Resolution at final size, and the limits of upscaling
The working standard for offset print is around 300 pixels per inch at the size the image will be printed, so a full-page A4 image needs roughly 2,480 by 3,508 pixels before bleed. Many generated images come out smaller. AI upscaling can close the gap for backgrounds, skies and soft textures, but it invents detail as it goes: lettering on labels becomes plausible nonsense, fabric weaves change, and fine product features drift. Upscale, inspect at actual size, and replace any text or product detail with material from the original artwork or photography. Large formats seen from a distance need less resolution; the printer will say how much.
Colour: from RGB screens to CMYK ink
Generated images are RGB, and many use saturated blues, greens and oranges that CMYK ink cannot reproduce. Convert with the ICC profile your printer specifies, typically FOGRA39 or its successor FOGRA51 for coated stock in Europe and GRACoL or SWOP in the US, and soft-proof on a calibrated monitor before approving. Expect some colours to dull, and adjust the image deliberately rather than accepting whatever the conversion produces. Large black areas need a rich black build, while body text stays in single black to avoid registration fringes. Product colours customers compare with the real item, such as paint, textiles or cosmetics, should be checked against physical samples.
Bleed, safe area and proofing
Anything that runs to the edge of the page needs to extend 3 mm beyond the trim, the usual European bleed; US printers often ask for 0.125 inches, slightly more. Keep text and logos a few millimetres inside the trim so a small cutting variance does not clip them. Generated images placed full bleed need that extra margin to contain real content, which outpainting can supply if someone checks it. Export to the PDF/X standard the printer asks for, usually PDF/X-4, and approve colour on a contract proof made to ISO 12647-7 rather than on screen. Saddle-stitched catalogues need page counts in multiples of four, which limits how many products each market version can carry.
Versions per market from one master
A catalogue rarely runs in one version. Prices and currency, VAT wording, product availability, legal lines, sizes and language all change by market, and each change can reflow pages. Build from structured product data rather than retyping, and let the market versions share one approved layout. The studio batch-generates imagery from a PIM or product feed, keeps products pixel-accurate with product-lock while scenes are adapted per market, and localises copy into 30 languages with approved claims enforced, so each version's print checks can concentrate on what actually changed.
Updated 25 September 2026