How to prepare a print-ready PDF: a preflight checklist

A print-ready PDF is a file the receiving printer can produce without guessing at size, bleed, fonts or colour. “Looks fine on screen” is not a useful acceptance test: inspect the exported PDF against the job specification before you send it.

Start with the printer’s specification

Ask for the finished trim size, required bleed, safe margin, accepted PDF standard, colour profile, spot-colour rules and whether printer marks belong in the file. These settings vary by press, stock and finishing process. A preset named “Press Quality” is a starting point, not proof that a file matches the job.

If the printer supplies a PDF/X preset or preflight profile, use it. If they ask for PDF/X-4, check the resulting file against their requirements rather than assuming the label alone covers bleed, resolution or overprint. The Ghent Workgroup’s digital print specification describes why file integrity, overprinting and transparency settings matter beyond basic PDF/X compliance.

Check the source document

1. Links: Update missing or modified image links. A preview in the layout is not the same as the full-resolution source.
2. Fonts: Resolve missing fonts and overset text. Check any font licensing restrictions before outlining or embedding.
3. Images: Review effective resolution at the size each image will print. Enlarging an image reduces its effective PPI. Around 300 PPI is a common target for close-viewed commercial print, but the job and viewing distance determine what is acceptable.
4. Page geometry: Confirm trim size, bleed and a safe area for important text or logos. Extend edge-to-edge artwork into the bleed; adding an empty bleed setting will not invent missing artwork.
5. Colour: Identify RGB, CMYK and spot colours. Convert only to the output profile the printer requests. Check rich black, overprint and white objects in separation preview where they matter.

In InDesign, the Links and Preflight panels help catch several of these issues before export. Adobe’s print-ready PDF workflow also calls out missing links, fonts, low-resolution images and bleed.

Export the production PDF

Export as a print PDF, not an interactive or screen-optimised PDF. Choose the requested standard or the printer’s supplied preset. In the marks and bleed settings, include the document bleed and only the marks the printer wants. Marks sit outside the finished page; they do not replace bleed.

Set colour conversion and output intent for the destination press or print condition. If that information has not been supplied, ask rather than guessing a profile. Preserve the original source document so a correction can be made without editing the final PDF by hand.

Inspect the exported file

Open the PDF in a viewer with print-production tools. Check the page boxes: the TrimBox is the finished size and the BleedBox includes the extra artwork that will be cut away. Zoom into fine type and edges, inspect separations and overprint, and make sure no page or image was omitted. Compare the PDF page count and final dimensions to the order.

Send a useful handoff

Name the approved file clearly, record the version, and include the intended trim size, quantity, substrate, finishing and any exceptions to the printer’s standard settings. Keep the source file and proof linked to the same job. If a preflight tool fixes the PDF, review the corrected copy and retain the original for comparison.

For a closer look at the page boundaries themselves, read bleed, trim and safe area. Use the print-size calculator to check effective PPI or bleed dimensions, and the effective PPI guide to interpret the resolution result. If you are combining multiple designs on one sheet, use the gang sheet preparation guide before imposing them.