Printing
How to print a photo calendar – getting the print files right
If you design your calendar yourself and upload the PDF to an online print shop, you are free in layout and photos and don't have to learn a photo service's editor first. In return the print file has to be right: bleed, room for the binding, enough resolution. Here is what print shops expect – and how it works at home.
In “Print shop” mode the tool adds bleed and the binding margin automatically and shows a quality indicator for every photo.
Create the calendar PDFPhoto service, print shop or home?
| Route | How it works | Good if … |
|---|---|---|
| Photo service | Design in the provider's editor or software, order there | you have no file of your own and like their templates |
| Online print shop | Upload a finished PDF, pick the product, get it delivered | you want full design freedom or several copies |
| Copy shop | Print the sheets and have them wire-bound | you need it fast |
| At home | Print yourself, have it bound at a copy shop | you have a good printer |
For comparison: in a German test by heise, a simple A4 wall calendar from photo services cost roughly 10 to 24 euros plus shipping (prices as of November 2025).
Print file requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Usual value | In the tool (“Print shop” mode) |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed | 3 mm on every side, some shops 2 mm | 3 mm |
| Document size | Trim size + bleed | A4: 216 × 303 mm · A3: 303 × 426 mm · 21 × 21: 216 × 216 mm · A5 landscape: 216 × 154 mm |
| Safety margin for text | 3–5 mm from the edge | at least 5 mm |
| Distance to the binding | 15–20 mm at the top | 20 mm (A5: 14 mm) |
| Image resolution | 300 dpi up to A3 | Quality indicator per photo |
| Crop marks | usually not wanted | none |
| Color space | CMYK, often PDF/X-1a recommended | RGB – the print shop converts it |
| Pages | one PDF, cover first | 13 or 14 pages |
What counts is always the data sheet of the specific product at your print shop. The values above are the usual ones; if they differ, the data sheet says so.
Bleed and safety margin
Calendars are printed on larger sheets and then cut to the final size. The cut can drift by a millimeter. So that no white sliver shows at the edge, photos and backgrounds run 3 mm past the trim size – that strip is cut off. That is why an A4 calendar is 216 × 303 mm as a file.
The other way round, text must not come too close to the edge or it gets clipped. 3 to 5 mm from the trim edge is common. In the tool's preview a red line shows the trim edge; the darkened border is cut away.
Room for the wire binding
Wall calendars are bound at the top with a wire binding (Wire-O), which needs punched holes. Text and important parts of the picture therefore don't belong in the top 15 to 20 mm. The German print shop WIRmachenDRUCK asks for 2 cm on monthly calendars, other data sheets for 15 mm.
The tool keeps the top 20 mm free of text, 14 mm on the A5 desk calendar. Photos may run into this area – small holes in the sky hardly matter. The blue line in the preview marks the limit.
Resolution and colors
300 dpi is the standard for calendars up to A3; one calendar printer advises against going below 225 dpi. The tool's indicator works out how many dots per inch each photo has at its printed size. What that means in pixels is in Photo calendar image size.
RGB or CMYK? Screens make colors from light (RGB), printers mix them from four inks (CMYK). Print shops recommend supplying CMYK because colors can shift otherwise. The tool creates RGB PDFs, which the print shop converts. In practice:
- Very bright greens, blues and oranges come out slightly duller.
- Print looks a little darker than a bright screen. Lighten dark photos slightly beforehand.
- Large, very dark areas (“Night” style) take a lot of ink, which is why its background is not pure black.
Paper and binding
| Paper | Properties |
|---|---|
| 135–170 gsm coated | Affordable and light, fine for calendars |
| 250–300 gsm | Stiff and high-quality, doesn't curl |
| Matte | No glare, easy to write on |
| Glossy / photo paper | Brilliant colors, reflects light, harder to write on |
The heise test recommends matte digital print for calendars you write in; photo paper looks finer but suits a gift that is mainly looked at. Usual is a wire binding at the top with a hanger and a sturdy backing board.
Sheet count: 13 sheets means cover + 12 months, 14 sheets adds a back page (in the tool: the year overview). Order single-sided printing (4/0) – the tool doesn't create back sides.
Bleed, binding margin and page count to match the calendar product – automatic in “Print shop” mode.
Ordering in five steps
- Choose the product: a wall or monthly calendar in your format, single-sided, wire-bound at the top, 13 or 14 sheets. Open its data sheet.
- In the tool, pick the same format and the “Print shop” mode. Cover on, back page to match the sheet count.
- Check: turn on the guides, go through all pages, mind the quality indicator and the notes under “Create PDF”.
- Save the PDF and upload it to the print shop.
- Wait for the file check: many print shops check the file and show a preview. Check the page order and edges there.
Printing at home
- Choose the “At home” mode: exactly A4 or A3 with a 5 mm white margin that almost any printer can handle.
- In the print dialog choose “Actual size” or 100 %, not “Fit to page”.
- Paper: matte photo paper or heavy paper of 160–250 gsm. Your printer's manual says which weight it takes.
- Test one page first – check colors and brightness before all 13 go through.
- Binding: copy shops do wire binding with a hanger, often for a few euros. Alternatively punch holes at the top and use rings or cord.
Create a print-ready calendar PDF
3 mm bleed, room for the binding, a quality indicator for every photo – free and without upload.
FAQ
Why does a calendar need 3 mm bleed?
Because cutting can't be accurate to the millimeter. Photos run past the edge so that no white border appears.
Can the print shop handle an RGB PDF?
Usually yes; it converts to CMYK for printing. Print shops recommend CMYK because colors – especially very bright ones – can shift slightly in the conversion.
Do I need crop marks?
No. Calendar printers usually want the PDF without crop or registration marks, just with bleed.
What does 4/0 mean?
Four colors on the front, blank back – single-sided color. That matches the PDF from the tool.
In what order are the pages?
Cover, then the months from the start month, and finally the optional back page. That is what most print shops expect.
Which paper is best?
For calendars you write in, matte paper of 170–250 gsm. Glossy photo paper looks more brilliant but reflects light and is hard to write on.
Sources
- WIRmachenDRUCK: Druckdaten-Checkliste – bleed, safety margin, resolution, color space (German)
- WIRmachenDRUCK: Monatskalender – sheet counts, paper, distance to the wire binding (German)
- kalender-druck.de: Hilfe zu Druckdaten – 2 mm bleed, at least 300 dpi (German)
- Datenblatt Wandkalender mit Spiralbindung (broschueren-kleinauflagen.de) – 15 mm safety margin to the wire binding (German)
- heise: Fotokalender-Anbieter im Vergleich – eight A4 landscape wall calendars compared, prices as of November 2025 (German)