How to Create Compressed PDFs and Add Crop Marks in Acrobat DC
Question details
The user needs to reduce PDF file size and add professional crop marks without relying on the older Print to PDF method.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Preparing a PDF document for professional printing while optimizing its overall file size.
- Observed behavior
- The traditional Print to PDF workflow is no longer recommended or available in Acrobat DC, requiring alternative tools for file optimization and adding prepress marks.
Ensure you have the original, uncompressed PDF file open in Adobe Acrobat DC and verify the specific bleed and margin requirements provided by your print shop before adding crop marks.
Use PDF Optimizer and Print Production Tools
The most effective way to compress PDFs and add professional print marks is using the built-in PDF Optimizer and Print Production tools rather than printing to PDF.
Printing an existing PDF to create another PDF (often called 'refrying') degrades file quality, strips out metadata, and can lose interactive elements. Instead, Acrobat DC offers dedicated prepress tools to handle compression and printer marks properly.
Go to 'File' in the top menu, select 'Save As Other', and click on 'Optimized PDF'. Adjust the settings for images, fonts, and transparency according to your needs, then click 'OK' to save the compressed file.
Navigate to the 'Tools' tab and select 'Print Production'. If you don't see it, search for it in the tools menu and add it to your right pane.
In the Print Production panel on the right, click on 'Add Printer Marks'. Check the box for 'Crop Marks' and any other necessary prepress indicators like 'Bleed Marks', then click 'OK' to apply them to your document.
Compress and Prepare PDFs for Printing with WPS PDF
WPS Office includes a powerful PDF editor that makes it incredibly easy to compress large PDF files without losing quality, and offers extensive printing settings to handle your document needs efficiently.
- 1. Open your file: Launch WPS Office and open your target PDF document.
- 2. Access the Compress tool: Navigate to the 'Tools' tab on the top ribbon and click on 'Compress'.
- 3. Select compression level: Choose your desired compression level (e.g., HD, Normal, or Common) to balance file size and visual quality.
- 4. Apply compression: Click the 'Compress' button to generate and save the smaller PDF file.
- 5. Print the document: Go to 'Menu' > 'Print' to access detailed page handling, sizing preferences, and layout options for printing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why shouldn't I use 'Print to PDF' to compress a file in Acrobat DC?
Printing an existing PDF to a new PDF creates a 'refried' file. This process can cause unexpected color shifts, loss of important metadata, formatting errors, and permanently degraded image quality.
How can I batch compress multiple PDFs in Acrobat?
You can use the Action Wizard in Acrobat Pro DC to create a custom action that applies your preferred 'Save as Optimized PDF' settings to an entire folder of files automatically.
Can I remove crop marks after adding them in Acrobat?
Yes, you can remove them by using the 'Edit PDF' tool to manually select and delete the marks, or by using the 'Crop Pages' tool to adjust the page boxes and crop out the outer area containing the marks.
How do I reduce PDF size on a Mac without Acrobat?
If you don't have Acrobat, you can open the PDF in the built-in Mac Preview app, choose 'File' > 'Export', and select 'Reduce File Size' from the Quartz Filter dropdown menu before saving.
