How to Check Your PDF Is Print-Ready Before You Upload

A print-ready PDF is a file a printer can print exactly as it is: the page is the finished size plus bleed, text sits inside the safe area, colours are CMYK, images are sharp enough at the printed size, every font is embedded or outlined, and there is one page for each printed side. If any of those is missing, the file needs fixing, or someone has to fix it for you, before it prints. Our glossary has a short print-ready PDF checklist; this guide explains how to tell whether a PDF you already have is ready.

The six things that make a PDF print-ready

Two more matter for some jobs: the right number of pages (front and back as pages 1 and 2), and no template guide layer left switched on.

Why a PDF and not the design file

A PDF holds the page size, the fonts, the pictures and the vector shapes in one file that looks the same on any computer. A Word, Canva or Publisher working file depends on the program and the fonts installed on the machine that opens it, so text can reflow or change. That is why we ask for a PDF, and why our check and on-screen proof work best with one.

A PDF is not automatically print-ready, though. "PDF" only describes the container. A PDF made with Print to PDF often comes out at a standard paper size such as A4 rather than your artwork size, and a PDF from a screen-based app is usually RGB. What matters is how it was set up and exported.

How to check a PDF yourself

You can check most of the list in a free PDF reader before you upload.

1. Page size. Open the document properties (in Adobe Acrobat Reader, File, Properties) and read the page size. It should be your artwork size with bleed, such as 154 x 216mm for an A5 leaflet. If it shows A4 for an A5 leaflet, the file was exported at the wrong size. Our artwork guidelines list the size for every product.
2. Bleed. Zoom in on each edge. The background should run right to the edge of the page, not stop just short of it.
3. Safe area. Measure in from the trim: 5mm on cards and leaflets, 10mm on posters and signs. Our free templates show the lines.
4. Fonts. The Fonts tab of the same properties window lists each font. Each one should say "Embedded" or "Embedded Subset". Text converted to outlines does not appear there at all, which is also fine.
5. Images. Zoom to 200% or more on photos and logos. Soft, blocky or jagged edges at that zoom usually mean the image is too small for the printed size. Our glossary explains dpi and vector and raster images.
6. Pages. Count them: one page for a single-sided item, two for double-sided, front first.

Colour mode is harder to see in a free reader, so let our check tell you.

What our upload check does with your PDF

Every file gets a free automatic preflight check as soon as it uploads. For a PDF, it looks at:

• Size. The page must match the product's trim size plus bleed, within 1mm, either way round. Portrait and landscape both pass. If the PDF has a trim box set, as most design programs add on export, the check uses it to measure the bleed.
• Bleed. A file exactly at the trim size, with no bleed, is shown as a warning: a thin white edge may show after cutting. A file with less bleed than the product needs is a warning too. A page that is the wrong size altogether fails, and the message tells you the size it found and the size it needs.
• Pages. On flat items such as cards, leaflets and signs, the number of pages must match the sides you ordered: one for single-sided, two for double-sided. A mismatch must be fixed.
• Fonts. Fonts that may not be embedded are flagged, because text could print in a different font.
• Colour. RGB colour is a warning you can accept: we convert it to CMYK, and bright colours may print a little duller.
• Image resolution. Images that look too small for the printed size are flagged, because they may print blurry.

Each result is OK, a warning you can accept or fix, or a problem that must be fixed before the proof can be approved. You then see an on-screen proof with the trim line, bleed and safe area drawn over your design. Our page on proofs and file checks explains every result.

Other file types

You can also upload JPG, PNG or TIFF images, and AI, EPS or ZIP files, up to 200MB. JPG and PNG suit simple designs such as a single photo; a PNG is always RGB, so expect a colour warning. AI, EPS and ZIP files are checked by hand before we print, and there is no on-screen proof for them, so to approve a proof yourself, upload a PDF, JPG or PNG. A PDF is the safer choice, because it keeps text and vector logos sharp and holds front and back in one file.

Common reasons a PDF is not print-ready

• Exported at A4. Common with Print to PDF and with Word documents left at the default paper size. Set the page to the artwork size before you export.
• Crop marks pushing the page out. Printer's marks add space around the page. We need only the page at the artwork size with bleed, so leave crop marks off.
• Booklet supplied as spreads. For booklets, supply single pages in reading order, from front cover to back cover.
• Template lines printed. The guide layer in our templates must be hidden or deleted before export, or the lines print.
• RGB colour. Canva Free and Word produce RGB files. We can still print them; see our CMYK vs RGB guide for what changes.
• Logo copied from a website. It looks fine on screen and prints soft. Ask for the vector original.
• Fonts not embedded. Re-export with fonts embedded, or outline the text on a copy of the file.

How to make one

Our guide to setting up a PDF for print gives step-by-step export settings for InDesign, Illustrator, Affinity, Canva and Word, including the PDF/X presets. Our Canva to print guide covers Canva, and what is bleed gives the bleed and safe area for every product.

If your file will not pass, upload it anyway and add a manual proof, or choose the artwork fix service: we adjust the file, for example by adding bleed, and send you a proof to approve. Nothing prints until you approve it. Stuck? Contact us.

Questions

What does print-ready PDF mean? A PDF that can be printed without changes: the page is the finished size plus bleed, text is inside the safe area, colours are CMYK, images are sharp at the printed size, fonts are embedded or outlined, and there is one page per printed side. Our free upload check tests most of these as soon as you upload.

How do I know if my PDF is print-ready? Open its properties in a PDF reader. The page size should be your artwork size with bleed, such as 91 x 61mm for a business card, and the Fonts tab should show every font as embedded. Zoom in to check the background runs to the page edge and photos are sharp. Our upload check then confirms size, bleed, colour, resolution and fonts.

Is any PDF print-ready? No. A PDF is only a container. A file made with Print to PDF often comes out at A4 instead of your artwork size, and files from screen-based apps are usually RGB. A print-ready PDF has been set up at the right size with bleed and exported with fonts embedded.

Should my print-ready PDF include crop marks? No. We need only the page at the artwork size with bleed, such as 154 x 216mm for an A5 leaflet. Leave crop marks and other printer's marks off when you export.

What happens if my PDF is the wrong size? The automatic check fails it and tells you the size it found and the size the product needs, including bleed. You can upload a corrected file, choose the artwork fix service so we adjust it and send you a proof, or add a manual proof and a person will look at it with you.

Can I upload a JPG instead of a PDF? Yes, for simple designs such as a single photo. Make the image the full artwork size with bleed, at the resolution your product needs. A PDF is still preferred, because it keeps text and logos as sharp vector shapes and holds the front and back as two pages in one file.

Will my RGB PDF be rejected? No. RGB is a warning you can accept. We convert the file to CMYK for printing, and very bright greens, blues and oranges may print a little duller. For the most predictable colour, export in CMYK.