Print-Ready PSD Checklist for Albums and Covers
A beautiful spread can still come back from the lab with cut-off names, dull colours or blurry faces. Most of these problems are avoidable with a quick check before export. Use this checklist for every album sheet, cover and invitation you send to print.
Size and resolution
- Open Image > Image Size and confirm the print size in inches matches the lab's order form (for example 36 x 12 in for a 12x36 sheet).
- Resolution between 200 and 300 DPI unless the lab specifies otherwise.
- No photo placed above 100% of its original pixel size; check Smart Object scale in the Properties panel.
Safe area, bleed and fold
- Background artwork extends to the edge of the canvas (bleed).
- Faces, names and dates are at least 0.25 to 0.5 inch inside the trim line.
- Nothing important crosses the centre fold of a spread.
- For covers, the lab's wrap-around template is used, with the correct spine width.
Colour
- Document colour profile is sRGB (or exactly what the lab requests).
- Skin tones look consistent across facing pages and across the album.
- Recolouring was done with adjustment layers, and no accidental adjustment layer is affecting the whole sheet.
- If you edited on a very bright laptop screen, check brightness on a second screen or a test print; most album complaints are prints that are too dark.
Text
- All names, dates and venues have been confirmed in writing with the client.
- No placeholder text such as 'Your Name Here' or Lorem ipsum remains.
- Fonts are installed or text is rasterised in the print copy, so the lab cannot substitute fonts.
- Small text is not placed over busy textures.
Layers and housekeeping
- Template guide layers, watermarks and hidden sample photos are deleted, not only hidden.
- Layered PSD saved and backed up for corrections and reprints.
- Flattened print copy saved as JPG (quality 10 to 12) or TIFF as the lab prefers.
File naming and delivery
- Files numbered in page order: 01_cover.jpg, 02.jpg, 03.jpg …
- A low-resolution preview PDF or contact sheet sent to the client for approval before printing.
- Files uploaded to the lab in one folder with the order number in the folder name.
A final 60-second check
Zoom to 100%, press Tab to hide panels and scroll the whole sheet once from left to right. Then zoom out to fit the screen and look at it like the client will: does the eye land on the hero photo first? If yes, export.
Before you start: a two-minute setup
Most items on this checklist are easier to get right at the beginning than to fix at the end. When you open a new template, check Image Size, set the colour profile, drop guides for the fold and the safe area, and save the file with a page number in its name. If the template is a different size from your lab's sheet, resize the empty template first; our guide to resizing an album PSD to another size explains how to do this without stretching ornaments.
Final check on the whole album
After every spread passes the checklist, review the album as a set: open the exported JPGs in a viewer and step through them in order. Look for repeated photos, uneven colour between events and pages that feel crowded next to calm ones. Then follow our steps to send the album files to the lab. If you need more layouts at the right size, browse the 12x36 album PSDs and 12x30 album PSDs.
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