Add Bleed and Crop Marks

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victor benjoya
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Add Bleed and Crop Marks

Post by victor benjoya »

Hi, how can I add / define Bleed and Crop marks to my PDFs' files using Pdf-XChange 4 Lite? why nobody asked this question? Am I loosing something? Thanks
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Patrick-Tracker Supp
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Re: Add Bleed and Crop Marks

Post by Patrick-Tracker Supp »

Hello Victor,

Thank you for the email. This is not possible using our printing drivers. You will need to use the Editor for this function. Please see the link below for instructions on how to use the crop tool:

https://www.pdf-xchange.com/knowled ... Crop-Pages

I hope this helps!
If posting files to this forum, you must archive the files to a ZIP, RAR or 7z file or they will not be uploaded.
Thank you.

Cheers,

Patrick Charest
Tracker Support North America
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timtak
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Re: Add Bleed and Crop Marks

Post by timtak »

I have a book manuscript made of simple A4 pdf pages with artwork going up to the side of the page (usually the outside edge not the bound edge).

Usually I just send it to the printer who resizes the pages a little to create a bleed, and I presume adds marks, like a capital L (or ∟ except usually without its corner!) or target type marks, at the top right, and equivalent mirrored characters at the other corners.

Adobe Acrobat adds these marks and a sort of colour bar thing, but I have not yet worked out how to put them in the right place. Adobe offer little in the way of support.

I only have Acrobat on one computer, I prefer PDF-XChange and often the generous people at Tracker do offer support. So I would like to know how to get these marks using PDF-XChange Editor.

The crop tool referenced above
https://www.pdf-xchange.com/knowle ... Crop-Pages
in answer to the OP's question about how to add bleed and crop marks does not however seem to create these marks, whether I use crop, bleed, art or trim.

It says
"The actual printed page may include printing marks that fall outside the bleed box. The default value is the page’s crop box. "
Which suggests one may have to create these marks manually or elsewhere. Please would you be so kind as to confirm this? Or does PDF-XChange create the marks, and I am just not seeing them?

This Tracker article gives more information on the types of box, and how to use the two types of mark.
https://help.pdf-xchange.com/PDFXEd ... crop_pages

The "cross hair" L shape bleed marks seem to define the outer edge of the bleed box which contains all the printed *content* (though there may be bleed and trim marks and colour box outside this bleed box).

The target marks are show the outer edge of the "trim box" at which edge the pages will be cut. I would have thought therefore that the target marks are trim marks but the OP seems to be calling them crop marks.

For my future reference I need to
1) Magnify pages, at least on sides where their is artwork adding about 3mm to that side to create a bleed, or perhaps to magnify all sides to avoid distortion.
2) Define this magnified page as my bleed box.
2) Add white space around the magnified pages to contain the "bleed marks" and perhaps a colour box.
3) Add a trim box which will be the pre-magnified A4 size.
5) Add trim marks which are again in the white space to define the A4 trim box size.

This is more complex than I thought. But printing costs will be cut by about 70%! If I can make a print ready manuscript book printing is really cheap.

Perhaps I should have posted this in the PDF-XChange forum as a new thread rather than continue this one.
tedlittlefield
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Re: Add Bleed and Crop Marks

Post by tedlittlefield »

It is not possible to use printing drivers. You will need to use the Editor for this function.
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Tracker Supp-Stefan
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Re: Add Bleed and Crop Marks

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello tedlittlefield,

Yes - the printing driver will set all the Trim, Bleed and Crop marks to the same value, and if you want those different, you will need to open the PDF document in the Editor once created to modify these further.

Kind regards,
Stefan
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timtak
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Re: Add Bleed and Crop Marks

Post by timtak »

Thank you both.

The printer has agreed to accept my no-bleed pdf and just enlarge it by 3mm on all sides.
I just need to make sure that there is nothing important in the outside 3mm.

I am still not sure how to use it but there does seem to be a dialogue for
creating these marks in Acrobat, but there does not seem to be a lot of
demand in PDF-Exchange, including (now that the printer has agree to accept
my standard A4 data) from myself.

Thanks again.
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Paul - Tracker Supp
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Add Bleed and Crop Marks

Post by Paul - Tracker Supp »

:)
Best regards

Paul O'Rorke
Tracker Support North America
http://www.tracker-software.com
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