Export PDF with bleed and crop marks, ready for print

To export PDF with bleed and crop marks from Gradiently, design at a print size, open Export, choose PDF and set the quality to Print. The file comes with 3 mm of bleed past every edge, crop marks to show where to cut, and trim and bleed boxes that a printer's software reads automatically, at up to 300 dpi. Your Mark simply carries on into the bleed, so there is nothing to extend by hand. PDF export is part of Pro.

Bleed, crop marks and trim: what a printer needs

Printers don't print to the edge of the sheet. They print on larger paper and cut it down, and the blade can land a fraction of a millimetre off. Bleed is extra picture past the finished edge, so a slightly wide cut shows more background instead of a white sliver. Crop marks are the thin lines in the corners that show where the cut goes. Trim and bleed boxes carry the same information inside the PDF for the printer's software. Print bleed and margins explains the theory in full.

How to export a print PDF

1. 1

   Start at a print size

   Choose the format from the Studio's size list, under print, or set a custom size of up to 8,000 px a side. Print sizes are listed at 300 dpi, so the pixels already match the paper.

2. 2

   Turn on the print guides

   Show margins, columns and bleed in the Studio. Elements snap to the guides, so it's easy to keep words inside the safe area and photos out to the bleed.

3. 3

   Check the edges

   Anything meant to run off the edge, such as a photo, should reach the bleed guide. Anything meant to be read should sit well inside the trim.

4. 4

   Export, PDF, Print

   In Export, choose PDF, then Print. The preview shows the trim size with 3 mm of bleed past a dashed line.

5. 5

   Download print PDF

   Choose Download print PDF and send that file to the printer, unchanged.

Print sizes that export at 300 dpi

Very large pages, such as an 18×24 inch poster, may export at a slightly lower density to stay within the browser's canvas limit; at poster viewing distance that is not visible. If you need a size that isn't listed, poster sizes has the common ones, and image resolution for print explains how many pixels are enough.

Standard or Print: which PDF to choose

A menu is a good example of needing both: a Print PDF for the copies on the tables, and a Standard PDF for the version on your website, where people want to search for the dish they are after. A multi-page design, such as a folded menu or a booklet, exports every page into one PDF in either quality. Print ready PDFs goes further into what printers check.

Keeping words safe from the blade

• Keep text at least 5 mm inside the trim on flyers and posters, about 60 px at 300 dpi. On a business card, the same 5 mm still applies, which is why cards look best with few words.
• Don't frame the page with a thin border. A border close to the edge shows every cutting error. If you want one, keep it well inside.
• Check small type at real size. Print the PDF at home at 100 percent and read it at arm's length before ordering hundreds.
• Open the PDF before you send it. Zoom into the smallest type and each corner, and check the crop marks and the bleed are there.

Colour on paper

Screens mix light; printers mix ink. The PDF is made from the colours on your screen, and the printer converts them for their press, so the most luminous blues, violets and greens of a gradient usually print a little calmer. That is normal. If colour is critical, ask the printer for a proof. RGB vs CMYK and printing gradients explain what shifts and how to plan for it. A Mark's grain helps too: it breaks up the smooth steps that can show as banding on paper.