Free PDF Preflight
PDF Preflight checks a PDF before printing: font embedding, the effective resolution of every placed image, image color spaces, output intent, and trim and bleed boxes. Choose an offset print, digital print or screen profile, open failed checks to see the fonts, images and pages involved, and download the report as text or JSON. Problems are reported, not fixed.
- Profiles:
- Offset print, digital print, screen
- Checks:
- Fonts, image ppi and color, bleed
- Report:
- Text or JSON
- Price:
- Free
- Runs:
- Locally, in your browser
- Uploads:
- None: files never leave your device
- Account:
- Not needed
Quick answers
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The file is analysed entirely in your browser; nothing leaves your device.
What does effective resolution mean?
The pixels of an image divided by the size it is printed at. A 1200-pixel-wide photo placed 4 inches wide prints at 300 ppi; enlarged to 8 inches it drops to 150 ppi, which is what this check measures.
Processed on your device: your files are never uploaded. How it works
Network activity in this tab
What this page has requested since you opened the site in this tab. An upload is any request that sends data: POST, PUT, PATCH or a request with a body.
No uploads: nothing has been sent from this page.
No network requests yet.
To see every request, open your browser's developer tools (Network tab).
How to use the PDF Preflight
- Pick the profile that matches how the PDF will be produced: offset print, digital print or screen.
- Drop the PDF; every page is checked in your browser.
- Open the failed or warning checks to see the fonts, images and pages involved, and look at the trim and bleed boxes in the page preview.
- Download the report as text or JSON to send with your file.
Credits & open source
Our own code plus open-source libraries. Thank you to the people who make these projects.
- pdf-libCreate and modify PDF documents (merge, split, rotate, stamp, sign). © Andrew Dillon · MIT
- PDF.jsRenders PDF pages to images and thumbnails. © Mozilla Foundation and contributors · Apache-2.0
Web platform APIs used: File API, Canvas 2D, Web Workers, localStorage.
Full license texts: third-party notices · all credits
Frequently asked questions
Why is a missing font a problem?
If a font is not embedded the printer substitutes another one, which can change the text and the layout. Export the PDF again with fonts embedded.
What is bleed?
Extra image area (usually 3 mm) beyond the final trimmed size, so backgrounds reach the edge after cutting. It needs a TrimBox and a larger BleedBox.
Does it fix the problems?
No, it reports them. Fix them in the program that made the PDF, then check again.