You ship a lead magnet, then a workbook, then a brand kit, then a course PDF, then realise you have four versions of your logo embedded across them and three different fonts. The catalogue grew faster than the system.
A creator-shaped PDF workflow fixes the catalogue without slowing you down.
Asset library at the centre
`/Assets/Brand/` holds the canonical logo, colours, fonts. `/Assets/Templates/` holds the master templates for each PDF type — lead magnet, workbook, course. Everything else copies from here.
This is the single source of truth. When the brand changes (and it will), you update once in `/Assets` and re-export downstream PDFs.
Version PDFs in working, ship from /Released
Working drafts live in `/Working/<product>/`. Once the PDF is ready, compress it, version it, move to `/Released/<product>/`. The released folder is what feeds your delivery pipeline (email service, Gumroad, course platform).
Never ship from `/Working`. The folder name tells the story.
Compress every download
Lead magnets and workbooks often balloon with embedded images. A 40 MB PDF kills conversion — visitors abandon mid-download. Compress every shipped PDF to under 5 MB.
For large reference PDFs that genuinely need to be big (illustrated guides, image-heavy reports), split into chapters and offer downloads of each.
Flatten before public release
Every PDF that goes to the public should be flattened — no editable layers, no embedded fonts that can be extracted. Treat the PDF as a final artefact, not a working file.
Add a footer link back to your site on every page. Free distribution is free marketing if the PDF has a trail home.
FAQ
Should I sign creator PDFs?
Optionally, for legitimacy — a signature on the cover or back can add credibility, especially for paid products. Flint's signing tool makes this a five-second step.
What about gating PDFs behind email opt-in?
Don't gate the file itself — gate the download page. The PDF in your `/Released` folder is the deliverable; the email tool handles distribution. Mixing the two creates fragility.
How do I track which version is in the wild?
Embed the version in the footer: `v2.1 — August 2025`. When you ship updates, the version in the wild and the version in `/Released` should match.
Should I password-protect paid PDFs?
Usually not — friction loses customers. Watermark with the buyer's email instead, which deters sharing without breaking the experience.
Creator PDFs are products. A clean workflow makes them ship faster and look better. Set up your asset library in Flint and watch the next product go out twice as quickly.