How to make a print-ready PDF
What a print-ready PDF needs (size, bleed, fonts, resolution, colour) and how to export one from Canva, Word, PowerPoint, Adobe and Affinity.
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A print ready PDF is a PDF set to the finished size you ordered (plus 3 mm bleed on boards, signs and paper items), with fonts embedded or turned into outlines, images at a high enough resolution, colours in CMYK where you can, and one page per design. Send that and your file goes through our free file check quickly. This guide shows what each of those means and how to export one from the programs most people use.
What makes a print ready PDF #
| Setting | What to aim for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Page size | The finished size, for example A5 (148 × 210 mm), plus bleed where the product takes it: 154 × 216 mm | A page the wrong shape has to be stretched or cropped |
| Bleed | 3 mm on boards, signs and paper; none on banners and roller banners (they have safe margins instead) | No white slivers after cutting |
| Fonts | Embedded, or converted to outlines | A missing font gets swapped for another, which moves your text |
| Images | 300 dpi at size for small items, 100 to 150 dpi for large banners | Low-resolution images print soft |
| Colour | CMYK where possible, with Pantone references for brand colours | Print uses CMYK inks; RGB is converted |
| Pages | One page per design, in order (front then back) | No guessing which page is which |
If any of those is new to you, our guides to bleed and safe area, dpi for printing and CMYK vs RGB each explain one in detail.
File types we accept #
PDF is best. We also accept AI, EPS and SVG files, and high-resolution JPG, PNG or TIFF images. The upload box on each product page takes PDF, AI, EPS, SVG, PNG, JPG, TIF, PSD, DOCX and ZIP files. Word, PowerPoint and Canva designs are fine as a starting point, but export a PDF at full quality from them if you can, because a PDF keeps the layout exactly as you see it.
How to export a print ready PDF #
Menu names change between versions and plans, so use the steps below as the order of work and look for the nearest match in your program.
- Set the page to the finished size. Do this before you design, not at the end. Add 3 mm bleed on each edge if the product takes bleed.
- Run backgrounds into the bleed and keep text inside the safe area. At least 10 mm inside the trim on signs, 50 mm from the edges of a hemmed banner.
- Place full-size images. Use the original photo or logo file, not a copy saved from a website or a message.
- Deal with the fonts. Either let the export embed them or convert text to outlines. Keep an editable copy first, because outlined text cannot be changed.
- Choose a print quality export. Pick the highest quality PDF setting on offer and turn on bleed if you set it up.
- Open the PDF and check it. Check the page size, zoom in on images and text, and make sure every page is there.
Canva
Use the download option and choose the PDF type meant for print (currently labelled “PDF Print”), not “PDF Standard”. If you set up bleed in the design, tick the option that includes bleed. A CMYK colour choice appears there on some plans; if yours does not have it, an RGB PDF is still accepted and converted.
Word and PowerPoint
Set the page size first under the layout or slide size settings (Word has no bleed setting, so make the page 6 mm bigger each way and keep text further in). Then save or export as PDF and choose the option for printing or higher quality rather than the smallest file size. Check the text in the PDF afterwards, because a font that will not embed is sometimes swapped.
Adobe InDesign and Illustrator
Set the bleed in the document setup. When you export or save as Adobe PDF, start from the “High Quality Print” or “Press Quality” preset and, under Marks and Bleeds, tick the option to use the document bleed settings. In Illustrator you can convert text with Type, Create Outlines before saving a copy.
Affinity Designer and Publisher
Set the bleed in the document setup, then export as PDF and choose a print preset such as “PDF (for print)” or “PDF (press ready)”. Make sure the option to include bleed is ticked in the export settings.
Check the PDF before you upload #
Open your print ready PDF in any PDF reader and look at the document properties: the page size should match your finished size plus bleed, for example 216 × 303 mm for an A4 sign. In Adobe Acrobat Reader the Fonts tab in the properties window lists each font and whether it is embedded. Zoom to 200% and look at photos and logos: jagged edges on screen at that zoom usually mean a soft print. Finally, read every phone number, email and web address out loud, because we print the details you send.
PDF is an open international standard (ISO 32000), which is why a print ready PDF looks the same on your screen, on ours and on the press, whichever program made it.
Banners and large items #
For a banner, a roller banner or a hoarding, set the PDF at the finished size, such as 6 ft × 3 ft (1829 × 914 mm), or at an exact scale such as 1:10 as long as the proportions match what you ordered. No bleed is needed; keep text 50 mm from the edges instead, and the bottom 150 to 200 mm of a roller banner clear. Our guide to large banner artwork at scale shows the sums.
Uploading your file, or skipping the PDF altogether #
On the product page, choose I will upload print-ready artwork under Artwork. You can add up to 3 files of up to 25 MB each, or upload later: we email you after you order. A person gives every upload a free file check for resolution, size and bleed and tells you if something needs fixing. Larger files are covered in how to send large artwork files.
No design program? On products with the online designer, such as flyers and business cards, the designer makes the print ready PDF for you at the right size with bleed and the text outlined, and it comes with your printed order. You can also buy that file on its own for £9.99. Prefer someone else to set it up? Typesetting is £15 and includes 1 proof and 2 rounds of changes.
