PDF Press Tool Guide

Keep page count at or below 64 for saddle-stitch. Beyond that, the spine becomes too thick for reliable wire-stitch penetration. Enable creep compensation on stock heavier than 100gsm.

Synthetic bleeds are a rescue technique, not a replacement for properly designed bleeds. Inform the client and flag it on the job ticket.

Use Grid for the second stage, not Expert Grid, because Grid step-and-repeat adapts to any booklet page count. SRA4 is exactly half of SRA3, so the printed SRA3 sheet cuts into two identical SRA4 booklet stacks before folding and stitching.

Leave 5mm extra at the spine edge for PUR milling. Confirm signature count and sheet size with your bindery before imposing.

Color bars require at least 8mm of non-image area along the gripper edge. Verify your plate size can accommodate them.

Case-bound books need a separate cover imposition. The text block signatures are imposed independently. Add 3mm to the spine-side bleed for Smyth-sewing thread clearance.

For a single-sheet 8-page zine, print duplex on one sheet, cut a slit in the center, and fold. The page sequence is non-obvious. Verify with a paper dummy first.

Standard US comic trim is 6.625 x 10.25 inches. Manga trim is typically B6 (128 x 182mm). Always confirm trim size with the publisher spec.

Board books need special imposition. Each 'page' is two sheets laminated together. Confirm with the bindery whether they need individual pages or pre-paired spreads.

Lay-flat binding requires page pairs to be printed as spreads. Verify the imposition handles the center spread correctly. A gutter gap will ruin panoramic photos.

Magazines with ads from multiple sources will have inconsistent color. Apply a normalization profile or at least verify TIC (Total Ink Coverage) does not exceed 340% for heatset web.

Large catalogs (200+ pages) benefit from 32-up imposition if your press can handle the sheet size. Fewer signatures = fewer gathering errors.

Annual reports often mix coated and uncoated stocks. If so, impose each stock type separately and coordinate signature order with the bindery.

Standard business card sizes: 3.5x2 inches (US), 85x55mm (EU), 91x55mm (AU/NZ). Pull bleeds from the document for cleanest results.

Synthetic bleeds on cards with edge-to-edge photos will show mirrored artifacts. Always request proper bleeds from the designer when possible.

USPS requires minimum 3.5x5 inches and specific barcode clear zones. For mailable postcards, verify your layout leaves room for the address panel and indicia.

Greeting cards are typically 4 pages (front, inside-left, inside-right, back). Supply as a 4-page PDF in reading order; the booklet tool handles the spread reordering.

Playing cards require exact front-to-back registration or the card back pattern reveals the card face at the edges. Use registration marks and do a press check.

Standard door hanger is 4.25x11 inches. The hook die must be positioned consistently across all items. Use the cut contour tool to define it precisely.

Rack cards have a narrow aspect ratio. Ensure the grain direction runs parallel to the long edge for stiffness in the display rack.

Cut-and-stack numbering requires the shuffle order to match your guillotine cut sequence (typically top-to-bottom, left-to-right). Always verify with a test sheet.

Variable data tickets need each barcode to be unique and scannable. Verify barcode readability at the final printed size. QR codes below 15mm may not scan reliably.

Wedding suites often include multiple card sizes. Gang them on a single sheet so all pieces print in the same pass with identical color. Use a premium uncoated stock profile.

Kiss-cut depth should penetrate the vinyl/paper but NOT the backing liner. Set padding between stickers to at least 3mm for reliable plotter tracking.

Thru-cut stickers on vinyl need a slightly oversized cut path (0.5mm offset from artwork edge) to avoid white borders caused by cutting misregistration.

Product labels for curved surfaces (bottles) need distortion compensation. Artwork will stretch when applied. Confirm with the label applicator vendor for exact distortion values.

Shipping labels are typically thermal-printed. If offset/digital, use a label stock template and align your grid to the die-cut positions exactly.

Pre-die-cut label stock requires exact registration. Test-print on plain paper first and hold it up against a label sheet to verify alignment before committing to label stock.

For outdoor vinyl, add 2mm white border around the artwork to prevent edge peel. Use solvent or UV-cure inks only. Aqueous inks will fade in weeks.

QR codes need minimum 15mm at print resolution for reliable scanning. Add error correction level H (30%) for labels that may get scratched or partially obscured.

Coaster board (1.4mm pulpboard) absorbs ink differently than paper. Reduce TIC to 280% and expect color shift. Always do a press proof on the actual substrate.

Always work from the die-maker's approved CAD file. Never create your own die lines. Even 0.5mm off can cause misalignment in the gluing machine.

Calculate distortion from the cylinder diameter and label thickness: distortion% = (thickness / (diameter/2 + thickness)) x 100. Round containers need only circumferential distortion.

Corrugated print has very low resolution (65-100 LPI). Simplify halftone details, increase minimum type size to 8pt, and avoid reverses smaller than 10pt.

Bag printing requires artwork to wrap around fold edges. The side gusset panels are often printed in mirror on the same form. Verify orientation with a folding dummy.

Shrink sleeves distort differently in the circumferential and height directions. Get the exact shrink ratios from your sleeve converter. Generic values will cause artwork misalignment.

Envelope flaps require artwork to be oriented correctly for the fold direction. Print on the inside of the flap if the design wraps over the seal edge.

Use a 10-12mm overlap and print at 100% / Actual Size (turn OFF Fit-to-Page) — the built-in calibration square on the overview sheet confirms scale. Keep the assembly overview sheet on to reassemble tiles in order.

Banners viewed at 3+ meters need only 72-100 DPI. Do not waste ink and time printing at 300 DPI for large-format applications. Vinyl banners need hemming allowance (25mm minimum).

For rigid substrates (foam board, PVC), add 3mm bleed beyond the cut line. The CNC router bit kerf is typically 2-3mm. Account for this in your gutter spacing.

Trade show panel systems have specific frame pockets that add 25-50mm per side. Get the exact frame specs from the display vendor before sizing your panels.

Floor graphics must be laminated with anti-slip overlaminate (certified to ASTM D2047). Always specify the laminate in the job ticket. Unlaminated floor graphics are a liability.

Vehicle wraps need 50-75mm extra per panel for wrapping around edges. Use a professional vehicle template (from the template vendor, not hand-measured) to avoid costly reprints.

This is the standard mark set for any commercial offset job. Place marks at least 3mm from the trim edge and ensure they do not overlap each other.

Digital presses have built-in registration. You rarely need separate registration targets. Focus on color bars and trim marks only to keep the file simple for the DFE.

Verify the plate size accommodates all marks. On modern CTP workflows, marks are often added by the CTP software. Check with your prepress department to avoid duplication.

The saddle-stitch line reads collating marks optically. Ensure marks have high contrast (black on white) and are positioned consistently across all signatures.

OMR and gathering marks serve different purposes. Gathering marks are for visual verification, OMR is for machine verification. Use both on high-volume runs.

Use industry-standard layer naming: CutContour (thru-cut), KissCut, Crease, Perforation. Most automated cutting systems recognize these names from the PDF layer metadata.

Always watermark proofs before sending to clients. An unwatermarked proof has been mistakenly sent to press more than once in every shop's history.

Include your shop's ICC profile name in the footer so the client (or another shop) can identify the proofing condition. This prevents disputes about color accuracy.

Wall calendars need a hanging hole. Add a drill mark at top-center. Wire-o binding is preferred over saddle-stitch for calendars because pages lay flat.

Desk calendars fold in half to stand up. The bottom half (base) is usually blank or has a different print. Ensure front and back are aligned correctly for the fold.

Wire-o planners need a 12mm margin on the bind side for the wire holes. Perfect-bound planners need the standard 5mm spine milling allowance.

Menus on heavy stock (300gsm+) must be scored before folding or the paper will crack. Add scoring marks and specify scoring in the job ticket.

For self-mailer newsletters, the address panel must meet USPS/postal regulations: clear zone around the barcode, correct placement relative to the fold edge. Check your postal authority's specs.

Window envelopes need the window position to be precisely registered to the letter fold. Always test the finished envelope with the actual letter insert.

Gang runs save money but complicate color management. All ganged items share the same ink density. Group items with similar color requirements (e.g., all warm tones together).

Number each ganged item in the slug so the cutter operator can verify all pieces are accounted for after cutting. Missing one item in a gang run is an expensive reprint.

Expert Grid is the escape hatch for layouts that no standard tool handles. Mixed page sizes, rotated cells, asymmetric gutters. Plan your grid on paper first to avoid costly trial-and-error.

When using Expert Grid with finishing marks, verify that the marks do not overlap the grid cells. Custom gutters may be narrower than the mark footprint.

The shuffle order MUST match your cutting sequence (top-to-bottom then left-to-right, or vice versa). A mismatch means the entire run is numbered out of order. Always cut and verify a test sheet first.

This is your first-pass workflow for every incoming file. Run preflight first, fix issues, then convert and optimize. Never skip preflight. Hidden issues caught late cost 10x more to fix.

If repair fails, the file may be too damaged. Try opening in Acrobat and re-saving as PDF/X before repair. As a last resort, distill from PostScript.

Merge order becomes page order. Double-check the sequence before proceeding. If files have different color profiles, convert to a common profile before merging.

If the back file is in reverse order (common from scanning), reverse it first before interleaving. One page off will cascade the mismatch through the entire job.

Work-and-tumble flips the sheet along the short edge; work-and-turn flips along the long edge. Using the wrong flip direction will produce mirrored backs.

Always confirm the rotation direction (CW vs CCW) with a test page. The wrong rotation puts the gripper edge on the wrong side, which can cause feeding issues.

Distortion percentage is calculated from plate thickness and repeat length: D% = (plate thickness x PI / repeat length) x 100. Always get these values from the plate maker.