Adobe InDesign is a popular layout tool used to create books, magazines, newsletters, brochures, and flyers.


To export an InDesign file to PDF format:

  1. Launch Adobe InDesign
  2. Open the document you wish to export or convert to PDF format
  3. In the File menu, choose the option to Save as PDF (print)
  4. Click Save
  5. A PDF Export window opens allowing you to customize the file
  6. Choose the appropriate file size:
    • The Press Quality setting makes the image quality the highest priority and is for documents going to a professional printer - like Lulu.com.
      Note: This setting is not compatible with all versions of Adobe Reader or other PDF reading programs.
    • The High Quality Print setting will create a PDF file that is compatible with all versions of Adobe Reader.
  7. Select the Page options:
    • All exports all pages as a single PDF file.
    • If your project requires each page to be an individual file, you may enter each page number and convert them one at a time to PDF format.
    • Please note that we strongly recommend reviewing our PDF Creation Settings for more in-depth information regarding file creation.
  8. Select View PDF After Exporting to review your file once exported to PDF format.
  9. Click Summary to review and/or edit your file settings.
  10. Click Export.


Review the PDF file. If you discover issues that need correcting, we recommend you edit the InDesign file, and then convert the file to PDF.


Note: If your file was originally created in CMYK, we recommend leaving it as CMYK rather than converting it to sRGB.

To convert an InDesign file to PDF using Lulu Job Options:

  1. Open the file to be exported in InDesign.
  2. Go to File > Export.
  3. Enter a filename and click Save.
  4. Under Adobe PDF Preset select Lulu (Download the preset Joboptions attached to the article)
    • Note: We have two different Lulu Joboptions. We advise choosing the appropriate Lulu Joboptions based on the current file you are creating (interior versus cover)
  5.     Click Export.


Interior and Cover File Setup using Adobe InDesign | Tutorial



To determine if the fonts are embedded in your PDF:

  1. Open the file using Adobe Reader or Acrobat Pro
  2. Go to File > Properties
  3. Select Fonts and verify that all fonts show (Embedded Subset)



If all fonts used in your document are followed by (Embedded Subset), then all fonts are properly embedded and your file will upload to the Lulu Publishing Tool without error.


Pro Tip: While you have your PDF open, scroll through it to make sure your book interior is properly formatted - i.e. page breaks, copyright page, odd and even pages (odd on the right).