How to Order Printing Online? - Digiprint Printing Solutions

TLDR: To order printing online, define the finished item before uploading artwork. Confirm its purpose, size, quantity, material, finish, deadline and delivery requirements. Use the printer’s current artwork specification, check a proof carefully and allow time for production, finishing and transport—not just printing.

Learning how to order printing online is mostly about giving the printer an unambiguous brief. A polished design is not enough if the quantity is wrong, the document lacks bleed, or an outdoor banner arrives without the finishing needed to hang it.

The safest approach is to work backwards from how the finished piece will be used. DigiPrint currently describes business, event and display work ranging from cards and brochures to posters, banners and exhibition materials. It also says it can work from finished artwork or help develop an earlier-stage project. The choices below apply whether you are using an automated checkout, requesting a quote or arranging the order remotely.

The information to collect before ordering

Start with a short written specification. It gives you comparable information when requesting prices and reduces the chance that assumptions slip into production.

Decision	What to specify	Why it matters
Purpose	What the item must communicate or help someone do	Determines the most suitable format and material
Finished format	Product type, finished size, orientation and number of sides or pages	Prevents confusion between document size and supplied artwork size
Quantity	Total copies and any separate versions	Affects method, cost and the risk of obsolete stock
Material	Paper, board, flexible banner media or rigid display substrate	Changes handling, appearance and suitability for the location
Finishing	Folding, binding, lamination, mounting, eyelets or display hardware	Turns the print into a usable finished item
Artwork	Ready to print, needs checking or requires design support	Affects the workflow and time required before approval
Deadline	Required arrival or collection date, plus the event date	Allows time for approval, production and transport

1. Define what the printed piece needs to do

Choose the format around the job, not around the first product name you see. A handout needs to be comfortable to carry and read. A poster must work at its expected viewing distance. A banner needs a suitable location, fixing method and material. An exhibition panel may need to fit existing display hardware.

Write down the audience, location, expected handling and useful lifespan. For outdoor or frequently handled pieces, ask what exposure the printer expects the material and finish to tolerate. Avoid ordering on a broad label such as “weatherproof” without explaining whether the item faces rain, sunlight, abrasion, repeated transport or prolonged installation.

For coordinated events, list every component at once: invitations, posters, directional graphics, handouts and display panels. If invitations are a substantial part of the job, it may also help to review a specialist invitation printing option while comparing format and production requirements. Planning the set together makes it easier to keep names, dates, colours and version numbers consistent.

2. Choose the product, size, material and quantity

Specify the finished size rather than saying “standard” or “roughly A4.” Include orientation, printed sides, page count and folds. For folded leaflets and brochures, ask for the printer’s template because panels may not all be treated identically during production.

Material should follow use. A premium-looking stock is not automatically the practical choice for something that must be written on, folded, posted or recycled through a particular local collection system. Display work introduces different questions: flexible or rigid, indoor or outdoor, freestanding or mounted, short-term or reusable.

The guide to choosing print materials for local business events provides a useful starting point when several formats will be used together. For environmental decisions, compare quantity, recycled or certified fibre where available, finishing, transport, reuse and end-of-life—not one isolated attribute. DigiPrint’s sustainable printing options guide explains this broader project view.

Order the quantity you can realistically use before details become stale. Digital printing can be a practical fit for shorter runs, updated versions and responsive projects, although it is not automatically the best method for every order. If you need several language, date or location versions, include the quantity for each rather than reporting only one combined total.

3. Decide whether digital printing fits the order

Digital printing is especially worth considering when the run is modest, content changes regularly, or several versions are required. Offset and other production methods may become more suitable depending on volume, substrate, size, finishing, colour demands, schedule and total job economics.

There is no responsible universal break-even quantity. Compare quotations using the same dimensions, stock, finishing, delivery basis and artwork readiness. A low unit price is poor value if it requires enough surplus copies to become outdated. The short-run printing buying guide covers this decision in greater depth.

4. Prepare artwork to the printer’s specification

Download or request the current template for the exact product. Do not assume that requirements from a previous printer or a different product will transfer. Check the finished page size, bleed, safe area, fold positions, page order, image quality, fonts and requested colour setup.

Bleed is artwork that extends beyond the intended trim edge, allowing the image or colour to reach the edge after cutting. Adobe’s guidance to setting print bleed in InDesign recommends exporting a print PDF with the document bleed settings and using the print provider’s recommended PDF preset. Ask the printer whether crop marks are required rather than adding them automatically.

Before export, run a content check at normal reading size. Confirm telephone numbers, web addresses, event dates, prices, names and legal copy. Test QR codes from a printed desktop proof if they are important to the project. Keep essential text away from trim and fold areas, and make sure folds do not hide key information.

Colour appearance can change with substrates, inks, screening and other production conditions. ISO 12647-1 identifies process parameters used to specify visual and technical characteristics in proof and production printing. In practical terms, a colour viewed on a bright screen should not be treated as a guaranteed prediction of printed colour. If matching is critical, ask which proofing or colour-control route is available for that specific product.

Use the full print-ready artwork guide before supplying final files, particularly for multipage documents or artwork created outside professional layout software.

5. Check the proof before approving production

A proof is the last practical place to catch many expensive mistakes. Check it against the written specification rather than giving it a quick visual glance.

Confirm the finished size, orientation, sides and page count.
Read all copy again, including small contact details and dates.
Check page order, folds, panel direction and binding edge.
Make sure images have not moved, cropped unexpectedly or been substituted.
Check that each version has the correct quantity and content.
Confirm that requested finishing appears in the order description.

A PDF proof is valuable for content, positioning and pagination, but it is not necessarily a controlled colour proof. Ask what the supplied proof is intended to demonstrate. Once approved, changes may require the job to return to prepress or production planning.

6. Work backwards from the real deadline

Your deadline is the date the finished print must be usable—not the date you hope printing will finish. Build a schedule that includes artwork changes, file checking, proof approval, production, finishing, packing, transport and installation or setup.

Online-print terminology deserves careful attention. For example, UPrinting’s support materials distinguish proof approval and production stages from shipping time. Do not assume that a quoted production period is also an arrival promise. Ask when the schedule starts, what can pause it and whether the stated timing includes the chosen finish.

For a fixed event, add a sensible buffer between delivery and use. That gives you time to count cartons, inspect important pieces, assemble stands and confirm that panels or banners fit their hardware. Submit the true event date as well as your preferred delivery date so the urgency is clear.

7. Confirm finishing, packing and handover

Finishing should solve a handling or installation problem. Lamination may protect a frequently handled piece, but it also changes appearance and end-of-life options. Folding, binding and mounting affect both production time and packing. Banner eyelets are useful only when their spacing and fixing method suit the planned location.

For large-format work, tell the printer where the item will be displayed, how long it is expected to remain there and how it will be transported or stored. Media and finishing should be matched to those conditions, while environmental claims should consider more than ink chemistry alone. Reusable hardware can also change the better long-term choice: replacing only the printed graphic may be preferable to purchasing an entire display repeatedly.

A final order check

Before paying or approving a quote, make sure the written order states the product, finished size, sides or pages, version quantities, material, finish, artwork status, proof route, delivery or collection arrangement and required date. Save the approved proof and final specification together.

If something is unknown, ask before uploading a guessed file. This is particularly important for folded work, colour-critical branding, outdoor displays, unusual substrates and fixed-date events. DigiPrint currently covers a range of business, event and display formats and says it can assist with both completed artwork and less-developed briefs. Check the current DigiPrint service information for the appropriate contact or ordering route.

Common questions about how to order printing online

Do I need finished artwork before requesting a quote?

Not always. You can usually describe the product, size, quantity, material, finishing and deadline first. Be clear that artwork is not final, because design or prepress work can affect the price and schedule.

Are bleed and crop marks always required?

Bleed is commonly needed when colour or an image must reach a trimmed edge. Crop-mark requirements vary by workflow. Follow the specification for the exact printer and product rather than applying a generic export preset.

How should I choose a print quantity?

Estimate what can be distributed or used before dates, prices, staff details or campaign messages change. Then compare that quantity with nearby price breaks. Include separate counts for each version and a small practical allowance where shortages would disrupt an event.

How much time should I allow?

Ask for a schedule based on the complete specification. Count backwards from the use date and include artwork changes, approval, production, finishing, transport and setup. Add more buffer for complex finishing, multiple versions or an immovable event date.

Place the order around the finished job

The best next step is to turn your idea into a one-page specification and send it with the artwork, or with a note explaining what artwork support is required. Once the printer has confirmed method, material, finishing, proofing and timing, review the proof against that same specification. That simple discipline prevents most of the ambiguity that makes remote print ordering risky.