moda-document-print

moda-document-print

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PREREQUISITE — load moda-core once per session (step-0, write contract, free/metered map). Already loaded? Skip ahead. If you cannot load it, the non-negotiables: run moda doctor --json before anything; moda brand list before creating; writes that pin a revision use your last read's — on stale_revision, re-read and retry once (it heals); send the canvas link the moment it exists; stuck or failed? moda ask "<question>" — free and fast, never guess.

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Sizes and defaults

All --category prints; sizes are canvas pixels at the piece's physical intent.

Piece	Size	Notes
Flyer / one-sheet	816×1056	US-Letter (A4: 794×1123)
Poster 18×24in	1350×1800	24×36in → 1800×2700; type scales with the sheet
Trifold brochure	1056×816 × 2 pages	3 panels per side — imposition in references/print.md
Menu	816×1056	often 2 pages; keep prices on one grid
Resume	816×1056	one page unless the user says otherwise
Certificate	1056×816	landscape Letter
Invitation	525×750	5×7in
Letterhead	816×1056	US-Letter (A4: 794×1123); a small mark up top, body left empty
Postcard	528×384	5.5×4in; 2 pages — keep the back's right side clear if it's mailed
Business card	375×225	3.5×2in + bleed; 2 pages (front, back)
Merch (t-shirt, sticker, mug)	see references/print.md	flat art, no bleed assumptions

• A print piece is read up close — pack the page. Icons, rules, stat rows and cards carry structure; a screen-sparse layout looks empty in the hand.
• Keep meaningful content ≥3mm (~12px at Letter scale) off every trimmed edge; let backgrounds and colour fields run to the edge.
• A poster or flyer FOR a platform (an Instagram poster) is not this skill — the platform child owns the size and safe areas.
• Pixel-only and RGB-only: no CMYK or PDF/X export, no DPI metadata — the print shop's preflight converts; say so rather than promising press-ready CMYK. A vendor's dieline can't import as locked guides — rebuild it, then delete it before export (references/print.md).

Recipe — one printed piece

1. moda canvas create --name "[Piece]" --intent "[one-line brief]" --size [WxH from the table] --pages [1 or 2] --category prints --brand [KIT] — send the link immediately.
2. Read the source with your harness's file-reading tools; scope the piece to one dense page (or one page per side) before authoring anything.
3. Imagery: a poster or invitation usually earns a generated hero — moda media generate-image --prompt "[subject, brand palette]" --model [MODEL]; a menu or resume is a legitimate type-only piece. State the choice.
4. Author one apply per page/side: moda canvas markup [CANVAS_REF] --file - --page [PAGE_ID] (references/markup.md), with the kit's tokens.
5. Look ONCE — --screenshot PATH on the last apply returns the capture (or moda canvas screenshot [CANVAS_REF]): check edge clearance, fold panels, type floor, and that nothing critical sits in a trim zone; at most ONE repair write, captured the same way, then ship.
6. moda export [CANVAS_REF] --format pdf -o [piece].pdf — the default PDF is vector with selectable text and embedded fonts, crisp at any print scale. Do NOT pass --flatten unless the user asks for raster.
7. Read warnings[] and relay honestly: font_substituted (a face did not embed) is the one that matters for print.

Recipe — trifold brochure

1. Create TWO landscape Letter pages (1056×816), --category prints.
2. Panel order is NOT reading order: outside page is panels 5-6-1, inside page is 2-3-4 — the imposition map is in references/print.md. Author to the map.
3. Author each side in one apply; keep a ~6px gutter of quiet either side of each fold line so no headline lands on a crease.
4. Screenshot, verify panel-by-panel against the reading order, then export PDF.

Examples

• "a poster for our concert" → single-piece recipe at 18×24in.
• "a trifold brochure for the open house" → trifold recipe, imposed correctly.
• "make my resume look designed" → single-piece recipe at 816×1056, type-only.
• "business cards for the team" → 2 pages (front/back) with bleed, PDF out.
• "a t-shirt for the conference" → merch row: flat art, brand marks at real scale.

Errors

Any typed error → load moda-core and read its recovery reference. The trap here is a flattened PDF: the raster default is for screens, so print exports omit --flatten. stale_revision heals — re-read and retry once.

Make it recurring

An event series — a monthly menu, a recurring certificate run — is the cheapest return reason Moda has: save the proven piece with moda-templates, then let moda-automate fill in the blanks each cycle.

See also: moda-document — reports, one-pagers, multi-page documents · moda-core — the contract, recovery, everything Moda can do.

References

Doc	Load when
references/print.md	sizes, bleed, print density, the trifold imposition map, merch
references/document-design.md	scope, density, page balance
references/export.md	vector vs flattened PDF, warnings
references/no-brand-design.md	no kit is active — inventing the identity: palette law, type, imagery, layout system