Producing a Print-Ready PDF
Designer Version
Key points to remember before creating a PDF file
using DTP softwares such as Indesign, Illustrator,
Quark Express, etc.
STEP 1
Preparing your Artboard for design
Before you export a print ready PDF, you need to ensure that your
artwork is prepared with the correct amount of bleed. This can be
defined before you prepare your artboard for designing.
The same option can be used whether you are preparing a file for
Booklets, or Business cards or any other print items.
YOU MUST DO THE FOLLOWING:
• Minimum bleed requirement is 3mm either side of the
artboard
• Files must be supplied as INDIVIDUAL PAGES and NOT FACING
PAGES if preparing a booklet or brochure
• If preparing a double sided business card, a minimum of 2
pages per document should be supplied per business card eg.
If you have 5 different names, you MUST supply 5 different
PDF files with a maximum of two pages per PDF document
where one page will be the front and the other, the reverse.
This MUST be for each of the 5 different names
• Ensure that the correct document colour mode is selected. A
print document must always be a CMYK document and not
RGB

STEP 2
Selecting the correct export option
Choosing Press Quality Option should suffice for preparing a print
quality PDF file. This is available under the File Menu:
FILE>ADOBE PDF PRESETS>PRESS QUALITY


STEP 3
Stripping off your profiles
Please remember to strip off all profiles from your files before
preparing your PDF files. We use the Industry Standard FOGRA 39
and your PDF files are refined on our RIPS which will strip off the
profiles and assign our print profile, hence it is better to avoid any
friction at a latter stage and strip off all the profiles before you
supply us the files.

Other handy points to remember
Converting Text to Outlines/Curves
Please remember that every machine has different fonts. The fonts
could be licensed to any one individual or simply we may not have
a font at our end which you may have used and in order to avoid
fonts going funny, please always ensure that your text is converted
to outlines before you output the file for PDF.
This is really easy and can be done once the artwork is
complete and before you output for PDF. Simply go to
the Type Menu and Select Create Outlines.
TYPE>CREATE OUTLINES - For Indesign/Illustrator
ITEM> CONVERT TEXT TO BOX - Quark Express
FINALLY...
Hit the Export button
This should now prepare your PDF file which will be print ready
and easy to output.

Producing a PDF with all fonts
embedded using Microsoft Office
Key points to remember before creating a PDF file
using Microsoft Office.
STEP 1
Document Size is correct
Before you prepare PDF, you need to ensure that your artwork is
prepared on the correct size.
The size can be chosed from the Page Layout Option in Microsoft
Office - which includes Word, Powerpoint or Publisher. Do not
use the default size which is usually the presentation size as this
will create a PDF file which will not be the correct size and when
scaling using our automated RIPS, this will distort the file and its
contents
With your document file open, Select PRINT from
the FILE menu

Now we’re back to the Adobe PDF Document
Properties Dialogue Box...



You should now have a Postscript file which looks
something like this:

LAUNCH ADOBE DISTILLER
(Comes with the full commercial versiton of Adobe Acrobat)

You will see a window open (like below):

Producing a PDF using Microsoft Office
...An Alternate Option
Key points to remember before creating a PDF file
using Microsoft Office.
STEP 1
Document Size is correct
Before you prepare PDF, you need to ensure that your artwork is
prepared on the correct size.
The size can be chosed from the Page Layout Option in Microsoft
Office - which includes Word, Powerpoint or Publisher. Do not
use the default size which is usually the presentation size as this
will create a PDF file which will not be the correct size and when
scaling using our automated RIPS, this will distort the file and its
contents
STEP 2
With your document file open, Select
FILE>SAVE AS
From the resulting dialogue box, select PDF from
the Save As Type: Dropdown list

STEP 3
