Staring at a manuscript and the labyrinth of PDF export settings is a universal pain for self-publishers. You need a print-ready file for distributors and a sleek, accessible digital version for direct sales, but the technical details are overwhelming. Let’s demystify the process with a key principle: intentional separation.
One Framework: Separate by Destination
The core principle for success is treating your print and digital PDFs as two distinct products with unique technical requirements. You cannot use a single file for both purposes. A print PDF is a fixed-layout, high-resolution container for physical ink on paper. A digital PDF is an interactive, accessible document designed for screens. Your AI automation workflow must be configured twice—once for each destination.
Tool in Action: The Crucial Export Setting
Within your AI formatting tool or script, the most critical setting to verify is font embedding. For both PDF types, you must ensure the AI is configured to embed all fonts. Subsetting, which embeds only the characters used, is acceptable and helps reduce digital file size. This single setting prevents font substitution on readers' devices or at the print house, which can ruin your careful typography.
Mini-Scenario: Imagine your beautifully formatted chapter headings use a custom font. Without embedding, a customer’s PDF viewer might default to Times New Roman, breaking your book’s visual design. A configured AI workflow prevents this automatically.
Implementation Steps
- Pre-Configuration: Before generating any PDF, define your two outputs. For print: gather your printer’s exact specs (like trim size and bleed). For digital: structure your manuscript with clear heading styles to enable automatic bookmark generation.
- Dual Workflow Execution: Run your AI formatting process twice. First, for your Print PDF, activating CMYK color space, 300 DPI image rules, and bleed. Second, for your Digital PDF, enabling accessibility tags, RGB color, and hyperlink preservation.
- Targeted Proofing: Apply separate checklists. For the digital file, test all links and confirm it’s a tagged PDF. For the print file, print a hard copy to perform a physical “pinch test” for margins and a bleed check. Never skip the physical proof.
Key Takeaways
Master AI-assisted formatting by separating your process for print and digital from the start. Always enforce font embedding, use destination-specific settings like CMYK for print and accessibility tags for digital, and validate each file with its own rigorous proofing checklist. This intentional approach lets you leverage automation to produce professional, distributor-ready files every time.
