Export with the High Quality Print or PDF/X-4 preset, turn color conversion off, embed or outline your fonts, and include bleed if your design runs to the edge. A PDF made that way keeps your artwork exactly as you made it: vector stays vector, images stay full size, fonts travel inside the file, and colors aren't converted.
The settings that matter
| Setting | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Preset | High Quality Print or PDF/X-4 | Keeps vector artwork, full-size images, and transparency |
| Color conversion | No Conversion | On stickers and sheet labels, RGB prints as RGB and CMYK as CMYK. Roll labels print in CMYK, and we convert an RGB file for them. |
| Fonts | Embedded, or outlined before export | Stops another font being swapped in |
| Images | Embedded, not shrunk to screen size | Keeps them sharp at print size |
| Bleed | 0.06" on stickers and sheet labels, and 0.125" on roll labels, where color runs to the edge | Gives the cut color to land in |
| Cut line | Optional: a spot color named Flex or Kiss | Only if you want a specific cut |
Avoid two presets. "Smallest File Size" shrinks images to screen resolution. "PDF/X-1a" converts everything to CMYK and flattens transparency, which can dull bright colors. Some other presets, such as Press Quality, can convert colors too, so check the Output section before you save.
Design at the finished size if you can, because that's the best way to judge small text. We size the sticker by its cut line, though, so a larger page doesn't change the size.
Illustrator
- Choose File → Save a Copy (or Save As), and pick Adobe PDF.
- For Adobe PDF Preset, choose "[High Quality Print]" or "[PDF/X-4:2008]".
- Under Marks and Bleeds, tick "Use Document Bleed Settings" if your design has bleed. Set the bleed itself in File → Document Setup.
- Under Output, set Color Conversion to "No Conversion".
Leaving "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities" ticked makes the file larger, but it keeps your layers intact when we open it.
InDesign
- Choose File → Export, and pick Adobe PDF (Print).
- For Preset, choose "[High Quality Print]" or "[PDF/X-4:2008]".
- Under Marks and Bleeds, tick "Use Document Bleed Settings". Set the bleed in File → Document Setup.
- Under Output, set Color Conversion to "No Conversion".
Affinity
Choose File → Export → PDF, with the "PDF/X-4" or "PDF (for print)" preset. Under More, set Rasterize to "Nothing", tick "Include bleed", and leave the color space as the document's.
Canva, Word, PowerPoint, and Google files
Canva has its own export, PDF Print; see our Canva guide. For office files, see sending Word, PowerPoint, or Google files.
Photoshop and Procreate
A PDF doesn't improve a raster image. It's the same pixels in a different wrapper. Send the PSD, a full-size PNG, or a TIF instead.
If you drew a cut line or a white layer
Both travel in a PDF as spot colors. Keep the cut line a stroked path with no fill, in a spot color named exactly "Flex" or "Kiss", set to overprint. Don't run Outline Stroke on it, because that turns the line into a filled shape. See sending your own cut line. A white layer you've built travels the same way; see clear stickers in Illustrator.
If you didn't draw a cut line, leave it out. We draw one around your artwork and show it on your proof.
One design per PDF
Export each design as its own PDF, and upload one file for each design. If a PDF has several pages, we use page one, or the upload may be refused. The exception is trade stickers, where a multi-page PDF is fine for sharing your branding assets. See ordering multiple designs.
Check it before you send it
Open the PDF and zoom in a long way. Logos and text should stay sharp, and the type should look like yours. If images look soft or a font has changed, a link or font didn't travel; see missing linked images and outlining fonts.
Files over 25MB go through "Artwork over 25MB? Send a link instead" on the product page.