Grid Spacing

The max page size is the space for a pages are imposed on each side of the sheet of paper, and how they are arranged into rows and columns. If your PDF dimensions are smaller than that, or if you Resize the pages to be smaller, then you’ll have extra space on the sheet. This space is trimmed off later, so people often use this space for trim marks, bleed marks, and other Printer’s Marks like page numbers and labels for the sheet and side.

If the trim size of your pages is smaller than the max page size, with Layout Department (paid license) you’ll have some options for grid spacing, the Grid Position, and how the trim and bleed marks are arranged.

Even, Tight, or Custom Spacing

Even Spacing is the default option. The pages are spread apart so there is equal space between spreads of pages (for booklet) or individual pages (for perfect bound) and the edges of the sheet of paper.

Tight Spacing brings the spreads or individual spaces close together – right next to one another, if the trim and/or bleed marks are turned off. Or with the trim and/or bleed marks turned on, the pages are brought close in, maximizing the space left empty all around the edges of the sheet.

Custom Spacing is the same as Tight Spacing when set to 0, but when you enter a number, the spreads or individual pages will separate by the amount set for custom spacing. If the trim/bleed printer’s marks are enabled, then the custom space is from their outer edges.

If you have a layout where spreads of pages or individual pages (for perfect bound) are laid out vertically and horizontally, you’ll have options for the vertical and horizontal spacing between the elements. They start out linked, click the chain if you want to edit them separately.

Regular, Squish, and Outer: Trim/Bleed Marks

There are Trim and Bleed Mark Options with Tight or Custom spacing for the grid position.

Regular matches up the edges of the trim or bleed marks. Squish saves space in tight layouts and overlaps the trim/bleed marks between pages/spreads. Outer removes the trim/bleed marks from the area within the page grid, and places the marks just along the outer perimeter, and brings the pages/spreads even closer together.

Other notes

What does a yellow dot mean?

You might see a yellow dot in the right hand sidebar in the Printer’s Marks settings if your page’s trim size is big enough that the trim and/or bleed marks won’t show up on the page.

Customizing the Trim and Bleed marks

You might also want to make the trim and bleed marks longer or shorter, change the line thickness, and/or change the offset from the edge of the trim or bleed edge of a page. You can do that in the Settings > Printer’s Marks section, with the paid license.