{"id":100499,"date":"2026-05-07T22:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T14:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/?p=2015"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T10:10:14","slug":"export-print-ready-pdf-from-word-singapore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/export-print-ready-pdf-from-word-singapore\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Export a Print-Ready PDF from Microsoft Word in Singapore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"border-left:4px solid #D85A30;background:#FAECE7;padding:16px 20px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;margin:0 0 24px 0;font-size:15px;color:#4A1B0C;font-style:italic;line-height:1.7;\">Microsoft Word is not a print design tool \u2014 but it is what most Singapore businesses actually use for <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/document\/\" style=\"color:#993C1D;\">documents<\/a>, letterheads, and internal reports. The good news is that Word can produce a usable print-ready PDF when exported correctly. The bad news is that the default export settings are wrong for print. Here is exactly what to change and why each step matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Word files cannot go directly to press<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin:0 0 16px 0;line-height:1.75;\">Printers work with PDF files, not .docx files. More importantly, they require PDFs exported to specific technical standards: correct colour mode (CMYK), embedded fonts, sufficient resolution for images, and bleed margins for any elements that extend to the edge of the page. Word&#8217;s default export settings produce a PDF optimised for screen viewing or email \u2014 not for press. Without the correct settings, you risk font substitution, image degradation, and colour shifts on your final <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/document\/\" style=\"color:#185FA5;\">printed documents<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step-by-step: exporting a print-ready PDF from Word<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"margin:0 0 20px 0;padding-left:22px;line-height:1.8;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:10px;\"><strong>Step 1 \u2014 Set your page size correctly.<\/strong> Go to Layout \u2192 Size and confirm your document is set to the correct trim size (e.g. A4 at 210mm \u00d7 297mm). Do not add bleed inside Word \u2014 this is handled at the margins stage for simple documents.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:10px;\"><strong>Step 2 \u2014 Use standard fonts only, or embed them.<\/strong> Fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, and Calibri are safe. Custom or downloaded fonts must be embedded to print correctly. Word embeds fonts by default when you use the correct export path.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:10px;\"><strong>Step 3 \u2014 Go to File \u2192 Save As \u2192 PDF.<\/strong> Before clicking Save, click &#8220;More options&#8221; (or &#8220;Options&#8221; in older Word versions).<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:10px;\"><strong>Step 4 \u2014 Select &#8220;ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF\/A)&#8221;.<\/strong> This ensures fonts are fully embedded and the file meets archive-quality print standards.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:10px;\"><strong>Step 5 \u2014 Under &#8220;Optimise for&#8221;, select &#8220;Print&#8221; not &#8220;Online&#8221;.<\/strong> This ensures image resolution is maintained at the highest quality.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom:10px;\"><strong>Step 6 \u2014 Click OK and Save.<\/strong> Your PDF is now print-ready for standard <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/document\/\" style=\"color:#185FA5;\">document printing<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/booklet-saddle-stitch\/\" style=\"color:#185FA5;\">booklet<\/a> orders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #F0997B;background:#FAECE7;padding:16px 20px;border-radius:8px;margin:20px 0;\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:600;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.08em;color:#993C1D;margin:0 0 8px 0;\">Images in Word: the hidden quality problem<\/p><p style=\"color:#4A1B0C;font-size:14px;margin:0;line-height:1.65;\">Images inserted into Word are automatically compressed by default. Before exporting, go to File \u2192 Options \u2192 Advanced \u2192 Image Size and Quality \u2192 select &#8220;Do not compress images in file&#8221;. Compressed images in Word documents are the most common cause of blurry or pixelated results on printed <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/document\/\" style=\"color:#993C1D;\">documents<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/booklet-saddle-stitch\/\" style=\"color:#993C1D;\">booklets<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bleed: when you need it and when you do not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin:0 0 16px 0;line-height:1.75;\">If your Word document has a white background and no elements touching the page edges, you do not need to add bleed. Standard <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/document\/\" style=\"color:#185FA5;\">document printing<\/a> \u2014 reports, proposals, meeting minutes \u2014 requires no bleed. If your <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/loose-sheet-flyers-brochures\/\" style=\"color:#185FA5;\">flyer<\/a> or cover page has a coloured background, image, or border that extends to the edge of the page, you need a 3mm bleed margin. Word does not natively support bleed \u2014 for bleed-heavy designs, consider exporting from Adobe InDesign or Canva instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Checking your exported PDF before submitting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin:0 0 16px 0;line-height:1.75;\">Open the exported PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader and zoom to 100%. Check that all fonts display correctly, images are sharp, and no content is cut off at the edges. For multi-page <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/booklet-saddle-stitch\/\" style=\"color:#185FA5;\">booklets<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/document\/\" style=\"color:#185FA5;\">reports<\/a>, page through the entire document before uploading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"border:1px solid #5DCAA5;background:#E1F5EE;padding:16px 20px;border-radius:8px;margin:20px 0;\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:11px;font-weight:600;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.08em;color:#0F6E56;margin:0 0 8px 0;\">ExpressPrint accepts Word-exported PDFs<\/p><p style=\"color:#04342C;font-size:14px;margin:0;line-height:1.65;\">For standard <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/document\/\" style=\"color:#0F6E56;\">document printing<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/booklet-saddle-stitch\/\" style=\"color:#0F6E56;\">booklet<\/a> orders, an export from Word using the settings above will pass our prepress checks. If you are unsure about your file, upload it and our team will review it before production starts. We will contact you if changes are needed.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr style=\"border:none;border-top:1px solid #e8e8e8;margin:28px 0;\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin:20px 0 10px 0;font-size:14px;\"><strong>Products mentioned in this article:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/document\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:6px 14px;background:#f0f4f8;border:1px solid #c5d8ee;border-radius:6px;font-size:13px;color:#185FA5;text-decoration:none;margin:0 6px 6px 0;\">Document printing<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/booklet-saddle-stitch\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:6px 14px;background:#f0f4f8;border:1px solid #c5d8ee;border-radius:6px;font-size:13px;color:#185FA5;text-decoration:none;margin:0 6px 6px 0;\">Booklet (saddle stitch)<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/booklet-perfect-bind\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:6px 14px;background:#f0f4f8;border:1px solid #c5d8ee;border-radius:6px;font-size:13px;color:#185FA5;text-decoration:none;margin:0 6px 6px 0;\">Booklet (perfect bind)<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product\/loose-sheet-flyers-brochures\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:6px 14px;background:#f0f4f8;border:1px solid #c5d8ee;border-radius:6px;font-size:13px;color:#185FA5;text-decoration:none;margin:0 6px 6px 0;\">Flyers &#038; brochures<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/shop\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#D85A30;color:#ffffff;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;padding:12px 24px;border-radius:8px;text-decoration:none;margin-top:8px;\">Upload your file and get an instant quote &#8594;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"margin:16px 0 6px 0;font-size:14px;line-height:1.75;\"><strong>Browse related products by category:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0;\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product-category\/booklets\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:6px 14px;background:#EEF4FF;border:1px solid #93B4E6;border-radius:6px;font-size:13px;color:#1B4FA8;text-decoration:none;margin:0 6px 6px 0;\">Browse Booklets &#8594;<\/a>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product-category\/marketing\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:6px 14px;background:#EEF4FF;border:1px solid #93B4E6;border-radius:6px;font-size:13px;color:#1B4FA8;text-decoration:none;margin:0 6px 6px 0;\">Browse Marketing Materials &#8594;<\/a>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/product-category\/digital-short-run\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:6px 14px;background:#EEF4FF;border:1px solid #93B4E6;border-radius:6px;font-size:13px;color:#1B4FA8;text-decoration:none;margin:0 6px 6px 0;\">Browse Digital (Short Run) &#8594;<\/a>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Step-by-step guide to exporting a print-ready PDF from Microsoft Word for Singapore print orders \u2014 correct settings, font embedding, image resolution, and bleed explained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"Export Print-Ready PDF from Word Singapore | Steps","_seopress_titles_desc":"Most Word files are not ready to print as-is. This step-by-step guide shows you how to export a PDF your Singapore printer can use without issues.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_breakdance_hide_in_design_set":false,"_breakdance_tags":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,2534],"tags":[2651,2848,2846,2847],"class_list":["post-100499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artwork-specifications","category-artwork-tutorials","tag-document-printing-singapore","tag-pdf-export-settings-singapore","tag-print-ready-pdf-word-singapore","tag-word-to-pdf-print"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100499"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101243,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100499\/revisions\/101243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.expressprint.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}