Preparing Your PDF for Conversion

A conversion can only be as good as the PDF it starts from. Most retries aren't caused by a limitation in the conversion engine — they're caused by an export setting in the design tool that quietly stripped something the conversion needs: embedded fonts, live transparency, or the text layer itself.

Exporting from Canva

Canva offers two PDF export options: PDF Standard compresses images and may not embed all fonts, while PDF Print gives the highest-quality export with fonts embedded. Go to Share → Download → PDF Print.

Exporting from InDesign and Affinity Publisher

Use the PDF/X-4 preset — not PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-3, which flatten transparency in ways that can cause layout drift. Enable "Embed all fonts" and set the colour space to RGB rather than CMYK.

File size and page limits

No subscription (credit-pack): up to 50MB, 500 pages. Pro: up to 150MB, 1,500 pages. Publisher: up to 500MB, 1,500 pages.

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