokes to filled shapes. This locks in your design and prevents anything from dropping out during print processing.
Use vector graphics where possible—but raster is fine too
Inkjet printing can handle both vector and raster images. Vectors are ideal for logos and line art, while high-res raster images work perfectly for photos and complex illustrations. Just be sure everything is sharp and correctly scaled.