Pro Printing Reference

Who This Guide Is For

This page is for people who need a more complete understanding of professional print exports.

Typical use cases:

• sending files to a commercial print shop
• matching a supplier's prepress requirements
• understanding when crop marks matter and when they do not
• choosing the right bleed settings
• responding to a printer who asks for boxes, marks, or “unflattened crop marks”

If you just want the short version, start here instead:

• Pro Printing Basics

What the Pro PDF Export Is Designed To Do

The Pro PDF export is built for print-shop delivery, not home-printer sheet layouts.

That means:

• one card side per page
• proper print geometry in the PDF
• configurable bleed
• optional visible crop marks
• crop marks in registration color

The goal is to produce a PDF that is useful both for:

• human review, and
• professional prepress workflows

The Main Options We Support

Card size

You can export using:

• standard card size presets
• custom card dimensions when a supplier uses a non-standard format

Why this matters:

• the TrimBox must match the final finished card size
• a wrong trim size creates problems even if everything else is correct

Bleed size

You can choose one required bleed value that is applied equally on all sides.

Default:

• 3 mm on all sides

Why this exists:

• different printers ask for different bleed requirements
• some jobs use the common 3 mm standard
• some workflows require a custom value

Visible crop marks

You can export:

• with crop marks, or
• without crop marks

Why this option exists:

• some suppliers only need the PDF boxes set correctly
• some clients or printers still want visible marks in the supplied file
• many printers replace supplied marks with their own during imposition

Registration-color crop marks

When visible crop marks are enabled, they are emitted as separate PDF vector marks using a registration-style color space.

Why this matters:

• printer marks are not ordinary design artwork
• registration-style marks are intended to appear across separations/plates
• this is closer to how professional layout/prepress tools generate printer marks

The PDF Boxes We Use

MediaBox

The full page size.

This includes:

• the artwork area
• the bleed area
• the outer margin needed for visible crop marks

CropBox

The visible page region used by many PDF viewers.

In our Pro export, the CropBox is set to the full page.

Why:

• it prevents the visible crop marks from being clipped away
• it keeps the PDF easy to review visually

BleedBox

The artwork extent including bleed.

Why it matters:

• it tells the printer where the artwork is expected to extend beyond the trim edge

TrimBox

The final cut size.

Why it matters:

• this is the most important page box for the final finished card size

Why the Boxes Matter More Than the Marks

In many real print workflows, prepress teams care more about:

• TrimBox
• BleedBox

than about the visible marks supplied in the PDF.

Why:

• they often impose the job themselves
• they generate their own printer marks
• each press and workflow has its own preferred mark style

So visible crop marks are often mainly useful for:

• client confidence
• visual checking
• quick sanity checks before sending the file

This is why a supplier may ask for “unflattened crop marks” when what they really want is a more prepress-friendly PDF.

Why Registration Color Exists

Registration color exists so printer marks can appear across all relevant separations/plates.

That makes it useful for:

• crop marks
• fold marks
• registration marks
• other printer control marks

Why printers care:

• these marks help verify alignment
• they are meant for production control, not for the final artwork itself

Important practical note:

• many printers still replace your supplied marks with their own during imposition
• so registration-color marks are a professional detail, but they are usually not more important than the page boxes themselves

Typical Export Strategies

Strategy A — safest general default

Use:

• correct card size
• 3 mm bleed
• visible crop marks enabled

Why:

• easy for humans to review
• acceptable to many print shops
• includes both visual marks and machine-readable boxes

Strategy B — printer only wants page boxes

Use:

• correct card size
• required bleed size
• crop marks disabled

Why:

• the PDF still contains the important geometry
• the printer can impose and add marks themselves

Strategy C — supplier specifies a custom bleed

Use:

• correct card size
• the exact bleed requested by the supplier
• visible crop marks only if they want them

Why:

• bleed must match the supplier's finishing workflow

How To Talk To a Printer or Supplier

A concise message you can send:

Hi, we can generate print PDFs with proper TrimBox / BleedBox / CropBox, with or without visible crop marks, crop marks in registration color, and one custom bleed value applied equally on all sides (default 3 mm). Could you confirm exactly what your workflow requires?

Good follow-up questions:

• Are the included TrimBox and BleedBox sufficient for your workflow?
• Do you want visible crop marks included, or will you add your own?
• What bleed value do you require?
• Do you have any special prepress requirement beyond that?

Recommended Decision Order

When a printer gives unclear requirements, use this order:

1. confirm the final trim size
2. confirm the required bleed value
3. confirm whether they want visible crop marks or not
4. only then worry about more advanced prepress details

This keeps the conversation focused on what actually matters most.

Common Misunderstandings

“Crop marks are the most important thing.”

Not usually.

For many printers, the boxes matter more than the supplied marks.

“If crop marks are off, the PDF is not print-ready.”

Not true.

A PDF can still be print-ready if:

• the boxes are correct
• the bleed is correct
• the printer does not need supplied marks

“Registration-color marks mean the whole file is a special print PDF.”

Not necessarily.

Registration-color marks are useful, but they are only one part of a print-oriented PDF.

Practical Recommendation

If you are unsure, use this as your standard workflow:

1. export a single sample card first
2. send it to the supplier
3. ask them to confirm:
   • trim size
   • bleed size
   • whether supplied marks are needed
4. export the full deck only after they approve the sample

Summary

Our Pro PDF export supports the most important professional print options:

• correct card size
• one configurable bleed value applied equally on all sides
• explicit TrimBox
• explicit BleedBox
• CropBox set for safe viewing
• optional visible crop marks
• crop marks in registration color

Why this combination matters:

• the boxes make the PDF useful to prepress systems
• the optional visible marks make it easy for humans to review
• the custom bleed lets you match supplier requirements instead of forcing a single workflow