Crops Marks should automatically offset the same distance as the bleed
I does not make any sense that the default offset for crop marks is less than .125" There isn't a finishing trim method that can use crop marks closer than that. The default 0.0833 in setting is useless for production. It only causes problems and renders the bleed virtually useless.
I work in grand format print and the problem is far worse. We require .5" or 2" bleed consistently for gallery wraps, museum exhibits etc. We constantly get pdfs from clients where the bleed is 2" but the crop marks are only 0.0833" away from the page size. This renders all the bleed useless. Bleed is only useful up to the crop mark.
And yes, there is a printer mark Fixup in Acrobat. But after the latest indesign update, that Fixup no longer functions the way it used to. Previously any crop marks outside the page size would be removed. Now, if the crop mark is outside the page but in the bleed it is not removed. Even if it is touching the bleed it is not removed.
Most designers just use the default settings because they know little about production. If the crop marks automatically offset the same distance as the bleed setting, it would be a tremendous help to print producers.
Dan
shared this idea
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Mårten Kellerman
commented
Yes! The current setup is plainly idiotic, and this is a HUGE problem, affecting unlimited amounts of exports. And it's been going on since forever, but it would be such an easy fix.
The printer's marks offset should ALWAYS be calculated in relation to the specified bleed (instead of the page edge), so that regardless of what (positive) offset value is entered, the printer's marks never ruin the bleed. When entering 3mm bleed, and 3 mm printer's marks offset, this should always place printer's marks 6 mm from the page edge.
I don't know of any actual scenarios where having printer's marks inside the bleed would be advantageous, but for any such needs, Adobe could just allow negative offset values. So entering 3 mm bleed and –3 mm printer's marks offset, would place the printer's marks at the page edge, for anyone that is looking to ruin the bleed.
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Paul Hibbert
commented
I completely agree. This really gets to me. I understand that some people don’t understand bleed and are happy to leave the settings on default and let someone else sort it out.
What I DON’T understand is why Adobe doesn’t set the defaults to stop this happening. There are no circumstances whatsoever in which it is a good idea to have the crop marks inside the bleed. Not one. Not EVER.
It’s there when you print anything or export a PDF from InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop … and it should be an easy fix.