# PDF

> PDF is a document format used to exchange fixed-layout pages containing artwork, text and production information.

Canonical: https://dielinemaker.com/glossary/pdf
Last updated: 2026-10-26

Production and files

## What it means in packaging

For packaging, a PDF may contain artwork, a technical dieline, or both. The file extension does not prove that fonts, colour, bleed or separations meet a printer’s requirements. A flattened proof and an editable production file serve different purposes.

## A practical example

A review PDF shows dimensions for approval, while a print PDF carries artwork and separately identifiable technical lines.

## What to check

Use the printer’s requested output specification and preflight the delivered file at actual size.

## Use it in your project

- [Print checks and production exports](https://dielinemaker.com/learn/print-checks-and-exports)
- [Check a supplier file](https://dielinemaker.com/learn/supplier-dielines)

## Related terms

- [Spot colour](https://dielinemaker.com/glossary/spot-color) — A spot colour is a named colour separation handled independently from process colour channels in a print file.
- [Bleed](https://dielinemaker.com/glossary/bleed) — Bleed is artwork extended beyond the intended cut boundary so small cutting variations do not expose an unprinted edge.
- [Packaging proof](https://dielinemaker.com/glossary/proof) — A packaging proof is a review version used to check a defined aspect of a design before production.

## Related

- [Packaging glossary](https://dielinemaker.com/glossary)