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PDF Crop Marks Generator, which is a free, console-based application for Windows that adds true prepress quality marks to existing PDF files. It goes beyond basic tools that add simple boxes or rectangles — this tool generates accurate and visually correct crop marks, CMYK registration targets, and optional GRACoL/SWOP color bars, all based on user-defined page layouts.
Who is it for ?
● Prepress and print technicians
● Graphic designers
● Layout professionals
● Publishers preparing PDFs for offset, digital, or packaging print
Key Capabilities
● Add crop marks at any offset, length, and thickness
● Add registration marks (classic CMYK crosshair-style targets)
● Add color control strips (GRACoL/SWOP-like patches) at top/bottom
● Layout multiple items per page via grid system (rows × columns)
● Custom margins, gutters, units (pt, mm, cm, in, ft, yd, m)
● Works with password-protected PDFs
● CLI-driven with clear prompts, defaults, and validation
Features
- 📄 Layout Engine: Grid-based layout with configurable margins and gutters
- 📏 Units: pt, mm, cm, in, ft, yd, m
- 🧩 Crop Marks settings: Length, thickness, and offset customizable
- 🎯 Registration Marks: CMYK circle + crosshair style, print industry standard
- 🧪 Color control Strips: GRACoL/SWOP color bars (top / bottom / both)
- 🔐 Password Support: Reads protected PDFs with password (owner / user)
- 💻 Console UI: Prompt-based CLI, no config files required
- ⏳ Progress Bar: Live terminal progress with timing info
- 🧠 Smart Prompt: Accepts default values or case-insensitive for convenience
- 📐 Flexible Bleeds: When the gutters are set to 0, and the layout has 1 row and 1 column, the margin settings can be utilized to define trimming bleeds
- 🖼️ Billboard Sizes: Support very large sizes (tested on 2000 x 3000 inch)
- 🖨️ Flatten Options: Choose to flatten forms, annotations, text, or all elements
- 📄 Layer Support: Place crop marks, registration marks, and color bars on separate layers
- 🔧 Advanced PDF Handling: Normalize page rotation automatically for consistent processing
- 🛡️ Signature Handling: Detects and warns about digital signatures, option to flatten them into visual representations
- 🎨 Custom Mark Colors: Define crop mark colors using CMYK, RGB, or predefined options (C, M, Y, K, R, G, B)
- 📝 Flexible Output Naming: Add custom suffixes to output filenames or use default naming conventions
- 📂 File Management: Intelligent input path resolution with support for files without extensions or different cases
- ✅ Validation: Built-in checks for valid PDF format, file existence, and proper filename/path characters
- 🌟 Enhanced Console Experience: Lucida Console font setting, centered console window, and customizable buffer/window sizes
- 🖱️ Interactive Prompts: Yes/No prompts, unit selection, and strip position options for user-friendly interaction
- 🔧 Precision Control: Convert layout values between various units seamlessly
- ⚡ Performance Monitoring: Built-in stopwatch for tracking processing time per page
- 🔑 Metadata Management: Option to clear document metadata (even Producer) and XMP metadata during processing
- 🔄 Rotation Normalization: Automatically adjust non-zero page rotations while maintaining content integrity
Project Samples
