Print Tools
Free tools for getting a file ready for the printer, made by people who run a print shop. They check the things a printer would send a file back for, in your browser, without uploading anything.
All Print Tools
6 tools
DPI Checker
Print ToolsSee if your image has enough pixels to print sharp at the size you want.
DPI Changer
Print ToolsSet the DPI of a JPG or PNG to 300, or any value, without touching a pixel.
Add Bleed and Crop Marks to PDF
Print ToolsGive a PDF the bleed and crop marks your printer asked for.
PDF Print Check
Print ToolsFind out what a printer would send your PDF back for, before you send it.
PDF Fonts to Outlines
Print ToolsTurn the text in a PDF into shapes, so it prints the same on any machine.
PDF Imposition
Print ToolsLay a PDF out as a booklet, 2-up, 4-up or repeated to fill the sheet, ready to print.
Shortcuts Add Crop Marks to PDF · Add 3 mm Bleed to PDF · PDF Booklet Maker
Compare Print Tools
| Tool | Best for | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| DPI Checker | See if your image has enough pixels to print sharp at the size you want. | Opens: JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, AVIF Print sizes: Photos, cards, paper sizes, posters, banners or any size Units: Inches, feet, centimetres, millimetres |
| DPI Changer | Set the DPI of a JPG or PNG to 300, or any value, without touching a pixel. | Works on: JPG and PNG Changes: The DPI label only, never the pixels Quality loss: None, the picture is not recompressed |
| Add Bleed and Crop Marks to PDF | Give a PDF the bleed and crop marks your printer asked for. | Works on: PDF, any number of pages Bleed: 1/8 in, 3 mm, 5 mm, 1/4 in or custom, in inches or mm Adds: Bleed, crop marks, trim box, bleed box |
| PDF Print Check | Find out what a printer would send your PDF back for, before you send it. | Works on: PDF, any number of pages Checks: Size, bleed, fonts, picture resolution, colour, spot inks, links and forms Pictures measured: At their placed size, on the first 60 pages |
| PDF Fonts to Outlines | Turn the text in a PDF into shapes, so it prints the same on any machine. | Works on: PDF, any number of pages Converts: TrueType, OpenType and Type 1 fonts, embedded or not Fonts not embedded: Drawn with a similar font, fitted to the same spacing |
| PDF Imposition | Lay a PDF out as a booklet, 2-up, 4-up or repeated to fill the sheet, ready to print. | Works on: PDF, any number of pages Layouts: Booklet, 2-up, 4-up, repeat Sheets: Twice the page, A4, A3, SRA3, Letter, Legal, Tabloid, 12 × 18, 13 × 19 |
Getting a file ready for the printer
Print Tools on FreeMicroTools are for anyone sending a file to a printer: a photo for framing, a business card, a poster for the shop window, a vinyl banner for an event. Printers send files back for a small number of reasons, and nearly all of them can be checked or fixed at home in a minute. The most common is an image with too few pixels for the size it is printed at, which looks fine on a screen and comes off the press soft or blocky. The next are artwork with no bleed, and fonts.
Not sure what is wrong? Start with the PDF Print Check, which reads the whole file and reports the finished size, the bleed it marks, fonts that are not embedded and pictures with too few pixels, each with what to do about it. The DPI Checker shows how large a single image can print, judged by how far away it will be seen, and the DPI Changer sets the DPI number a form insists on without recompressing the picture. Add Bleed and Crop Marks extends every page of a PDF past its edge by mirroring the artwork, and sets the trim and bleed boxes a printer's software reads. PDF Fonts to Outlines turns the text of a PDF into shapes when a printer asks for outlined fonts, leaving the rest of the page untouched.
Every tool here works inside your browser, so artwork, photos and customer files are never uploaded or stored. They are a guide, not a guarantee, so follow what your own printer asks for and see a proof before a large job.
Questions
What resolution should an image be for printing?
It depends on how far away it will be seen. As a working rule, 300 pixels per inch for anything held in the hand, 150 for posters and signs on a wall, and 72 or a little less for banners seen from a distance. The DPI Checker works out the figure for your image at your print size.
Why did my printer reject my file?
The usual reasons are an image with too few pixels for the print size, no bleed past the trimmed edge, fonts that were not embedded or converted to outlines, and the wrong page size or colour mode. The PDF Print Check finds all of these in one pass, and the DPI Checker, Add Bleed and Crop Marks and PDF Fonts to Outlines help fix them.
Are my files uploaded when I use these print tools?
No. Every print tool on FreeMicroTools works inside your browser, so artwork and photos never leave your device and nothing is stored.
Looking for something that is not here? Suggest a tool and it may well get built.