Add Crop Marks to PDF
Add crop marks, bleed and color bars for print
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Add crop marks, bleed, registration marks and color bars, and set TrimBox/BleedBox
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About Add Crop Marks to PDF
Crop marks are the short lines that tell the trimmer where to cut the press sheet, and bleed is artwork that runs past the finished edge so a slightly off cut doesn't leave a white sliver. This tool adds a margin outside the page, draws crop marks, registration marks, color bars and a slug line there, and writes TrimBox (finished size), BleedBox (size with bleed) and MediaBox (whole sheet) into the PDF.
The original content stream is left as it is and the marks are added as vectors, so text stays searchable and images keep their quality. Marks are drawn in registration color, which prints on every plate, so they show on each separation.
Two modes: grow outward, or trim inside
The default mode treats the visible area (CropBox) as the finished size and adds bleed and the mark margin outside it. The tool does not stretch or duplicate content, so a design whose background reaches the page edge ends up with an empty bleed. If content was hidden outside the original CropBox, it shows in the bleed area.
The “already includes bleed” mode is for files built oversized from the start. It sets the finished size inset from the page edge by the bleed amount. For anything with full-bleed backgrounds, extending the background in the source file and then using this mode is the most accurate route.
Crop marks start 1 mm outside the bleed (at least 3 mm from the trim) and are 5 mm long. If a mark ran into the bleed, it would be left on the edge after trimming. Bleed can be set from 0 to 20 mm.
What the color bars and slug line are for
The bottom color bar holds solid C, M, Y and K patches, patches with two inks overprinted, and a gray ramp. On press these are used to judge ink density and registration by eye. The registration marks at the middle of each edge print in the same spot on every plate, so when the plates line up the target looks like a single circle.
The slug line at the top carries the file name, page/total pages, date and trim size in millimetres on one line. When a file is revised and resent several times, it lets you tell from the paper alone which version was printed. On narrow pages the patches shrink, and on very narrow ones the bar is left out.
Worked examples
Adding 3 mm bleed to an A4 flyer
- Input
210×297 mm page, default mode, 3 mm bleed- Output
TrimBox 210×297 mm, BleedBox 216×303 mm, MediaBox 236×323 mm
The marks start max(3 + 1, 3) = 4 mm from the trim; adding the 5 mm mark length and 4 mm for bars and text grows the sheet by 13 mm on every side.
A file already built at 216×303 mm
- Input
216×303 mm page, “already includes bleed”, 3 mm bleed- Output
TrimBox 210×297 mm, same 236×323 mm sheet
The line 3 mm in becomes the trim, and the artwork out to the original edge becomes the bleed.
How to use it
- Add the PDF and choose a mode (grow outward / already includes bleed).
- Set the bleed and choose crop marks, registration marks, color bars and slug line.
- Check the saved file in the page box tab of PDF Info.
Frequently asked questions
My online printer wants files without crop marks.
Turn every mark off: only TrimBox and BleedBox are written, and the sheet is the bleed size plus the mark margin. If the printer wants exactly the bleed size with no margin, check its spec first.
What happens to a non-Latin file name in the slug line?
The slug line is set in Helvetica, so characters outside basic Latin letters and digits become “?”. Page number, date and trim size print normally.
What if the file already has a TrimBox?
When the file has a TrimBox, the 'Use existing TrimBox' mode is selected automatically. It uses that TrimBox as the finished size, keeps the BleedBox if there is one, and draws the marks outside that bleed. The ArtBox is left alone too. Picking another mode recalculates the boxes from the CropBox and overwrites them.
Sources
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