What files should I receive at the end of a design job?
What to ask before signing the quote.
Quick answer: Three things: the print-ready PDF (with bleeds and crop marks), the vector files for logos and marks, and the open source files (InDesign, Illustrator), which you'll need for future edits with any professional. Ask before signing the quote, because many studios withhold the source files. Keryx Design always delivers them: the work you paid for is yours. What every delivery includes: print materials.
What each file is for, in practice
- Print-ready PDF. It contains bleeds (the extra margin the cutter eats) and crop marks. It's the file you hand to the print shop as is: if it's missing, the printer will ask you to get one, and without source files that will be a problem.
- Vector files for logos and marks (AI, EPS, SVG or vector PDF). They scale infinitely without losing quality: from the six-meter storefront sign to the rubber stamp. A logo delivered only as a JPEG or PNG is half a logo.
- Open source files (InDesign, Illustrator), with fonts and images in a tidy package. They are the editable project: changing a price in the catalog, updating a phone number, translating the brochure. Without source files, every future edit means redoing the work.
Why many studios withhold them
Source files are a tool of forced loyalty: if they stay with the studio, every future edit goes through them, at their rates and on their schedule. Some sell them separately, as an add-on that can be substantial. It's legal, and in the absence of written agreements copyright law tends to side with whoever created the files.
That's exactly why the time to talk about it is before you sign, while you still have negotiating power. After delivery, you're the one asking for a favor.
The doubts we hear most often about files
"I have the source files but I don't have InDesign: what good are they to me?" The next professional who works on your material will open them. Having them means being free to choose who, when and at what price. It's the same logic as your house keys: you keep them even if you have no plans to move.
"Is a Canva file a source file?" Partly: it stays inside Canva and works as long as you use Canva. For a logo or an important piece, ask for the professional formats listed above anyway. If you're weighing the DIY route, the honest comparison is in do I still need a designer with AI and Canva?.
"Does this apply to a cheap logo too?" It applies there most of all: the logo is the file you'll reuse the longest and across the most formats. What a proper delivery must include, prices and all: how much a professional logo costs.
How it works with Keryx Design
Every delivery includes print-ready PDFs, vector files where applicable and open source files in a tidy package, with no extra line items: the work you paid for is yours, and the choice to come back to us should depend only on the results. The details for printed materials: print materials. To talk about your case: contact us.
