How to Supply Print-Ready Artwork for Magazine Printing
Supplying your magazine artwork correctly helps ensure that your files move through prepress and into production without unnecessary delays or unexpected changes.
At Magazine Printing Company, our standard for magazine artwork supplied from Adobe InDesign is a print-ready PDF exported to the PDF/X-1a standard.
This guide explains how to prepare your magazine artwork and the key things to check before sending your files to us.
Magazine PDF File Standard
Please supply your finished magazine artwork as:
PDF/X-1a
When exporting a magazine from Adobe InDesign, use the PDF/X-1a preset.
PDF/X-1a is a well-established standard for supplying print-ready artwork. It is designed to create a predictable file for commercial print production, including the correct handling of fonts, colour and transparency.
If your magazine has been created in software other than Adobe InDesign, please contact us before supplying the finished artwork if you are unsure about the correct PDF output.
Set Your Document to the Correct Finished Size
Your InDesign document should be created at the actual finished size of the magazine.
For example, if the finished magazine will be A4, the document should be set to the required A4 trim size rather than artwork being created at a different size and subsequently scaled.
The same principle applies to custom-size magazines.
If you’re unsure whether your proposed magazine format is suitable for the intended printing method, paper or mailing requirements, speak to us before finalising the artwork.
Changing the finished size after a magazine has been designed can create unnecessary artwork and production problems.
Include 3 mm Bleed
Magazine artwork should include 3 mm bleed on all edges where printed elements extend to the edge of the finished page.
Bleed allows images, backgrounds and other printed elements to extend beyond the trim line.
After printing, the magazine is trimmed to its finished size. Without sufficient bleed, small variations during finishing can result in an unwanted white edge appearing on the finished page.
Any image, colour or graphic intended to run to the edge of the page should therefore extend fully into the bleed area.
Keep Important Content Away From the Trim
Text, page numbers, logos and other important elements should not be positioned unnecessarily close to the finished trim edge.
Allowing a sensible margin between important content and the trim gives the page room for normal production and finishing tolerances.
The visual margin required will depend partly on the design of the publication, but important information should never rely on being positioned precisely against a trimmed edge.
Supply Your Magazine as Single Pages
Please supply magazine artwork as individual pages in the correct running order, not as reader spreads.
The imposition required to manufacture the magazine is handled during prepress.
You therefore don’t need to arrange pages into printer’s pairs or attempt to impose the magazine yourself.
For example, a 64-page magazine should be supplied as pages:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 … through to 64
rather than attempting to pair the front and back pages yourself.
Images and Resolution
Images used within magazine artwork need sufficient resolution for commercial printing.
As a general working standard, photographic images should normally be approximately 300 dpi at the size at which they are used in the document.
Increasing the resolution figure of an originally low-resolution image does not restore image detail that isn’t present in the source file.
Particular care should therefore be taken with images obtained from websites, screenshots or other sources originally intended for screen rather than print.
If image quality is important and you’re unsure whether an image is suitable, ask us before going to print.
Colour: CMYK Rather Than RGB
Commercial magazine printing uses CMYK — Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.
RGB is primarily a screen colour space. Colours displayed on a monitor can therefore look different when reproduced using printing inks on paper.
Your artwork and images should consequently be prepared with commercial print reproduction in mind.
For a fuller explanation of how colour works in commercial printing, see our guide to CMYK, RGB and Pantone colours.
Fonts
Fonts used within your magazine need to be correctly embedded in the finished PDF.
Using the PDF/X-1a output standard helps produce a suitable print-production file and reduces the risk of font-related problems when the PDF is processed.
Always inspect your final exported PDF rather than assuming that because the InDesign document looks correct, the finished PDF will look identical.
Black Text and Large Areas of Black
Small black text should be created appropriately for commercial print rather than unnecessarily building black from multiple process colours.
Large areas of solid black may require different colour construction to achieve the required visual result.
If your design uses substantial areas of black and you’re unsure how they should be constructed, ask us before supplying the final artwork.
Perfect-Bound Magazine Covers
Perfect-bound magazines require additional consideration because the finished publication has a spine.
The required spine width depends on factors including:
- pagination;
- paper weight;
- paper bulk; and
- the construction of the publication.
Do not guess the spine width.
We can calculate the appropriate spine requirement once the final specification has been agreed.
For more information about choosing between different binding methods, see our magazine binding guide.
Check Your PDF Before Sending It
Once the PDF has been exported, open the finished PDF itself and inspect it carefully.
Check:
- the finished page size;
- page count;
- page order;
- bleed;
- images;
- text;
- fonts;
- colour;
- page numbers;
- advertisements;
- contents pages;
- covers; and
- any intentional blank pages.
The PDF you supply is the file from which your magazine will ultimately be produced, so checking the exported PDF is an important part of approving your own artwork.
Once your artwork has been supplied, see our magazine proofing, artwork approval and colour control guide to understand what happens during prepress and final approval.
Print-Ready Magazine Artwork Checklist
Before sending your files, check that:
✓ The artwork has been exported as PDF/X-1a
✓ The document is at the correct finished size
✓ 3 mm bleed has been included where required
✓ Pages are supplied as individual pages in running order
✓ Images have sufficient resolution
✓ Colour has been prepared appropriately for commercial CMYK printing
✓ Fonts are correctly embedded
✓ Important text and graphics are safely positioned away from trim edges
✓ The final exported PDF has been checked page by page
✓ Any perfect-bound cover uses the correct spine width supplied for the job
Not Sure Whether Your Artwork Is Ready?
If you’re unsure about your artwork, ask us before going to print.
It is much easier to resolve a potential artwork issue before production begins than after a magazine has been printed.
Magazine Printing Company is the specialist magazine printing operation of Cliffe Enterprise Ltd, an independent UK print management company established in 1991.
Because we select the production route according to the individual magazine specification rather than being tied to one printing plant, we can advise on the relationship between your artwork, format, pagination, paper, binding, print quantity and mailing requirements.
If you’re planning a new magazine or preparing your next issue, send us the specification and we can advise on both the production requirements and the most appropriate route to print.
