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Unwanted graphics in PDF export.

Forum|Forum|10 months ago
March 28, 2025
3 replies
1867 views

Hi,

I am at the end of my book project and have prepared my books for export using a PDF preset from the printer (FM_Text_FOGRA52). For some reason, on the first page, it includes some of the graphics from page two. If I export without the PDF preset ([PDF/X-1a:2001]), this doesn’t happen.

As you can also see in the image below, there is nothing on page one, so I don’t understand why this is happening when I export it. Is this a common issue? Why might this be happening?

Thank you very much!

Correct answer Peter Spier

@Peter SpierI tried the second option, and it seems to work. Is it normal for my page to look like this now? Could it cause any issues I should be aware of?

@Mateomono Yes, the screen shot shows how a split spread should look.

As @Scott Falkner the inside bleed (this is the bleed between the two halve of a two-page spread) is generally not a problem for most binding methods, but it can occasionally be revealed when creep is added to the pages during imposition of a signature containing a large number of pages, or for spiral-type binding. Unless you split the spread, as you've done, the inside bleed area is actually the edge of the opposite page. By splitting a spread you are now able to drag your bleeding content out into the inside gutter area without it being picked up on the opposite page.

Scott Falkner

Community Expert

This is not a problem. You are seeing items from the adjacent page because you included bleed. Your printer will impose the book, placing the left-hand page against the appropriate right-hand page. The bleed will either not be included or will be removed if they are using proper imposition software or plug-ins.

Think of a four page booklet that’s 8½″ ⨉ 11″ printed on 17″ ⨉ 11″ paper. The front cover will be printed on the same side as the back cover. Anything that bleeds to the left of the front cover will not print since the final imposition will place the front and back covers against each other.

M

MateomonoAuthor

Known Participant

@Scott FalknerThank you for your input! Just to confirm, are you referring to the independent pages question I asked or the overall question?

E

Eugene Tyson

Community Expert

Feel the question has been answered.

Here's a breakdown/summary to wrap it up

It's normal to see the bleed in the bleed area where crop marks are because that's exactly how bleed is supposed to work. When you set up a bleed in InDesign, you’re extending elements (such as images or background colours) beyond the trim edge of the page to ensure that when the document is cut down to size, there’s no unwanted white edge from slight misalignment during printing and trimming.

Here’s why you see it in the exported PDF

Bleed Extends Beyond the Trim – The bleed is an extra margin around the page, usually 3mm or more, that extends past the crop marks. This ensures that when the printer trims the paper, the design reaches the very edge of the final page.

Crop Marks Indicate the Trim Line – The crop marks show where the final page size will be cut. Everything outside of that is part of the bleed area and is expected to be there.

Adjacent Page Content May Appear – If you’re working with a spread (especially in a book or magazine layout), some elements from the facing page might extend into the bleed area because they’re positioned close to the edge. This is called inside bleed and is normal, as long as the final imposed file is correctly prepared.

Printers Handle the Bleed – When a commercial printer processes the file, they’ll trim to the crop marks and, depending on their imposition setup, ensure that the bleed is correctly accounted for so no unintended elements appear in the final print.

When to Be Concerned:
If unwanted content (like a graphic from another page) is appearing in the bleed area due to inside bleed settings, you may need to split the spread in the Pages panel.

If your bleed setup is incorrect and content isn’t extending properly, you might need to manually adjust it to avoid unexpected gaps in the final print.

In short, seeing the bleed outside the crop marks in a PDF is completely normal, as long as you’ve set it up correctly and your printer is handling imposition properly.

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

@Mateomono

Why do you have two pages on the 1st spread?

M

MateomonoAuthor

Known Participant

@Robert at ID-Tasker Is this a problem. There are other pages before this (imprting, TCO, etc )

Robert at ID-Tasker

Legend

@Robert at ID-Tasker Is this a problem. There are other pages before this (imprting, TCO, etc )

By @Mateomono

If that's in the middle of the Document - then it's OK.

How many pages is in your document?

How it will be printed?

Peter Spier

Community Expert

This is generally caused by having an inside bleed setting.

You can either set the inside bleed to 0 or you can split the spread by selecting it the Pages Panel and unchecking Allow Selected Spread to Shuffle, the selct only the right hand page in the panel and drag it to the right until you have independent pages showing in the panel.

M

MateomonoAuthor

Known Participant

hi @Peter Spier Is there a difference between inside bleed and regular bleed?

M

MateomonoAuthor

Known Participant

@Peter SpierI tried the second option, and it seems to work. Is it normal for my page to look like this now? Could it cause any issues I should be aware of?

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