How to Turn Off Crop Marks When Printing a PDF in Adobe Acrobat
Question details
The user needs to disable or remove crop marks that appear when printing a PDF document using Adobe Acrobat XI Pro.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat XI Pro / PDF
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing a PDF document for final output where crop marks and printer marks are no longer necessary and distract from the content.
- Observed behavior
- Unwanted crop marks or printer registration marks appear on the printed pages, either due to advanced print settings or because they were embedded in the original artwork during export.
Check your print preview first. If the crop marks disappear in the preview when you change print settings, they are controlled by the printer. If they remain, they are permanently embedded into the PDF artwork and must be cropped out.
Disable Printer Marks in the Advanced Print Setup
Adjust the advanced printing options in Adobe Acrobat to stop it from adding printer marks during the printing process.
Often, crop marks are toggled on in the application's print settings rather than being part of the document itself. Disabling this setting will prevent the printer from generating these lines.
Open your PDF document in Adobe Acrobat XI Pro and select 'File' > 'Print' from the top menu, or press Ctrl+P (Windows) / Cmd+P (Mac).
Click the 'Advanced' button located near the top right or bottom of the Print dialog box.
Navigate to the 'Marks and Bleeds' section on the left panel of the Advanced Print Setup window. Uncheck the option that says 'Emit Printer Marks' or any specific crop mark selections.
Click 'OK' to save your advanced settings, then click 'Print' to output the document without the registration marks.
Crop the PDF Pages to Remove Embedded Marks
Use the crop tool to permanently remove crop marks that were baked into the design during the original export.
Print and Edit PDFs Seamlessly with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a highly intuitive PDF reader and editor. You can easily manage print settings without confusing hidden menus, or use the built-in crop tool to permanently remove embedded printer marks from your documents.
- 1. Open the PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your PDF document.
- 2. Crop if Necessary: If the document contains embedded marks, go to the 'Edit' tab and click 'Crop Page' to trim the outer edges.
- 3. Open Print Settings: Click 'Menu' and select 'Print' (or press Ctrl+P). The print interface clearly displays your output.
- 4. Print the Document: Select 'Fit for printing margins' under Page Sizing & Handling, then click 'Print'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PDF have crop marks when I didn't add them?
Crop marks are often added automatically by default when exporting a document from professional design software (like Adobe InDesign or Illustrator). They serve as physical guides for commercial printers to cut the paper down to the correct size.
Can I permanently delete crop marks instead of just hiding them?
Yes, by cropping the document and then using a 'Remove Hidden Information' or 'Sanitize' tool in your PDF editor, the cropped data (including the marks) is permanently discarded from the file's background.
What is the difference between crop marks and bleed marks?
Crop marks indicate the exact lines where the paper should be cut to reach the final document size. Bleed marks show the outer edge of the artwork that extends beyond the crop marks, ensuring that no white edges appear after the paper is trimmed.
