Exporting a Print-Ready PDF: Press Quality, DPI & Font Embedding
A press-ready PDF preserves your layout and ensures your book prints as intended. Use a Press Quality preset, embed fonts, and supply suitable image resolution.
Image resolution (print):
- Preferred: 300 dpi at final size
- Acceptable: 200 dpi minimum
- Upper range: 450–600 dpi (OK, but increases file size)
- Avoid: <150 dpi—images will look soft in print
General PDF requirements
- Use a Press Quality (or PDF/X) export preset.
- Embed all fonts (no font substitution).
- Supply single pages (not reader spreads) for the interior.
- Include bleed if artwork touches the edge (typically 3 mm each side).
- Keep text and vital elements inside safe margins.
Adobe InDesign (recommended) — Interior PDF
- File → Export… → Adobe PDF (Print).
- Preset: choose Press Quality (or a suitable PDF/X preset).
- Pages: Export as Pages (not Spreads).
- Marks & Bleeds: tick Use Document Bleed Settings (set bleeds to 3 mm if needed).
- Compression: Downsample images no lower than 300 ppi where possible.
- Output: Keep colour profiles consistent; embed profiles if instructed.
- Click Export.
Microsoft Word — Make a press-friendly PDF
Word can create acceptable PDFs if you embed fonts and keep images at print resolution.
Embed fonts (Mac Word)
- Word → Preferences → Save
- Tick Embed fonts in the file.
- Untick “Only embed the characters used in the document”.
Why? Partial embedding risks missing glyphs on press. Full embedding is safer; the size difference is usually small (~100 kB).
Embed fonts (Windows Word)
- File → Options → Save
- Under Preserve fidelity when sharing this document:
- Tick Embed fonts in the file
- Untick “Embed only the characters used in the document”
- Untick “Do not embed common system fonts”
Export the PDF from Word
- File → Save As or File → Export → choose PDF.
- Choose the best quality/high quality option available (aim for press quality).
- Ensure images placed in Word are at least 200–300 dpi at final size.
Important: For interior pages, supply single pages (not spreads). Covers are supplied as a separate cover spread PDF based on your final spine width.
Pre-flight checklist before you send
- PDF opens without missing font warnings.
- Images meet the 200–300 dpi guidance at final size.
- Pages are single, in correct order (not spreads).
- Bleeds included on pages with edge-to-edge colour/images.
- Text is inside safe margins; no content is clipped.
