A print-ready PDF is a file that can go to press without changes. Each printer has its own rules, so ask for theirs. These are the usual points.
Interior file
- Page size: exactly your trim size, such as 5.5 × 8.5 in or A5.
- Margins: keep text well inside the page edge, with a wider inner margin for binding.
- Fonts: embed all fonts, or convert text to outlines where appropriate.
- Images: 300 dpi at the printed size is a common target.
- Colour: black-and-white interiors should be true greyscale or black text. Colour books are usually supplied in CMYK; ask your printer.
- Pages: single pages in reading order, not spreads.
- Page count: for digital printing an even number is enough. For offset printing, multiples of 8 or 16 avoid waste.
Bleed
If any image or colour runs to the edge of the page, extend it beyond the trim by a small margin (commonly 3 mm) and confirm the exact requirement with your printer.
Cover file
Supply the cover as a separate PDF: back cover, spine and front cover in one flat spread, with bleed. The spine width depends on page count and paper thickness, so get it from your printer once the page count is final.
Before you send it
- Open the PDF on another device and check every page.
- Confirm page count and page order.
- Check that fonts and images are embedded.
- Ask for a digital proof, and a printed sample for larger runs.
Do not have print-ready files? Our formatting and cover design services produce them.