Get the shop’s specification before exporting
A PDF becomes print ready when it matches the job your printer has agreed to produce. A file that opens correctly can still have the wrong finished size, insufficient bleed, or an unsuitable color conversion. Get the shop’s requirements before selecting an export preset.
This guide uses Adobe InDesign desktop on Windows and an existing editable layout. It suits flyers, cards, and short brochures; it does not cover designing artwork or repairing a flattened PDF. You need access to InDesign and the original linked images and fonts. If you only have a PDF, ask its creator for a corrected export rather than rebuilding it from screenshots.
Send the shop a short job description: finished dimensions, page count, quantity, paper, one-sided or two-sided printing, and any folding or binding. Ask for its PDF preset or written specification, bleed and safe-margin requirements, color profile, whether it wants crop marks, and whether pages should be supplied individually. Also ask how to request a proof before production.
Keep that reply alongside a saved copy of your layout. Use a revision name such as market-flyer-r01.indd. A later correction should produce a new revision, making it clear which PDF the shop is authorized to print.
Separate finished size, bleed, and safe space
Open File > Document Setup. Check that the page dimensions match the agreed finished size. Expand Bleed and Slug and enter the shop’s bleed values. Bleed extends outside the cut; it does not enlarge the intended finished product. Adobe’s print-bleed tutorial documents this setup and the need to extend artwork into that area.
For a hypothetical A5 flyer, the trim is 148 × 210 mm. If the shop requests 3 mm bleed on every edge, the artwork coverage becomes 154 × 216 mm: add 6 mm to each dimension. The document page remains A5. Crop marks, if requested, need additional space outside this coverage.
Extend every background or photograph intended to reach an edge out to the bleed guide. Entering a bleed value alone cannot create missing image content. Inspect all four edges: a white strip between the page edge and the artwork will remain a risk after cutting. Reposition or replace a photograph if extending it exposes an empty frame area.
Keep essential text and logos inside the shop’s safe margin, measured inward from trim. Bleed and safe margin serve opposite sides of the cut. Thin decorative borders close to trim can also make small cutting variations conspicuous; discuss that design with the shop before paying for the run.
Clear problems in the layout first
Choose Window > Output > Preflight. Make sure live checking is enabled and covers the full document. Expand each error category and use its page reference to find the affected item. Adobe’s Preflight instructions explain that the selected profile, layers, and page range determine what gets checked.
Read the active profile’s scope. A clean result does not certify requirements that the profile never examined. If the shop supplies a preflight profile, use it; otherwise compare its written requirements separately, particularly image resolution and color.
- Missing or modified images: open Window > Links. For a missing file, use Relink and locate the correct original. For an intentionally revised file, use Update Link. Recheck the crop afterward: a replacement with different proportions can change the composition.
- Missing fonts: restore the intended licensed font or deliberately choose an available replacement. Then reread headings, prices, and page endings. A substitution that fits one paragraph can push another beyond its frame.
- Overset text: locate the reported frame and recover the hidden words by adjusting the frame, layout, or copy. Read the entire affected passage afterward. Reducing every font size simply to silence a warning can make the printed result harder to read.
For photographs, assess resolution at the placed size, against the shop’s requirement. A hypothetical 1200-pixel image spread across 4 inches has 300 pixels per inch; enlarge it to 8 inches and it has 150. Increasing an export resolution setting cannot restore detail absent from the original. Replace weak source images or print them smaller.
Export a production PDF with deliberate settings
Save the layout. Choose File > Export, give the PDF a matching revision name, and select Adobe PDF (Print) under Save as type. Select Save to open Export Adobe PDF. Follow Adobe’s print-ready PDF procedure, using the shop’s agreed preset.
If the shop accepts PDF/X-4, select [PDF/X-4:2008]. If it specifies a different standard, follow that specification. Do not assume a preset called High Quality Print meets a particular PDF/X requirement.
- In General, check the intended page range. Under Export As, choose Pages unless the shop explicitly requests spreads. Keep the reading order; let the shop arrange pages for its press and binding.
- In Marks and Bleeds, enable Use Document Bleed Settings. Add Crop Marks only if requested. Leave other production marks and the slug area off unless specified.
- In Output, apply the shop’s color instructions. If it explicitly requests conversion to its CMYK profile, choose Convert to Destination and that profile under Destination. If its supplied preset manages this, retain its settings. Ask before substituting an unfamiliar profile.
Review Compression against the requested image quality. Avoid reducing resolution merely to make an email attachment smaller. In Advanced, retain the agreed font-embedding settings; font subsetting is a normal export option. Review Summary for conflicts before selecting Export. Adobe’s PDF export options describe these controls.
Approve the exported file, then hand it over
Open the actual exported PDF in a desktop PDF viewer. Check every page in sequence, including deliberately blank pages. Inspect small type, contact details, prices, image crops, and backgrounds at the edges. Compare it with the saved layout rather than relying on memory. Record any discrepancy by page and element.
If something is missing or wrong, return to the editable layout, correct it, and export a new numbered PDF. Recheck the whole affected page and page count. Avoid making isolated last-minute edits to several different PDFs: the next export can overwrite those corrections or leave the shop with competing versions.
Send one clearly named production PDF through the shop’s preferred transfer method. Include the finished size, page count, quantity, paper, finishing, and revision in the accompanying instructions. Explicitly identify an earlier file as superseded when replacing it. Ask the shop to confirm acceptance before starting production.
For a folded brochure, request a folded proof to check panel sequence and orientation. For important colors, request an appropriate physical proof on the agreed stock; a screen preview cannot approve the paper’s appearance. Review the proof’s revision name before authorizing the run. A successful export is the handoff file; the accepted proof is your production decision.
Sources, versions & scope
The steps describe the documented controls and expected checks; they are not a claim that every device or software release has been physically tested. Platform and version differences are stated with the procedure.
