Crop Mark Generator

1. Select and measure

   Drop one PDF, up to 50 MB, or load a sample. Every page is inspected locally with no daily inspection cap.

2. Locate the risk

   Confirm trim dimensions, choose your target and click an issue or image row. The viewer changes page and frames its measured bounds.

3. Compare the proposal

   Change bleed amount, edge method or marks. Inspect four corners; original DPI, font, color and safety warnings remain available.

4. Choose the right file

   Download a limited proof or TXT sample. Production PDFs and full reports require Pro access and confirmed print specifications.

A crop-mark generator needs to distinguish three rectangles before drawing a single line: finished trim, surrounding bleed and the outer media that holds the marks. The red TrimBox is the intended cut. The blue BleedBox encloses extra artwork. The green SafeZone lies inward. Crop-mark ink belongs outside the bleed artwork, inside the media.

The Western preview places cutting references at the four corners. Japanese Tonbo adds center crosses to the preview. Optional registration targets support alignment, while color bars illustrate a separate press-control area. These layers share the same source and physical dimensions; changing the style does not require uploading the PDF again.

For a 3.5 × 2 in card, the trim is 252 × 144 points. A 0.125 in bleed is 9 points per edge, producing a 270 × 162 point BleedBox. A 9 point outer margin around that bleed produces a 288 × 180 point MediaBox. The crop lines must fit within that margin and avoid the bleed band.

Those dimensions do not define a universal cutting-mark standard. A print shop must still specify line length, stroke width, offset, registration target size and required inks. The workspace’s shapes are illustrative screen geometry. Confirm these specifications before producing a job-specific marked PDF; do not assume a center cross makes a document compliant with a Japanese production standard.

Marks are not always wanted. Some print portals generate their own finishing marks and request a PDF with bleed but no crop guides. Select None in that case. An unnecessary mark inside the trim or bleed can become visible after cutting. Read the receiving platform’s current job template before choosing an output style.

Adding registration targets is distinct from checking color separations. A cross does not convert RGB objects into CMYK, preserve a spot ink or verify overprint. Likewise, a color-bar preview is not an ICC soft proof. This tool reports recognized color spaces and retains the output-policy warning rather than claiming an automatic color-management service.

Use the before/after comparison with the four corner loupes. Missing edge artwork still needs a background extension; a cutting guide does not fill that gap. Mirror or stretch can produce repeated content at the edge. The preview allows a visual review, but the source application is the best place to rebuild an intentional background.

The KDP cover is a useful counterexample. Its outer bleed is already 0.125 in, and the spine is part of the finished full-wrap width. Do not apply crop guides as if the front cover alone were the page. The sample uses a fixed 0.50 in spine; the real book needs the printer’s generated cover template.

300 DPI: physical size to pixels

Pixels = millimeters ÷ 25.4 × 300, rounded to the nearest whole pixel. These dimensions refer to the trim, before adding any bleed. A different placement size changes effective DPI even when the underlying pixels are unchanged.

Bleed and safety: keep the directions separate

Bleed extends outward; the safe margin sits inward. The numerical targets below are inspection examples. A book cover, folded piece, bound page or large-format print must use its actual job template. KDP spine and safety requirements cannot be inferred from the example’s fixed dimensions.

Before the final handoff

For business cards and mailers, review the smallest type and border lines as well as the background edge. For folded brochures, include fold tolerances in the source layout. For a full book cover, verify the entire wrap and spine against the supplied template. These tasks share PDF geometry but have different finishing risks.

Use the print-ready PDF checklist and bleed guide for the cut, bleed and safe-area sequence. Use the color, font and hairline guide to interpret mixed objects, embedded programs and black-overprint requirements before authorizing a production repair.