Ctrl + E: Exporting print-ready PDFs with InDesign

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Ctrl + E: Exporting print-ready PDFs with InDesign

When an online print shop asks you to supply “print-ready PDF files”, chances are you don’t have a clue what they are talking about. That’s not surprising since not everyone is fluent in print language. In this short tutorial, we will demonstrate the PDF export process in Adobe InDesign.

Put simply, print-ready means that the print shop is able to process your data in a way that guarantees a flawless print product. The print shop needs a print-ready PDF to deliver the desired result to the customer without blurred areas, unwanted colour casts or white spots where there aren’t supposed to be any.

If you comply with the specifications of the print shop and supply print-ready artwork, you are on the safe side as a customer and one step closer to getting perfect printings.

Settings in the Export dialog box

If the design is ready to be exported, open the Export dialog box by pressing Ctrl + E (Mac users press Cmd) or File > Export.

Screenshot of Adobe InDesign with a blank document open. The “File” menu is expanded, highlighting options such as New, Open, Save, Place, Export, and Print. The mostly gray workspace displays various design tools.

General

On the General panel, select the PDF/X-4:2010 standard. Acrobat 7 or PDF 1.6 is displayed as compatibility.

Screenshot of the Adobe export settings window displaying various options, including PDF standards, compatibility, and export settings. A dropdown menu under Standard lists several PDF/X formats for exporting your document.

Compression

The InDesign default settings at Compression are sufficient in most cases. A setting of 300 dpi assures an excellent and vibrant print result provided that the original material is of a similar quality.

Screenshot of the Export Adobe PDF settings window in Adobe software, showing export options for compressing color, greyscale, and monochrome images, with fields for downsampling, compression, and image quality.

Marks and bleeds

In the Marks and Bleeds section, you should use the bleed settings of the document if these have already been set up correctly when creating the document. Our templates have the bleed included in the size of the canvas.

Screenshot of the Export Adobe PDF settings window, highlighting export options for marks and bleeds, including crop marks, bleed values, and the export button at the bottom.

Output

The settings at Output are essential for the colour composition of your printed product by assuring a correct colour result. RGB images have to be converted to PDF in CMYK to be exported. Go to Color Conversion, select the Convert to Destination (Preserve Numbers) option and define the “PSO Coated v3)” colour profile previously defined as the destination.

Screenshot of the Export Adobe PDF dialog in Adobe InDesign. The Output section is selected, highlighting how to farbprofil installieren with Destination set to PSO Coated v3 and Profile Inclusion Policy set to include the profile.

If other colour profiles are needed – for uncoated paper, we recommend, e.g., “PSO Uncoated v3 FOGRA52” – you have to adjust the settings accordingly.

Advanced

The PDF/X-4:2010 PDF standard allows transparencies which you have included in your artwork. No further adjustments are necessary at Advanced, whereas for the PDF/X-3:2002 standard you have to choose a high resolution for transparency reduction.

Screenshot of the Export Adobe PDF dialog in Adobe InDesign, displaying the Advanced settings tab with export font options, accessibility features, and an inactive description field.

Security

Skip the Security tab. Never assign passwords for your PDF file, or else the document cannot be processed by the online printer.

Screenshot of the Export Adobe PDF dialog box in Adobe InDesign, showing export settings for a PDF. The Summary tab is selected, displaying options for PDF compatibility and standards compliance.

Click Export to finish the process. InDesign will create a print-ready PDF with the settings needed by the online print shop to deliver an optimal result.

If you produce printed products on a regular basis, we recommend saving permanent PDF profiles. For information on how to do this, read the article Always available: saving PDF presets in InDesign.