Defining exact pdf media box when exporting a pdf...

[motormount]

Hi all!

 I'm trying to get a pdf out of indesign or illustrator with a media box exactly 10mm larger than the trim box.
For examble if the cropped document ( trim box ) is 20x30, the pdf media box should be 22x32.

 I know how to do that with the pdf toolbox from heidi, i know i can do it with pitstop ( but with toolbox is so much more straightforward ) but i can't figure out a way to do it straight out of the box with indy - or illy.

 Know it's not really important, still i'm stuck with it...

Thanks in advance! 

[StudioMonkey]

Define the page to the size of the Media Box and draw guides 10mm in all around.  Place cut marks on the page.

[andyfest]

In Illy, place your cropped pdf in an new document. Expand the art board manually if need be using Document Setup > Edit Artboard to fit your pdf if need be. Then use your bleeds in Document Setup to define a larger area e.g.: 2 inches each. That will indicate the larger area you want with a red bounding box. Then use Document Setup > Edit Artboard to manually expand the artboard fit the larger area. Save out a pdf. That should give you a pdf with the expanded area you are looking for.

[Joe]

With InDesign make your document the trim size and then make your bleed 10 mm. When you export include bleed and no marks. Your media, crop, and bleed box will all be 10 mm bigger than your trim box.

[motormount]

 Thank you all for answering, only Joe's workaround will produce a pdf with a ''true'' trim box, but without cropmarks...

I could ad cropmarks later, but the point is if you can get it right out of indesign with correct page boxes and a media box the size you want it.

Like i said it's not really important, it's when i want to ''move'' the trim box keeping the media box intact for some reason, the round 10 makes calculations easier!
And cropmarks help to compare where the document would be cut, and where shall be!

Thanks again!

[Joe]

Anytime you add marks it is going to change the media and crop box to whatever it takes to allow them to be seen.

[motormount]

 Correct me if i don't remember well, but i think Acrobat's dialogue - at least 9 i use at work - provides some options on the size and the distance on adding marks.

Either way, adding them later on a correct size trim and media box pdf, or fixing the media box on a correct trim box prf with marks, makes small difference to me.

Adobe could easily give an option similar to marks distance when exporting, but even better designers could make printready pdf's so i didn't have to make similar questions... - or not ? -

[Joe]

Correct me if i don't remember well, but i think Acrobat's dialogue - at least 9 i use at work - provides some options on the size and the distance on adding marks.

Either way, adding them later on a correct size trim and media box pdf, or fixing the media box on a correct trim box prf with marks, makes small difference to me.

Adobe could easily give an option similar to marks distance when exporting, but even better designers could make printready pdf's so i didn't have to make similar questions... - or not ? -

They kind of do, you can change the distance from the work, as shown here:

[motormount]

Thanks Joe, but that's what i said, an option similar to the marks offset, but dedicated to the pdf media box.

Instead of ''playing'' with the marks offset values to achieve the wanted pdf media box size, a simple option like '' media box is: (trim box) + (bleed box) + (whatever value comforts my need at the moment)''

Thanks again!

[Joe]

Well it actually does that. The smaller the offset the smaller the media box. The larger the offset the larger the media box. Though I doubt you can go smaller than the size of the marks.

[Farabomb]

I'm wondering your need for all this. I center everything so as long as the trim box is correct, the media box doesn't matter. I guess if you really want 10 make sure tour offset and mark length equals 10mm from trim and you should be good.

[Joe]

I don't see any way in Indy to control the mark length. You only have an option to change the offset. I too would like to know why this matters.

[Farabomb]

I was confusing it with preps where you can set the length of the mark, whoops.

[Farabomb]

A quick googling gives some answers and scripts but the overall question everyone has is "why". It can be done but it's a lot more trouble than it's worth.

[frailer]

Anytime you add marks it is going to change the media and crop box to whatever it takes to allow them to be seen.

Geez, another PDF Export subtlety that I was unaware of. Never thought of Crops as being that 'influential'. Makes sense though.