Creating a PDF from Adobe InDesign

Before creating a PDF, please keep in mind:

• Fonts: Ensure that all fonts are loaded prior to creating your PDF
• Image Resolution: As a rule, all Photoshop images should have a resolution of 300 dpi. Any bitmap should be at 600 dpi
• Color Space: ALL RGB images should be converted to CMYK
• Color Separations: Run off laser separations ¹; to be certain your document will separate correctly
• Bleeds: Extend all elements that run off the edge of the page an additional 1/8" beyond the final trim size ².
• Document Size: Create your document at the final size you would like it produced. Avoid building on an oversized layout. Pay particular attention to panel sizes where one panel may need to be narrower to accomodate a fold (for instance, a tri-fold brochure)
• Transparency & Drop Shadows: Set the Transparency Flattener (Advanced Menu) to High Resolution ³.
• Spot Colors: If you've used Pantone spot colors in your design but do not require them to be printed as spot colors, convert Spot Colors to Process by clicking the Ink Manager button in the Output Menu and checking the "All Spots to Process" checkbox ⁴.

Exporting to PDF

First, download and install the Service Printers PDF Preset settings to ensure the best possible results.

Next, under the File menu, choose Export, name your PDF file, and choose "Adobe PDF" as the format. Click "Save" and select the Service Printers PDF Preset settings you just downloaded and installed. Click "Export."

If you do not want to download our settings you can use the following settings in the Export PDF dialogue box:

General Settings:

• Adobe PDF Preset: High Quality Print
• Compatibility: Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)
• Options:
  • "View PDF after Exporting" selected, if desired
  • Export Layers: Visible & Printable Layers
• Include: (none selected)

Compression Settings:

• Color Images:
  • Bicubic Downsampling to 300 pixels per inch for images above 450 pixels per inch.
  • Compression: Automatic
  • Image Quality: Maximum
• Grayscale Images:
  • Bicubic Downsampling to 300 pixels per inch for images above 450 pixels per inch.
  • Compression: Automatic
  • Image Quality: Maximum
• Monochrome Images:
  • Bicubic Downsampling to 1200 pixels per inch for images above 1800 pixels per inch.
  • Compression: CCITT Group 4
• "Compress Text and Line Art" and "Crop Image Data to Frames" selected

Marks and Bleeds Settings:

• Marks
  • "Crop Marks" and "Page Information" selected
  • Type: Default
  • Weight: 0.25pt
  • Offset: 0.125 in
• Bleed and Slug:
  • Bleed: 0.125 in on all sides

 

Output Settings:

• Color
  • Color Conversion: Convert to Destination
  • Destination: U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2
  • Profile Inclusion Policy: Include Destination Profile

  

 

Advanced Settings:

• Fonts:
  • Subset fonts when percent of characters used is less than 100%
• OPI: (none selected)
• Transparency Flattener:
  • Preset: High Resolution

 

When all these settings are correct, click Export

¹ Separations are ways to make sure the proper colors are going to print where they should. This is especially important when using spot colors. When you print separations you will be printing one page for each color in your document.

For documents that have no spot colors, you will be printing 4 pages - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. For documents with spot colors you'll be printing the 4 CMYK pages plus pages for each spot color.

To print separations from InDesign, go to File > Print... and follow the settings in the image below:

² Bleed is the term used to describe images that extend to the edges of the printed paper. To account for mechanical variations during trimming, it is recommended that you include an extra 1/8-inch on each edge of your project and extend images to this outer edge if they are to 'bleed' off the edge of the final piece. For more information see About Bleed - http://www.serviceprinters.com/help/bleedinprinting.html

 

³ In InDesign, go to File > Print and select the settings shown in the image below.

 

⁴ In InDesign, click on File > Print, then select "Output" from the menu on the left. Then Click the "Ink Manager" button and select the "All Spot to Process" check box.