FREE Print Interiors checklist

This free checklist is for common best practice for internal book pages.

Bleed is set to minimum of 5mm

This check verifies that the bleed area is set to a minimum of 5mm on all sides.

A bleed refers to printing that goes beyond the edge of the sheet before trimming. The bleed gives the printer a small amount of space to account for movement of the paper, slight variations in cutting, and other such factors. The purpose of the bleed is to ensure that no white space is visible around the edges of your document after it is trimmed to size.

The different page areas of an InDesign document with bleed denoted in red

This check verifies whether the document has been set up with a 5mm bleed.

The check Trim objects extend to bleed can verify that all objects on the page reach the bleed guide.

If you need to add or change your document's bleed, choose InDesign File menu > Document Setup to set a bleed area of 5mm.

Adobe InDesign Bleed help

Fonts are not Type 1 PostScript (exceptions)

This check flags up when Adobe PostScript Type 1 fonts are used in the InDesign document.

PostScript Type 1 fonts, as their name suggests, were intended for print production using Adobe PostScript. They are an old font format which have largely been superseded by the later OpenType format as PostScript Type 1 fonts are not supported in digital and web publishing.

Adobe announced they were stopping supporting PostScript Type 1 fonts in any new software released after 2021.

Note that Type 1 fonts will no longer appear in InDesign's Font menus and must instead be replaced using InDesign Type menu > Find/Replace Font:

InDesign's Find/Replace Font dialog showing missing Type 1 fonts

PostScript Type 1 fonts show their Type as ‘Type 1’ and warning signs alongside their name in Find/Replace Font’s dialog.

Fix this problem by finding and activating a different font format in InDesign or in some cases by substituting for other fonts.

There may be some cases, e.g. for minor amendments to backlist projects, where the user wishes to make an exception and continue to use GreenLight. If so, in GreenLight’s dialog click Allow use of these fonts for this document:

GreenLight’s dialog with Type 1 PostScript fonts detected

Adobe InDesign Font help
Apple FontBook help

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Fonts are all active (exceptions allowed)

This check makes sure that all fonts that are referenced in the document are currently active on the Mac and available to be used by InDesign. Exceptions can be made.

To see a list of missing fonts choose InDesign Type menu > Find/Replace Font.

Fonts listed with a warning symbol alongside are missing:

InDesign’s Find Font dialog showing missing fonts in the document

To activate fonts on your Mac we recommend using professional font management tools such as Extensis Suitcase, or Font Book, which is a free font management tool that comes with your Mac.

Fix this problem by finding and activating the fonts used in InDesign or in some cases by substituting for other fonts. Exceptions can be made.

Adobe InDesign Font help

‍‍Apple FontBook help

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Images are 250ppi (exceptions allowed)

This check makes sure that pixel image are placed at a size so they output at a minimum of 250 PPI (pixels per inch). This check also allows the GreenLight user to allow exceptions to this rule.

‘Links’ are made to the original files of images that have been placed into the InDesign document; they might also, less commonly, be text files.

When placing pixel images onto an InDesign page their original resolution (how many pixels the image has over a given measurement) becomes their Actual PPI.

Scaling the image up or down on the InDesign page does not alter the original linked image but does affect the PPI when outputting. The resulting resolution is referred to as the Effective PPI. Increasing the scale of an image causes the Effective PPI to go down; decreasing the scale causes the Effective PPI to go up.

Scaling the image up so that the Effective PPI drops below 250 will result in less than optimal output.

GreenLight dialog indicating an image has been detected with a resolution below the required 250ppi

Aside from file size issues, having too many pixels is rarely a problem. Having too few, however, can mean a loss of definition and image quality.

There may be times when an image is so good or unique that it needs to be used despite having a low effective resolution. Also a soft image e.g. a natural landscape and clouds can often be output at a lower resolution but still with good image quality. In either case, or when you simply don’t have an alternative, you can mark the image as OK when prompted by GreenLight.

Tip: It is possible to switch on an Effective PPI column in InDesign's Links panel menu (Window > Links). From the Links panel menu select Panel Options:

The Panel Options dialog is accessed from the Links panel menu

In the Panel Options dialog under the Show Column heading click the checkbox for Effective PPI and click OK.

The Effective PPI checkbox in the Panel Options dialog selected

In the Links panel a new column appears indicating the Effective PPI of pixel images. You may need to adjust the widths of the columns or panel itself to see all the information.

InDesign's Links panel with Effective PPI column added

Adobe links and graphics help

Links are not embedded

This check make sure links have NOT been embedded in InDesign.

InDesign's default method for working with images is that ‘links’ are made to the original files that have been placed into the document. Less commonly, this might also apply to text files.

External links can instead be saved inside the InDesign document through ‘embedding’. An icon

is shown under the Status column in the Links panel (InDesign Window menu > Links)

InDesign’s Links panel showing embedded images in its Status column

Advantages of embedding links:

Links travel with the document and can’t go missing if renamed, moved or disconnected.

Disadvantages of embedding links:

Difficult to change and update the links.
Potential for massive increase of the InDesign file’s size as each image is saved inside the file.

Fix the problem of changing an embedded image into a linked image by selecting its name in the InDesign Links panel and from the panel menu choosing Umembed Link.

Embedding an image using InDesign’s Links panel menu and Embed Link command

You can then choose whether to link back to the original file or create a new copy to link to instead

InDesign's dialog when unembedding an image with the Links panel

Adobe links and embedded graphics help

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Links are present and up to date

This check make sure all InDesign links are OK. No image links can be missing or modified.

‘Links’ are made to the original files of images that have been placed into the InDesign document; they might also, less commonly, be text files.

Icons are shown under the Status column in the Links Panel. (InDesign Window menu > Links) to indicate a problem.

= Missing Link

Links can go missing if renamed, moved or your computer is disconnected from them if held remotely e.g. on a file server.

= Modified Link

Links become modified if edited outside of InDesign e.g. resized or colour adjusted in Photoshop.

Fix this problem by selecting the link(s) in InDesign's Links panel and from the panel menu choosing Update in the case of a Modified image or Relink if missing.

Relinking to a missing image in InDesign using the Links panel

Adobe links and embedded graphics help

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Same page size throughout

This check is to make sure every page of the InDesign document is the same.

It is possible in InDesign to have multiple page sizes in the same document. This may be handy when creating digital publications or producing stationery, but it's usually a bad idea when working on a print publication.

This GreenLight check will inform you of pages that are a different size to the first page in the document.

The GreenLight dialog warning of a different page size to the first page

Fix this problem by removing affected pages or resizing with the InDesign Page Tool.

To remove a page choose InDesign Window menu > Pages, double-click the errant page thumbnail (NB, simply selecting it is NOT sufficient) and click the Trash button at the bottom of the panel. Unless the warning has been been switched off InDesign will give an alert dialog if the selected page contains objects. If so and you’re quite sure it is OK, click OK!

InDesign’s alert dialog when deleting a page containing objects with the Pages panel

To resize a page, again firstly double-click its thumbnail in the Pages panel and select the Page Tool in the Tools panel:

InDesign’s Page Tool

Then in the Control panel (InDesign Window menu > Control) change the page's Height (H) and Width (W) as necessary.

InDesign’s Control panel with 'Re-center' option selected as Liquid Page Rule

NB: Objects on the page will adjust differently depending which option is selected from the Liquid Page Rule dropdown menu. E.g. Scale will aim to scale all objects proportionally to fit the new dimensions, Re-center will leave objects at their original size, centred in the new page. Off also leaves objects at their original size and resizes the new page to the position selected as the Reference Point at the left of the panel.

Adobe InDesign Liquid Layout help

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Text is within trim area

This check verifies whether text is on the page and inside a ‘safe area’ within the page.

The printed pages of a book are usually trimmed down from the larger sheet that they are printed on as part of the production process. This process can have a tolerance of a few millimetres and so guidelines are build in to prevent any unsightly errors.

InDesign‘s different page areas with the safe area denoted in green

By making sure all text is inside the ‘safe area’ of 4mm away from the edge of the page we can be confident that none of the text will appear too close to the page edge or even go missing during the trimming process!

This check looks at the position of the words inside all text frames and highlights any text that is within 4mm of the page edge, sometimes called the ‘trim’.

Text within safe area (Left) and outside and too close to the trim (Right)

Fix this problem by moving the text back within the safe area.

Adobe InDesign Margins help

Text is not overset

This GreenLight check looks for 'overset text' sometimes called 'overmatter' - text that is contained inside the InDesign document but does not appear on the page.

Overset text is usually caused if the entered passage of text is either too long or too big to fit within its text frame. InDesign shows a small red plus to indicate overset text, but that can be easily missed and without this check could mean looking at every page in turn.

A small red plus (circled) in InDesign indicates the presence of overset text

GreenLight will take you to place on the page where overset text can be found and highlight it:

GreenLight's check indicating the selected frame has overset text

Fix overset text by enlarging the text frame, threading the overset frame to another frame, most likely on another page, or by reducing the type size or spacing applied to text or editing the text.

Tip: To see and edit overset text without altering the layout of flow of text on the page, place your text cursor into the story then use InDesign’s Story Editor (Edit > Edit in Story Editor).

The Story Editor window provides a quick and easy way of seeing and editing overset text

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All objects are inside bleed

This check ensures that all objects are on the page or within the bleed area. Any objects that are completely outside the bleed area are flagged.

The ‘pasteboard’ is an area outside of the InDesign page or spread which can be used to hold objects whilst working on page layouts.

An oval path on the pasteboard, completely outside InDesign's bleed area

When files are ready to output having objects hanging around on the pasteboard, which serve no purpose, can cause problems and confusion. It also means the file is larger and more complex than it needs to be. Extra image links, swatches, fonts, word counts and text extraction could all be affected.

This check verifies that all items are wholly or partially on the spread or within the bleed area. Objects that are only on the pasteboard and outside of the bleed area are flagged.

You can fix this problem by either moving objects within the bleed area or deleting them. A GreenLight tool is available to quickly remove all pasteboard objects at once (GreenLight menu Tools > Print Production tools panel > Delete pasteboard objects)

InDesign’s different page areas with bleed denoted in red

Greenlight’s All objects are inside bleed dialog is shown once the document has passed the check

Adobe InDesign help on setting bleed

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