How do I create a PDF directly through InDesign?

Updated April 23, 2024 13:30

With your InDesign file open, go to ‘File’ menu --> ‘Export’.
From the ‘Format’ dropdown menu, select ‘Adobe PDF (print)’.
Save your file.
‘Export Adobe PDF’ dialog box now opens up.
From ‘Adobe PDF Preset’ (the topmost) dropdown menu, select ‘PDF/x: 1a 2001’.
From ‘Standard’ dropdown menu, select ‘PDF/x: 1a 2001’.
The ‘Compatibility’ dialog box will now show ‘Acrobat 4 (PDF 1.3)’
In the ‘Marks and bleeds’ subtab, select cropmarks and bleed options (only if they are required for your ad). If they aren’t, ensure that no boxes are checked in this subtab.
Under the ‘Output’ tab, select ‘no color conversion’ from the ‘Color Conversion’ dropdown menu.
In the ‘Advanced’ subtab, ensure that the ‘Preset’ is set to ‘High Resolution’ under ‘Transparency Flattener’.
Do remember to save this as a preset by hitting ‘Save Preset’.
After that, hit ‘Export’ and re-upload the file again.