ALL TYPES OF OUTPUT DEVICES AND WORKFLOWS CAN HAVE MANY SETTINGS CONFIGURED, BUT WE WILL SHOW YOU THE BEST PDF BELOW EXPORT SETTINGS THAT ENSURE YOUR ARTWORK WILL PRINTED AS YOU INTEND IT TO BE, PROVIDING A PRINT-READY PDF.
CLICK "ADOBE PDF PRESET: PDF/X-1A:2001" TO VIEW THE SCREENSHOT BELOW. MARKS AND BLEEDS
Document CMYK – Coated FOGRA39 (ISO 12647-2:2004) is the destination of the output. (VIEW SCREENSHOT BELOW)
OUTPUT
Avoid selecting the "spreads" option. Readers’ spreads, not printers’ spreads, are produced by this. To be able to enforce readers spreads, we must divide them back into single pages.
This is a quick tutorial to assist you in creating a high-resolution* CMYK PDF file that can be printed. There are numerous additional settings that can be adjusted job-by-job, and no two jobs are alike.
If you have any questions about the creation of print-ready PDFs, kindly get in touch with us.
MAKING A PDF THAT IS PRINT READY
Select EXPORT from the FILE MENU to create a PDF. You must select the Adobe PDF (Print)** format, give it a fitting name, and save it in the appropriate location in the dialogue box that displays.
Click on the edge of the frame containing the image after selecting the SELECTION TOOL from the TOOLS PANEL.
Drag the square handle on the upper left corner of the frame to the bleed guide using the SELECTION TOOL. Create a 3mm bleed by doing the same with the handle on the lower right corner of the page.
Lastly, you’ll produce a PDF. Select the [PDF/X-1a:2001] preset from the options at the top of the Export Adobe PDF dialogue box and use FILE>EXPORT as you did before.
Before clicking the EXPORT BUTTON, make sure to check the boxes for "Use Document Bleed Settings" and "All Printer’s Marks" in the Marks and Bleeds section of the PDF Export Dialogue box.
Let’s investigate the ideal InDesign PDF export configuration for printing.
"EXCELLENT PRINT" PDF PRESET
This preset will generate PDF files that are appropriate for "high-quality printing on desktop printers and proofers," according to InDesign. Which configurations work best for this specific application? Images that are more than 300 ppi in color or grayscale will be downsampled to 300. RGB and CMYK images will each stay in their native color spaces since colors are left alone.
"X-1A:2001 PDF" PDF SETUP
PDF/X-1a:2001 downgrades Acrobat to version 4 and removes compatibility with Acrobat 5. Any spot colors you’ve set will remain intact, but all of your colors—whether RGB or CMYK—will be automatically converted to CMYK.
"X-3:2002 PDF" PDF SETUP
Once more, this preset will flatten your transparency. You can use the same guidelines as above to select your transparency settings in advance. Similar to the earlier PDF/X setting, PDF/X3:2002 permits embedded RGB profiles to stay in place (no automatic conversion to CMYK).
"PDF/X-4:2008" PDF SETTINGS
Since compatibility is set to the more recent Acrobat 7, you will be able to maintain any transparency in your document with this PDF/X present.
"PRESS QUALITY" PRESET PDF:
This is another collection of configurations that are frequently standard when using top-notch commercial printers. With this preset, you can maintain the document’s full transparency without the need for flattening. Adobe Acrobat produces good separations and functions well with live transparency, so any printer using Acrobat will be pleased with the files that are produced that way. As far back as Adobe Acrobat 5, it will work.
Now let’s get started with how to print an InDesign file.
The fundamentals of setting up an InDesign project for commercial printing are covered in this article, HOW TO SET UP INDESIGN FOR PRINT.
We receive inquiries about file formats, bleed, color space, image resolution, and InDesign project packaging on a daily basis.
A CMYK color space is used in the printing process.
Each of the four plates has an image of the design that is transferred, set on a cylinder, and then concurrently transferred to paper.
A constrained subset of the RGB color space is produced by CMYK.
As a result, the colors you see on a computer screen may not exactly match the colors on a printed page.
Go here to learn more about color spaces.
Let’s see which InDesign export settings are optimal for printing.
To put it simply, print-ready refers to the print shop’s ability to handle your data in a way that ensures an impeccable final product.
For the print shop to give the customer the desired outcome—one free of unwanted color casts, blurry areas, and white spots where none should be—a print-ready PDF is required.
You are one step closer to receiving flawless printings as a customer if you adhere to the print shop’s requirements and provide print-ready artwork.
You can choose the PDF/X-4:2010 standard on the General panel. PDF 1.6 or Acrobat 7 is shown as compatible.
For the most part, the InDesign default settings at Compression are adequate. As long as the source material is of a comparable caliber, a 300 dpi setting guarantees a superb and vivid print outcome.
If the document’s bleed settings were set up correctly when it was created, you should use them in the Marks and Bleeds section.
Because they guarantee the right color outcome, the settings at Output are crucial for the color composition of your printed product. For export, RGB images must be converted to CMYK in a PDF file. Navigate to Color Conversion, choose "Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers)", and specify the destination as the previously defined "PSO Coated v3" color profile.