When submitting a design for commercial printing there are a few steps that will ensure the best possible quality. This article will discuss how to properly export print ready PDF files from InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.

Initial Document Setup:
When first setting up a new document its a good idea to assume your project will have “bleed”. A bleed is when any part of the image will run off the finished document size. Most of the time a 1/8″ (.125″) bleed is sufficient. The reasoning for using bleed is simple, in the process of printing if the image moves even the slightest bit and there is no bleed, then the finished product will either be under sized or there will be a white hairline around some of the pieces and not others. To set the bleed settings in Adobe Illustrator open a new document and in the “Document Setup” window you will see “Bleed” enter .125″ in the first box and use the “Chain Link” icon to the right to set the same value for all 4 fields.

Designing with Bleed:
Once your new document is created, there will be a red guideline around the actual document size. This guide represents the edge of the bleed zone. Any part of the artwork that is going to run off the edge of the document should go to this red guide.

Other Margins:
Keeping in mind that the image moves around a tiny bit during the print process, another good rule is to use a minimum of a 1/8″ margin on the inside of the document as well. An inside margin that is less may not be enough because if the printed image moves even a 1/32″ it will be visible on the finished product.

Saving a Print Ready PDF File:
Once the design is finalized it’s time to save a print ready version. The best way to get a file to print is by using a .PDF file with the correct options. In Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop it’s super easy because there is a “Save As PDF” option.

Adobe Illustrator:

• Click File > Save As
• Select “Adobe PDF” from the drop down menu at the bottom of the window Click “Save”
• in the PDF dialog box, select “Marks and Bleeds”
• Select the checkboxes for “Trim Marks” and check the box for “Use Document Bleed Settings” ( If you do not set the amount of bleed in the document setup then manually input “.125″ into the bleed boxes.
• Also double check the “Compression” tab on the left, and make sure that your file is saving with no less than 300 ppi. (I usually turn compression off completely to get the highest resolution file possible.)

Once you have completed these steps, click “Save PDF”

Adobe InDesign:
Creating a print ready PDF file from InDesign is almost the same as Illustrator except for one detail. Instead of saving as a PDF, we use File>Export .

Adobe Photoshop:
We don’t recommend using Photoshop to design an entire business card with because it works with raster images and not vector which results in text not looking as crisp. It is best to design a background or graphics in Photoshop and place them into other design applications. However, sometimes we only have so many tools and Photoshop is a critical part to any designers toolbox which makes it a viable option to create a business card design. Since there are no bleed settings available it is best to create a new document that is 3.75″ x 2.25″ at 300 dpi and use guides to mark off the 1/8″ bleed and 1/8″ inside margin. Once the design has been created and finalized, save as a Photoshop PDF by clicking “File>Save As” then use the drop down menu to select “Photoshop PDF”. Again, I usually turn any compression off to limit any print resolution issues.

If you are having any trouble getting your files into Print Ready form, get in touch with us through the contact form, and we’ll do our best to get you the best result possible.