Now we're going to learn how to prepare or file for printing, and also create PDF files. And here we have a printing checklist that we can follow before we start designing our file. If you're going to print your file, it's always recommended that you start preparing from the beginning. So if you're going to print your file, you need to start by your file size. So for instance, if you want to print an mp3 file, don't design your file within a four file because you will be facing resolution problems later. And also make sure that you're using a resolution of 300 PPI pixels per inch and that you are setting your bleed area.

And as you can see in that image in here, that bleed area is that extra area where it's not going to be printed. However, we're going to be extending our background or graphics within that area to make sure while our zone is being trimmed not missing any of its background colors, or you don't have any white borders or frames around you will design from unprinted areas. So you can imagine that this will be your bleed areas that magenta area. And that dashed line will be trimming line where the blade will be cutting your design when it's being printed. And that blue area in here will be called safe zone where you need to keep all your critical elements and text on white or away from that area as trimming might be affecting that blue area. Then our checklist we need to make sure that we are using CMYK color mode, especially for offset printing or mass printing production, like printing may be thousands of your design.

Then finally, you need to be creating your PDF file as it's the most recommended file format to deliver to your printer or your printing house. So now let's see how we can do that in action. We're going to be starting by creating or foil pressing Command or Ctrl N to create a new file. And now let's say we need to be printing an a4 poster. So we're going to be selecting print and selecting a four. We can be adding bleed to our file size.

Usually it's a three millimeters around your design, which will translate into six millimeters for width and height. So can be adding six millimeters to width and height plus six. And same as one for height. You can change your orientation and we'll be selecting color mood. cm okay. Make sure you are changing that one, as by default will be on RGB even if you are in printing or print presets, then creating or fine.

Now let's go and grab our design from that file. Unlocking that layer One is already an a4 file size. And we can double check that by pressing Alt or Option mon, I can see that this one is already an a4 file size, we can be copying and pasting that layer. However, if your file is not the same, it can be enlarged in that one a bit. Here you can see that we have already an a4 file size, and we have 300 PPI for resolution. So don't need to adjust any of these dimensions.

I'm going to be copying and pasting that layer in cancer pressing Command or Ctrl C to copy that clear. Going back to our newly created document, I'm pressing Command or Control V. Now it's pasted in center and we have that bleed area around our file. It's not a frame in this case. So we need to be creating lights for us so we can distinguish our design and also our bleed area. And we can easily do that by going to view new guide layouts. And I already have that one set to three millimeters around our design.

And you can do the same by applying columns and rows. And you can be selecting only one number for columns and rows. And you can be clearing gutter, which is gutter width between columns. And what's really important in here is selecting margin with three millimeters in top left, bottom and right, then you can be pressing OK. Now if we have our line file in layers, we can be enlarging our background by selecting our background layer and scaling that one up a bit all the way to the edge of our file. However, in that case, we have that one as RGB. So I'm going to be using the eyedropper tool to bake that color pressing on I'm going to be selecting the color eating a new layer below our design and filling that layer.

Color pressing Alt or Option key and backspace now, we have our bleed area filled with the same background color. Now we are ready to save that one as PDF file by going to File, Save As. And we can be selecting Photoshop PDF format from our formats, renaming or foil, maybe to Adidas poster and clicking Save. Here we have saving options for our PDF file. You can select from any of these presets in here. Now we have that one on high quality print.

And we have those other presets as well. You can be selecting smallest file size, which could be nice for uploading online or presentation for a client. However, if you're going to be sending that one to a printer, you need to be selecting that preset PDF x. One as it's the most common used file for printing, and it's the most often Battle one as well. So we can be selecting that one. And now we don't really need to be changing other settings as we want to be missing who's our preset, however, let's quickly go through them and see what they are.

Here we have compressing options, or we can be compressing instead to the bank to zip or none. And we have image quality options as well. And we have options for resolution as well. For images about 450 bV it will be reduced to 300 dpi. Then we have output where you can be editing color conversion, and also destination where you can be changing your color profile you can be selecting from any of these color profiles here. Then you have security where you can be adding a password for your document, or adding restrictions to printing or making any changes to your PDF file.

Then now let's see Save or PDF file. However, now we're not going to be sending that file to the printer and we're going to be sending another file including our trademarks. So let's go to file. And instead of selecting Save As we're going to be selecting print, and he's not gonna be printing that file, instead, we're gonna be saving also a PDF file. So first we need to be selecting our paper size, which should be bigger than our designs file size. So we're going to be selecting print settings.

And here I'm using a bar size a three, which is bigger than a four. And as you can see in that review, it's going to be including your design. And also you can be setting a custom size if you would like to. Then from here you need to be selecting PDF. Save as PDF. You can be changing your Save as name or titles in clicking Save.

And let's maybe add its size to save as a four and hitting Save. Now our file is not created yet we need to be printing that one. However before we print that one we need to be adding our crop marks. Then we have our trim and bleed area or we can be scrolling down first make sure that you have center activated for your design and that you have full scale and Scale to Fit media is not selected as we're scrolling down. Here functions we need to be adding our bleed area. So if I click bleed we have with zero can be adding three millimeters around our design, then hitting ok. Now we can be adding corner crop marks which will be adding those trim marks around your design as they will be guides for cutting blades and also can be adding center crop marks.

If your design will be folded at center, you can be selecting that option. However this poster will not be so I'm going to be disabling that. And you can be adding labels as well which will be including your documents name at that area. Or even you can be adding a description and it is that want to type your description here for your printer to see while he's printing you're fine. So pressing cancel, we'll need to add any descriptions. Disable that one and also labels who can keep labels for now.

Now we can be hitting print to create that PDF file. Now we can go quickly and check that file. so here we can see that we have our crop marks or we have our label Ed can be zooming out Now this file is ready to be sent to the printer.