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

  1. File → Export… → Adobe PDF (Print).
  2. Preset: choose Press Quality (or a suitable PDF/X preset).
  3. Pages: Export as Pages (not Spreads).
  4. Marks & Bleeds: tick Use Document Bleed Settings (set bleeds to 3 mm if needed).
  5. Compression: Downsample images no lower than 300 ppi where possible.
  6. Output: Keep colour profiles consistent; embed profiles if instructed.
  7. 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)

  1. Word → Preferences → Save
  2. Tick Embed fonts in the file.
  3. 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)

  1. File → Options → Save
  2. 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

  1. File → Save As or File → Export → choose PDF.
  2. Choose the best quality/high quality option available (aim for press quality).
  3. 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.