In Preflighting 101 - Part 1; Preflight Overview we went over the basics of what preflighting is for designers, publishers and printers. Today we will get into what some of the problems or common issues are, starting in the fonts area.

II Common Preflight Problems

Your design goes off to the printer and comes back a week later as 10,000 high-quality, full-color brochures. Yes, your graphic design talents were needed, but so was the art of the PrePress Production Operator:

Multiple Intelligence lesson plan, #4

Color bar, Crop marks, Resgister marks, Tick or Fold marks, Legend- all some of the elements that help tie your design together into what will be a predictable output via PDF. And oh yes, they preflight, as should you! As designers, several of the “tips” that are given often regard having a better understanding of the prepress process and a good communication with the printer. See link below to article:

Sometimes you have to scream to get people’s attention. This is especially true of preparing documents for print and direct mail. The most reliable format for reaching potential audiences is still the printed word, and the ability to create eye-catching and immediate response fliers and newsletters has been greatly enhanced by digital technologies. It also involves checking the integrity of the digital file before final print or manufacture — a practice otherwise known as ‘preflighting.’

Designing the mailer

Going through my literal stack of print media, design and publishing titles on my desk, I came across a very interesting article titled, “Careless print costs money“. This was within the U.K. magazine named PrintMedia Management (June 2008, pg. 28, 66). It highlights how this key United Kingdom government department, COI or Central Office of Information, is taking the matter of print buying very seriously. They are doing what any advertising agencey, corporation or marketing company should also be doing, however may not be…

Mistakes do happen. Fonts, color and images quality are the prime culprits that damage smooth print workflows. These problems are just some of the topics covered as part of the Graphic Arts Institute [GAI] training program in San Francisco.

Located in the Northern California Print Center, which also is home to the Printing Industries of Northern California [PINC] and a number of other print-related businesses, the GAI’s in-plant uses a four-color 20-inch Heidelberg Speedmaster press to produce fliers, brochures, booklets and envelopes in print runs up to 8,000 units. Many of these printed pieces include information about PINC’s and GAI’s health program and health insurance program.