File Preparation Guidelines

PDF is preferred for most finished artwork. A properly exported PDF preserves page size, fonts, vectors, images, transparency, and color information in a predictable package.

• For modern Adobe workflows, PDF/X-4 is generally a strong starting point.
• PDF/X-1a or another standard may be requested for a specific vendor or production method.
• Native Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop files can be accepted by arrangement when editing or prepress work is required. Package linked graphics and fonts when requested.
• JPG, TIFF, EPS, and other formats may be usable depending on the project, but they are not automatically equivalent to a print-ready PDF.

Do not flatten transparency or outline every font as a blanket rule unless we specifically ask you to. Modern PDF workflows are designed to retain live transparency and embedded fonts.

Build the document at the intended finished size. If color or imagery runs to the edge, extend it beyond the trim.

• Standard bleed: 0.125 in. on all four sides.
• Example: an 8.5 × 11 in. finished sheet with standard bleed exports at 8.75 × 11.25 in.
• Safe area: keep critical text, logos, borders, and fine rules at least 0.125 in. inside the trim; some binding and finishing operations require more.
• Booklets and specialty finishing: bleed, creep, margins, and page setup can vary. Ask us before final export.
• Do not add crop marks, color bars, registration marks, or other printer marks unless we request them.

For typical offset and digital commercial printing, continuous-tone photographs should usually be around 300 ppi at final placed size.

• Scaling a small image up reduces its effective resolution.
• Line art, fine technical graphics, and 1-bit bitmap art may require substantially higher resolution.
• Large-format signs and displays are viewed from farther away and may not require 300 ppi at full size. We can recommend an effective resolution for the viewing distance and output device.
• Low-resolution artwork can look soft, pixelated, or jagged in print. We may ask for replacement artwork before production.

Color setup should follow the needs of the actual printing process. CMYK is common for process printing, but a modern color-managed workflow can also handle tagged RGB artwork and convert it appropriately during production.

• Do not make an arbitrary last-minute conversion to CMYK if you are unsure which profile or printing condition applies.
• Use correctly named spot colors when a job requires Pantone or other spot-color inks.
• For grayscale elements that must print with black ink only, verify that they are actually built as grayscale or K-only where appropriate.
• Small black type and fine black rules are normally safest as 100% K rather than a four-color build.
• Rich black builds are useful for larger solid areas, but the appropriate CMYK recipe depends on the printing condition. Ask us rather than relying on one universal formula.

Screens, desktop printers, proofing systems, substrates, inks, coatings, and production presses reproduce color differently. If matching a brand color or previous sample is critical, tell us before production.

• Embed fonts when exporting the final PDF.
• Keep an editable source file before converting any type to outlines.
• Check overprints, transparency, drop shadows, masks, and blend modes at high zoom in the exported PDF.
• Avoid using artificial bold/italic styling that depends on a missing font face.
• If we are editing the native file, provide the fonts or confirm that licensing allows us to use them.

File organization depends on the job. Unless we give different instructions:

• Supply one clearly named PDF per finished piece.
• Multi-page documents and booklets should normally be supplied as consecutive individual pages in reading order, not imposed printer spreads.
• Two-sided pieces may be supplied as a two-page PDF when that is the cleanest representation of the job.
• When a project requires separate front/back files, variable versions, numbered files, or a specific naming scheme, we will tell you before production.

This replaces older one-size-fits-all rules that required every side to be a separate file.

Only send files that belong to the job unless a sample or reference file is clearly identified. Before approving production, review the final proof carefully for:

• spelling, punctuation, phone numbers, dates, prices, URLs, QR codes, and legal copy;
• trim size, bleed, page order, orientation, and front/back relationship;
• image quality, missing fonts, transparency, and unintended overprints;
• color expectations and any critical matching requirement.

Customer approval confirms the content and production setup shown in the proof. If something is unclear, ask before approving.

Prepress is part of what we do. If you are unsure about bleed, color, resolution, packaging, folds, binding, signs, displays, or a specialty process, contact us before you spend time rebuilding the file.

Ask Paper Moon About Your File