A PDF that opens without an error is not necessarily ready to release. For pre-press, the final PDF—not the InDesign file—is the production object to inspect. Its page boxes, fonts, colour spaces, separations and rendering behaviour must match the job ticket before it enters an automated workflow or is handed to a printer.
This checklist is designed for the final pass. It does not replace the printer’s specification; it turns that specification into checks you can make consistently.
Start with the job ticket
Do not begin by applying a generic preflight profile. First establish what the file is meant to be:
- final trim size, page count, orientation and single-page or spread delivery;
- required bleed, safe area and any slug or marks;
- print process, substrate and requested PDF or PDF/X standard;
- required colour spaces, ICC output condition and total ink limit;
- permitted spot colours and the names of any dieline, varnish, foil or white-ink separations; and
- finishing, version, quantity and proof requirements.
If this information is missing, record the assumption and ask for confirmation. A technically clean PDF can still be the wrong file for the job.
1. Check the document geometry
In Acrobat, inspect the page boxes rather than judging the artwork by eye. The TrimBox should describe the finished size. The BleedBox must extend to the agreed bleed where edge-to-edge artwork is required; it should not be mistaken for the final format. Verify page count, page order, rotation and whether the supplied PDF uses reader’s spreads when the workflow requires single pages.
Zoom into every page edge. Confirm that backgrounds and images run through the bleed, while type, barcodes, QR codes and critical rules remain inside the safe area. Check that crop marks, if requested, sit outside the bleed and do not collide with job information or marks from another imposed workflow.
2. Inspect images at their effective size
Use Print Production → Preflight or the agreed inspection tool to find image resolution, compression and colour space. Resolution is meaningful at the image’s placed size, not simply from the file name or its original pixel dimensions.
Look for these failures:
- images below the job’s effective-resolution threshold;
- unexpectedly low-resolution logos or screenshots that should be vector;
- aggressive JPEG artefacts in flat tone or fine detail;
- RGB, Lab or indexed-colour images where the job requires CMYK-only artwork; and
- incorrectly scaled images that become soft, cropped or unexpectedly large on the page.
Do not automatically reject every image below 300 ppi. Large-format work, line art and specialised screening have different requirements. Compare each result with the job specification and its expected viewing distance.
3. Verify text, fonts and content
Check the PDF’s font list. Fonts should be embedded or subset embedded unless the agreed workflow explicitly says otherwise. A font name alone is not proof that every character rendered as intended, so inspect small type, special characters, ligatures, symbols, superscripts and non-Latin text visually at high magnification.
Then make the content check that software cannot do for you: names, prices, URLs, QR destinations, legal copy, dates, revision codes and page numbers. Compare the PDF with the approved proof or source of truth, not only with an earlier export.
4. Review colour and separations
Open Print Production → Output Preview. Toggle the plates one at a time, then view them in combinations. This shows what will actually image on each separation and exposes problems that a normal screen preview can hide.
Confirm that:
- process objects appear on the intended CMYK plates;
- required spot colours remain named spot separations, not accidental CMYK conversions;
- unused spot colours are removed or intentionally retained;
- dielines, varnish, foil, emboss and white ink use the agreed spot names and overprint settings;
- small black text is 100K where the specification calls for it; and
- large rich-black areas stay below the job’s total ink limit.
Use the total-area-coverage preview to locate ink builds above the permitted limit. Do not change builds blindly in Acrobat: identify whether the source object, colour-management policy or export setting caused the result, then correct it in the appropriate place.
5. Run the right preflight profile
Acrobat’s built-in profiles are useful starting points, especially for PDF/X validation, but they are not a substitute for a job-specific profile. Configure or select checks for the actual delivery requirement: PDF version, output intent, page-box size, bleed, image resolution, colour spaces, spot colours, fonts and ink coverage.
Treat automated fixes with caution. A fixup can convert colours, flatten transparency or remove objects across a whole file. Save a separate working copy, inspect the report, and visually compare the repaired PDF before release.
Release only after a visual PDF proof
The final step is a deliberate visual review of the exported PDF, page by page. Check fine rules, reversed type, transparent shadows, image edges, pages with different masters and any special-finish layers. If the job is colour-critical or technically complex, request the proof method defined in the ticket.
Final release checklist
- The filename, version and PDF/X requirement match the job ticket.
- TrimBox, BleedBox, page count, order and orientation are correct.
- Images meet the agreed effective-resolution and colour requirements.
- Fonts are embedded, and critical content has been checked visually.
- Separations, spot names, overprint and total ink coverage are correct.
- Preflight reports no unresolved errors for this job.
- The reviewed PDF—not an earlier export—is the file being released.