Check Out These Tips for Trouble-Free PDFs

According to inventor Adobe Systems Incorporated, “PDF (Portable Document Format) was introduced in 1990 as a way to reliably view, print, and share information with other people.” (www.adobe.com)

With PDFs, users can share files across computer platforms (e.g., Mac, PC) and software programs (e.g., InDesign, Quark, Word), enabling recipients to see an original file as the author/creator intended. Over the past two decades, PDFs have become a popular and preferred way to share files.

Despite their ease and efficiency, PDF files can still be problematic when providing your ready-for-press artwork. The most common trouble spots that we have noticed include:

• The file was saved as four-color process instead of spot color.
• The design has bleeds that were not pulled beyond the crop marks.
• The fonts were not embedded in the file.
• Last-minute alterations to the file can be difficult to make in a timely way.

Oftentimes, we advise clients to provide us with a zipped folder of native files (including images and fonts) as well as a PDF of the file. That way, we can work from the native files to set the job up for press and cross-reference against the PDF to make sure we haven’t “lost anything in translation” from the client’s computer to ours. This approach also allows us to easily make last-minute author alterations to the artwork as needed, saving you time, money, and effort. (We do not charge for minor author alterations during the proofing process.)

Here is a basic step-by-step guide to help you create your next trouble-free PDF, using InDesign to illustrate:

1. Choose File > Export.

2. Specify a name and location for the file.

3. For Save As Type (Windows®) or Format (Mac OS), choose Adobe PDF, and then click Save.

4. Choose a preset from the Adobe PDF Preset menu; Press Quality or High Quality is recommended for optimal quality.

5. Include a bleed area of .125 inches when bleed is present.

6. Click Export (Windows) or Save (Mac OS).


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