There are 3 ways to manage bleed settings for PDF files that you create from Frontify's Digital & Print Templates. Bleed options are listed from lowest to highest precedence, where Frontify UI bleed settings (option 3) always override the other options, and custom PDF (option 2) will override InDesign document bleed (option 1). Note that the hierarchy of options does not suggest that one method is inherently better than another. Instead, each option caters to a specific use case.

The bleed settings that you have defined directly in the 'Document Setup' in InDesign will be applied to any PDF file that is exported with either a default PDF preset or a custom PDF preset that is using the 'Use Document Bleed Settings' option.

This method has the advantage that the bleed settings will be consistently applied to any PDF export of a specific template. However, it also has the disadvantage that the user has no control over these settings. Certain users might be confused by the fact that their PDF includes bleed or won't understand why the PDF doesn't match the paper size they expected.

If you're using this option, we recommend you toggle "add cropmarks" in the download options for the template. Else, the file will download with bleed but no cropmarks. Also make sure to untoggle "add bleed", so that you don't override the bleed settings coming from InDesign.

This method works well if you know the PDF output of a particular template will always be professionally printed and should have bleed at all times. Else, we recommend one of the following 2 options.

When you create a custom PDF preset, you can define whether the PDF output should have specific bleed values (could also be set to 0) or whether it should inherit the bleed settings from the original InDesign document.

This is a great option to consistently control the bleed settings per output type. I.e. you could have a preset for 'digital use' that always sets the bleed to 0 and another preset for 'professional print' that always applies a pre-defined amount of bleed. The users who select these presets don't actually need to have an understanding of bleed or professional printing processes, they just need to select the intended use for the file.

The downside of this method: If you have specific bleed values for different templates, you will need to set up many different presets.

You can apply bleed directly via the settings in Frontify. The obvious advantage of this option, is that you can control it directly in the Frontify Template Library. You can even allow the user to define a custom value when they export the file.

The downside: This option can lead to inconsistencies or be a problem for users who are not familiar with the concept of bleed.

It will work well if a particular template should be exported with a specific PDF preset and the same amount of bleed at all times. If you're looking for more flexibility, while still maintaining control, the previous option might work best for you.

Frontify offers you the same default PDF presets that InDesign also has. These can be used to control the details of the PDF export, together with additional toggles that are explained here.

You might have additional requirements for your PDF outputs that aren't covered by the default options (i.e. PDFs that include hyperlinks). If that is the case and you'd like to have such an additional custom PDF preset added to your Frontify environment, please follow this process:

Your Customer Success Manager will get the process started and let you know once the custom preset is available.

Q: When I export a PDF, it's larger than the format (i.e. paper size) that it's meant for. There is additional whitespace that I'm not expecting. Why is this happening?

A: The file has bleed applied to it. If this is not desired, make sure to remove the bleed settings from the InDesign document or set up a custom PDF preset that overrides the document's bleed settings.

Q: Is it possible to include interactive (clickable) hyperlinks and/or buttons in the PDF exports?

A: Yes, this is possible via custom PDF presets. However, the links and buttons can't be edited in Frontify. They have to be static and placed in a text frame that will stay locked and unchanged in Frontify.

Q: Is it possible to include interactive form fields?

A: Unfortunately, not. Interactive form fields are controlled by a different type of preset within InDesign and therefore, they're not supported by our D&P Templates.