We use AI ourselves.
It’s great for brainstorming ideas, testing concepts, writing rough copy, or drafting a polite text to your mother-in-law without wandering into a conversational minefield.
But lately, we’re seeing more customers send through AI-generated artwork and assume it’s ready to print.
Most of the time, it isn’t.
Why AI artwork can cause problems in print
AI is very good at creating something that looks impressive on a screen.
Print is a different beast.
A printer needs the right file type, resolution, colour setup, bleed, fonts, image quality and, in many cases, vector artwork.
Without those things, you can end up with:
• Blurry or pixelated images
• Colours that look completely different in print
• Text that is distorted, misspelled or unreadable
• Important details cut off near the edge
• Effects that simply cannot be reproduced
• Artwork that needs to be rebuilt from scratch (often at a huge cost)
That glowing neon flyer with metallic textures, floating 3D graphics and lighting that ignores several laws of physics?
It might look fantastic online.
Getting it to look the same on paper, corflute, vinyl, fabric or a promotional product is another story.
Think of it like a concept car
AI artwork is often like a concept car at a motor show.
It looks incredible under the lights. Everyone takes photos. Very impressive.
But someone still has to engineer it before it can actually drive down the road.
That’s where a designer comes in.
Before you send AI artwork to print
Here are a few things worth checking first:
1. Check the size
A small image pulled from a screen may not be large enough for a banner, sign or poster.
The bigger the finished product, the more image quality matters.
2. Check the text carefully
AI has improved, but it still has a special talent for inventing words, mangling phone numbers and turning logos into modern art.
Read every line. Then read it again.
3. Keep important details away from the edges
Text, logos and faces need breathing room.
Anything too close to the edge may be trimmed off during production.
4. Expect colours to change
Screens use light. Print uses ink.
Bright neon colours, metallic effects and glowing elements may not reproduce exactly as they appear on your phone.
5. Ask whether it needs to be rebuilt
Sometimes the best option is to use the AI image as a visual concept, then have the artwork professionally recreated for print.
That gives you the look you want without gambling on the final result.
Can people tell when something is AI-generated?
More and more, yes.
One comment we saw recently summed it up nicely:
“If your birthday party invitation is an AI image, I’m not coming.”
Harsh? Slightly.
Funny? Absolutely.
But there’s a fair point hiding in there.
People connect with design that feels thoughtful, relevant and human. AI can help start the process, but good design still requires judgement, experience and an understanding of how the finished piece will work in the real world.
AI is a tool, not the whole toolbox
We’ve spent almost 30 years designing for print, signage, promotional products and marketing materials.
AI can help shape the idea.
A designer makes sure the idea actually works.
So go ahead and use AI to explore concepts, test directions and get inspired. Just don’t assume the first image it creates is ready to roll straight off the press.
Got an AI-generated concept you’d like to use? Send it through and we’ll help turn it into artwork that looks brilliant and prints properly.