The example below shows how to make a PDF with Adobe Illustrator CS4. 

 

Bleed Requirements

Please make sure that your document contains a bleed.  Bleeds of 1/8″ are required on anything small like business cards, flyers, brochures, sell sheets, newsletters, or booklets. For larger items, such as signs, posters, tradeshow graphics, and the like, 1/4″ bleeds are needed. Once you determine which type of product you are printing, make sure you account for the correct bleed when setting up your file.

 

To save the file as a PDF:

• Choose File, Save As…

• Change Format to Adobe PDF, give it a filename

• From Presets, choose [High Quality Print]

• Click the Marks and Bleeds section.

• Check Trim Marks and Use Document Bleed Settings

• For larger prints, such as anything larger than 11×17″, click the Compression section, and change Color and Grayscale downsampling to 300 ppi for images above 300 ppi

• Always verify that the PDF exported properly by opening it in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.