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Microsoft Word is not a print design tool — but it is what most Singapore businesses actually use for documents, 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.
Why Word files cannot go directly to press
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’s default export settings produce a PDF optimised for screen viewing or email — not for press. Without the correct settings, you risk font substitution, image degradation, and colour shifts on your final printed documents.
Step-by-step: exporting a print-ready PDF from Word
- Step 1 — Set your page size correctly. Go to Layout → Size and confirm your document is set to the correct trim size (e.g. A4 at 210mm × 297mm). Do not add bleed inside Word — this is handled at the margins stage for simple documents.
- Step 2 — Use standard fonts only, or embed them. 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.
- Step 3 — Go to File → Save As → PDF. Before clicking Save, click “More options” (or “Options” in older Word versions).
- Step 4 — Select “ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A)”. This ensures fonts are fully embedded and the file meets archive-quality print standards.
- Step 5 — Under “Optimise for”, select “Print” not “Online”. This ensures image resolution is maintained at the highest quality.
- Step 6 — Click OK and Save. Your PDF is now print-ready for standard document printing and booklet orders.
Images in Word: the hidden quality problem
Images inserted into Word are automatically compressed by default. Before exporting, go to File → Options → Advanced → Image Size and Quality → select “Do not compress images in file”. Compressed images in Word documents are the most common cause of blurry or pixelated results on printed documents and booklets.
Bleed: when you need it and when you do not
If your Word document has a white background and no elements touching the page edges, you do not need to add bleed. Standard document printing — reports, proposals, meeting minutes — requires no bleed. If your flyer 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 — for bleed-heavy designs, consider exporting from Adobe InDesign or Canva instead.
Checking your exported PDF before submitting
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 booklets or reports, page through the entire document before uploading.
ExpressPrint accepts Word-exported PDFs
For standard document printing and booklet 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.
Products mentioned in this article:
Document printingBooklet (saddle stitch)Booklet (perfect bind)Flyers & brochures
