One of the most common preflight issues we see is a cover or an interior file with no bleeds provided. We can often see that the bleeds are in the original InDesign file, they just weren’t exported when the PDF was created.
Another issue is that we’ll receive the interior files as spreads, and we need a single-paged PDF file.
So, how do you add bleeds to your file? How do you export a single-paged PDF file for the interior (instead of spreads)?
We need designed and print-ready PDF files (one file for the cover, back/spine/front, and one file for the interior) for printing. Our file guidelines are here. Please take a look!
This video will walk you through how to set up your interior file for bleeds and how to export those bleeds when you create a PDF of your interior. It also shows how to export a single-paged PDF file of the interior, instead of spreads.
You don’t have to use Adobe InDesign for layout, but our guidelines assume you are. If you can create a PDF from another application, that’s fine, just make sure it meets the requirements of the bulleted list on the main support page (scroll down).