Guides

The print-ready PDF checklist

Run through this before you print · ~6 min read

Most printing problems are caught in thirty seconds of checking and discovered too late after a wasted ream. Whether you're sending a file to a print shop or running it through your own printer, this checklist covers the things that actually go wrong — and how to catch them first.

1. Page size is consistent and correct

Confirm every page is the size you intend (A4, Letter, A3, Legal) and that the document doesn't secretly mix sizes — a stray A3 page in an A4 document will scale or clip unexpectedly. In your PDF viewer, check the document properties for the page dimensions, and scroll through looking for any page that's visibly a different shape.

2. Margins and (if needed) bleed

Keep critical content — text, logos, page numbers — a safe distance from the trim edge, at least 10–15 mm for folded or bound work. If color or images must run to the very edge of the finished piece, you need bleed: extend them 3 mm past the trim so trimming variance doesn't leave a white sliver. For everyday office printing you can skip bleed, but never let important content touch the edge.

3. Fonts are embedded

A PDF that looks perfect on your machine can reflow or substitute fonts on another if the fonts aren't embedded. Check the document's font properties; you want every font marked "Embedded" or "Embedded Subset." When exporting from your source application, choose the option to embed fonts (or "PDF/A" / "high quality print" presets, which embed by default).

4. Images are high enough resolution

Screen images are often 72–96 ppi, which looks blocky on paper. For crisp printing, raster images should be around 300 ppi at final print size. An image that fills a full A4 page needs roughly 2480 × 3508 pixels. If you've scaled a small image up to fill space, expect softness — replace it with a larger original rather than enlarging.

5. Color is intentional

Decide whether you're printing color or grayscale and proof accordingly. Pure black text should be true black, not a rich-black mix that can look muddy or misregister. If a commercial printer asked for CMYK, convert from RGB and review — bright RGB blues and greens often shift when converted. For home printing, RGB is usually fine.

6. Page count suits your binding

If the output will be folded into a booklet, your page count must be a multiple of 4; add blank pages to reach it. For N-up grids, remember the last sheet may have empty cells — that's normal. Plan blanks deliberately so they fall in sensible places (after a cover, or at the end). See how to make a booklet PDF for the details.

7. Imposition and duplex are set before printing

If you're doing N-up or a booklet, impose the PDF before sending it to the printer, and confirm the duplex flip edge matches the layout. A correctly imposed file printed with the wrong flip setting still comes out misaligned — the two have to agree. Our guide on duplex printing alignment explains how to match them.

8. Proof one copy

The cheapest quality-control step is printing a single copy and checking it in your hands: margins, alignment, front-to-back registration, readability of the smallest text, and the order of pages after folding. Approve the proof, then run the batch. This one habit prevents the majority of expensive reprints.

Quick recap

• Consistent, correct page size
• Safe margins; bleed only if content runs to the edge
• Fonts embedded
• Images ~300 ppi at final size
• Color and black handled intentionally
• Page count fits the binding
• Imposition + duplex flip set and matched
• Proof one copy before the run

When you reach the imposition step, Slipgrid takes care of the grid layout, margins, blank padding, and back-side row reversal for clean duplex — so that part of the checklist is one upload away.

Home printing vs sending to a print shop

The checklist applies to both, but the emphasis shifts. For home or office printing, RGB color is fine, bleed is usually unnecessary, and your main risks are low-resolution images and the duplex flip edge. For a commercial print shop, ask what they expect before you export: the page size and orientation, whether they want bleed and crop marks, RGB or CMYK, and a preferred PDF standard such as PDF/X. Supplying a file that already matches their spec avoids the back-and-forth that delays jobs.

Why print shops reject files

• Missing bleed on edge-to-edge designs, leaving white slivers after trimming.
• Fonts not embedded, causing substitutions on the shop's system.
• Low-resolution images that look fine on screen but blocky in print.
• Wrong color space — RGB supplied when CMYK was requested, shifting colors.
• Mixed or incorrect page sizes that don't match the order.

None of these are hard to fix; they're just easy to miss. Catching them before you submit keeps your job moving and your costs down.

Save a reusable export preset

If you print regularly, set up your export settings once — embed fonts, target resolution, page size, color space — and save them as a preset in your design or office software. Every future document then exports print-ready by default, turning most of this checklist into a single click.