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The prepress light table / 01 · Inspect
PDF Preflight Checker
◉ Local inspection. Your PDF stays with you.Find the image, edge or font that needs attention. Inspect every page locally, then preview your print handoff.
TRY A REAL FILE
Inspection thresholds & production settings
Presets retain the published 300 DPI / 0.25 pt defaults; KDP selects 0.125 in bleed. These are editable job targets, not PDF/X certification. Local decoded content is limited to 256 MB and individual image rendering to 40 megapixels; there is no page-count cap. Mark geometry is illustrative until your print shop specifies it.
Preparing your local inspection table…
Free · Page 1 proof / limited summary
Unlock the production handoff.
All-page bleed and marks PDF, 300/600 DPI compatibility output, and the full inspection PDF + audit CSV. Free files remain proof-only. Production repairs require the agreed font, color and printer settings.
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Your PDF stays in memory while you inspect. After a full-page checkout return, select the source again; we never save customer files.
Checking the source artwork…
mmPhysical page dimensionsFit page
- Trim
- —
- Bleed
- —
Find it. Check it. Fix the source.
Every issue is free to inspect.
·
Image placements — pixels, size & effective DPI
Below target: —All color spaces: —Mixed-color pages: —
| Placement | Original pixels | Physical size | DPI x × y | Color |
|---|
Font programs & effective strokes
| Page / font | Embedded | Subset | Subtype |
|---|
Thinnest stroke: —Below target: —
Bleed edges, four corners & mark geometry
- Preview bleed size
- —
- Per edge
- —
- Additional bleed needed
- —
Mark margin: 9 ptRegistration targets enabledTonbo center crosses enabledColor bars enabled
Mark shapes are illustrative screen geometry. Production defaults require the print shop's specification. Adding bleed retains existing image, font, color and safety warnings.
Panel: Illustrative spine: Spine safe area shown on the sheet; confirm against your job template.
On the light tableFour real jobs.
Four real jobs.
Four different lessons.
Two A4 pages, one 710 × 426 pixel placement on each page at 360 × 216 pt. The result is 142 DPI, zero declared bleed and a heading only 1.2 mm from trim. Mirror preview adds an edge proposal; the resolution warning stays.
Download the sample PDFThe trim is exactly 3.5 × 2 in. Helvetica has no embedded font program, and the vector border is 0.10 pt. Try a 0.125 in bleed target, then compare the measured stroke with a custom 0.10 pt threshold.
Download the sample PDFTwo 6 × 9 in panels and a fixed 0.50 in illustrative spine make a 12.5 × 9 in trim. Outer bleed is 0.125 in, so the bleed extent is 12.75 × 9.25 in. This is an inspection example, not a spine calculator.
Download the sample PDFThe A6 postcard has a 105 × 148 mm trim inside a 111 × 154 mm bleed extent. Its CMYK image measures 300 × 300 DPI and its font program is embedded. At the published defaults all six measured checks pass.
Download the sample PDFThe review sequenceA clear handoff
A clear handoff
starts here.
Select and measure
Drop one PDF, up to 50 MB, or load a sample. Every page is inspected locally with no daily inspection cap.
Locate the risk
Confirm trim dimensions, choose your target and click an issue or image row. The viewer changes page and frames its measured bounds.
Compare the proposal
Change bleed amount, edge method or marks. Inspect four corners; original DPI, font, color and safety warnings remain available.
Choose the right file
Download a limited proof or TXT sample. Production PDFs and full reports require Pro access and confirmed print specifications.
Practical inspection
Read the document, not its filename.
A file called final-print-ready.pdf can still have no bleed, a substituted font and a 142 DPI photograph. This workstation measures the source PDF rather than trusting its name. Start with the loaded two-page brochure: the image warning points to the actual placement, while the red, blue and green overlays separate three different physical boundaries.
The first check uses both image axes. The second compares each edge of the declared boxes with the enclosing media. Font inspection separates program presence from a six-letter subset prefix. Color inspection identifies RGB, Lab, CMYK, Gray and spot resources. Safety concerns meaningful content near trim; line inspection compares physical stroke width after transformation.
A useful review works from geometry to content. Confirm the trim dimensions before choosing a bleed target. Then inspect each failing placement, fix missing fonts in the source application and review output colors with the print shop. Finish by moving critical content away from cutting tolerances. An automatically extended background cannot move a heading to a safer position.
On the brochure, 710 divided by the physical width of 5 inches equals 142 DPI. Its 426 pixels over 3 inches give the same vertical result. A 300 DPI target therefore fails on both axes. Opening the second-page issue navigates directly to the second placement; reusing one image resource does not hide the second use.
The six-check matrix is complete for every inspected page. The screen list is never truncated to match the TXT allowance. A FAIL identifies a measured shortfall; WARN asks for an output-policy or compatibility review. A numerical score is shown as 100 only when all six checks pass; no unpublished weighted scoring formula is invented for other documents.
Original PDF text and source bytes stay inside this tab. The application does not send filenames, extracted content, file fingerprints or object data to analytics. The page uses fixed task events only. Files are not written into localStorage, IndexedDB or a service worker, so a fresh tab requires selecting the document again.
When an upload fails, the error stays beside the upload target. A renamed image is not a PDF, and a truncated PDF is not a valid completed job. Select an unencrypted, complete PDF of at most 52,428,800 bytes. No page-count or daily-inspection cap is imposed; large documents are processed page by page.
Use the reference postcard to distinguish a broken workflow from a risky document. It has one embedded font, a CMYK image at 300 DPI and 3 mm bleed on every edge. Its six passing checks demonstrate the expected state without guaranteeing stock choice, color matching or the printer’s acceptance of an unrelated job.
At the point of printUse the right
Use the right
physical reference.
300 DPI: physical size to pixels
Pixels = millimeters ÷ 25.4 × 300, rounded to the nearest whole pixel. These dimensions refer to the trim, before adding any bleed. A different placement size changes effective DPI even when the underlying pixels are unchanged.
| Finished format | Trim in mm | Pixels at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 210 × 297 | 2,480 × 3,508 |
| A5 | 148 × 210 | 1,748 × 2,480 |
| US Letter | 215.9 × 279.4 | 2,550 × 3,300 |
| Business card | 88.9 × 50.8 | 1,050 × 600 |
| A6 postcard | 105 × 148 | 1,240 × 1,748 |
| A2 poster | 420 × 594 | 4,961 × 7,016 |
Bleed and safety: keep the directions separate
Bleed extends outward; the safe margin sits inward. The numerical targets below are inspection examples. A book cover, folded piece, bound page or large-format print must use its actual job template. KDP spine and safety requirements cannot be inferred from the example’s fixed dimensions.
| Example | Bleed per edge | PDF points | Safe-area instruction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial example | 3 mm / 0.11811 in | 8.504 pt | 3 mm inward, illustrative job target |
| US commercial example | 3.175 mm / 0.125 in | 9 pt | 0.125 in inward, illustrative job target |
| KDP cover example | 3.175 mm / 0.125 in | 9 pt | Use the exact cover template, including spine |
| Large-format example | 5 mm / 0.19685 in | 14.173 pt | Ask the print shop; finishing varies |
Before the final handoff
For business cards and mailers, review the smallest type and border lines as well as the background edge. For folded brochures, include fold tolerances in the source layout. For a full book cover, verify the entire wrap and spine against the supplied template. These tasks share PDF geometry but have different finishing risks.
Use the print-ready PDF checklist and bleed guide for the cut, bleed and safe-area sequence. Use the color, font and hairline guide to interpret mixed objects, embedded programs and black-overprint requirements before authorizing a production repair.
Answers at the deskBefore you
Before you
send it.
Is my PDF uploaded during a free inspection?
No. PDF parsing, page rendering, object inspection, previews and both free downloads run inside this browser tab. There is no source-file request, cloud storage or saved project. Closing or replacing the file releases its in-memory data. After a full-page checkout return, select the source again.
Why does a large image still fail the DPI check?
Pixel count alone does not describe print resolution. A 710-pixel image stretched to 5 inches is 142 DPI. The same pixels at 2.367 inches are approximately 300 DPI. The placement table reports the physical x and y dimensions for every use, including repeated images.
Does PASS mean a printer must accept the document?
No. PASS describes these six measured checks at your chosen targets. It is not PDF/X certification, an ICC profile proof or a print-shop approval. Check the printer’s template, finishing tolerances and output condition. Payment never changes a failing report into a passing one.
What exactly can I download for free?
A proof PNG of page 1, even when another page is selected, up to 1200 pixels wide with print boxes and a permanent proof-only banner. The TXT includes at most five actual issues and states how many were omitted. Complete production PDFs, the report and full CSV belong to Pro.
Can bleed repair improve a 142 DPI photograph?
No. Mirror and stretch proposals extend edge pixels outside the trim boundary. Neither adds original detail to the photograph. Replace the image or reduce its placed size; then repeat the same DPI check. Font, color and safe-area warnings also remain after a bleed preview.
Why are the Digital, Offset and Custom targets similar?
The published initial thresholds are 300 DPI, 3 mm bleed and a 0.25 pt minimum stroke. Additional press-specific preset policies have not been supplied. KDP selects the ordered 0.125 in bleed. You can edit the numerical targets; these presets do not claim an industry certification.
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