How to Print an InDesign PDF Without Margins
Question details
The user wants to print a PDF exported from Adobe InDesign without any white borders or margins.
- Product
- Adobe InDesign / PDF
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Preparing and exporting a document in InDesign for edge-to-edge (borderless) printing.
- Observed behavior
- Printed PDFs often have a default white margin unless specific bleed configurations and borderless printer settings are applied.
Verify that your physical printer hardware supports borderless or edge-to-edge printing, as hardware limitations on standard printers may force a white margin regardless of your software settings.
Adjust InDesign Document Bleed and Export Settings
Properly configure your InDesign document with bleeds and export it with these settings to ensure the design goes all the way to the edge of the printed page.
To achieve a true marginless print, your artwork must extend beyond the actual page dimensions. This extra space is called a bleed. Without setting up a bleed in InDesign prior to exporting, your printer will likely create a white border even if borderless printing is selected.
Open your project in InDesign, go to File > Document Setup. Expand the 'Bleed and Slug' section and set a bleed value (usually 0.125 inches or 3mm) on all sides, then click OK.
In your workspace, ensure that any background images or solid colors stretch past the edge of your page all the way to the red bleed line.
Navigate to File > Export and choose Adobe PDF (Print). In the export dialog, click on the 'Marks and Bleeds' tab on the left.
Check the box for 'Use Document Bleed Settings' to include the extra margins in the final PDF file, then click 'Export'.
Enable Borderless Printing in Your Printer Settings
Adjust your printer dialog settings when opening the PDF to instruct the printer to remove hardware margins.
Print Your PDFs Effortlessly with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a powerful built-in PDF reader and printer that seamlessly handles bleed settings, custom page sizes, and advanced printing options to ensure your InDesign exports print exactly as intended without unexpected margins.
- 1. Open the PDF in WPS: Launch WPS Office, select the 'PDF' tab, and open your InDesign-exported PDF file.
- 2. Access Print Settings: Click on 'Menu' in the top-left corner and select 'Print', or use the Ctrl+P shortcut to open the comprehensive print dialog.
- 3. Adjust Page Sizing: Under 'Page Sizing & Handling', select 'Actual Size' to ensure your design and bleed dimensions remain accurate and unscaled.
- 4. Select System Borderless Mode: Click 'Properties' to access your physical printer settings, enable the 'Borderless' option provided by your hardware, and hit 'Print'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my printer still leave a white margin even after I set up a bleed in InDesign?
Most standard home and office printers have a non-printable area (hardware margin) due to how internal rollers grip the paper. Unless your specific printer driver supports and has 'Borderless Printing' enabled, it will always leave a small white margin.
What is the standard bleed size for printing?
The standard bleed size for most print documents is 0.125 inches (1/8 inch) or 3mm. This provides enough extra image beyond the final cut line to accommodate slight mechanical shifts during printing and trimming.
Does the 'Fit to Printable Area' print setting remove white margins?
No. Selecting 'Fit to Printable Area' will actually shrink your document to fit safely inside the printer's default hardware margins, ensuring nothing is cut off but guaranteeing a white border. To remove margins, use 'Actual Size' combined with a borderless printer setting.
Can I remove margins by changing settings strictly within Adobe InDesign?
Not completely. While you must set up the document correctly in InDesign using bleeds, actual marginless printing requires enabling borderless settings in your printer's hardware dialog or physically trimming the paper after printing.
