This is a great, often overlooked, feature of FlightCheck Professional v6- the ability to open or preflight two (or more) documents at a time. This allows you to very effectively compare the two and see the differences, if any. We have heard from users doing this and thought it wise to share with you in the form of a video… plus, a few other general preflight tips; showing how you *could* check each image in Adobe Photoshop seperately or just use FlightCheck to get the job done for you within seconds:
We work and live in confusing and complex times. This is especially true for those who are involved in graphic design, photography, illustration and the other dozen or so disciplines that make up the graphics world.
As we prepare digital files steps need to be taken to make sure missing fonts and images are included, fonts are with the files, colors are converted to CMYK, and trapping is correct. Preflighting all aspects of digital files before PDFs are created increases the chance of error-free output.
As with most large—and, often, geographically dispersed—corporations and businesses, the creative team at Weight Watchers Group found that it needed an effective way to bridge the gap between content creation and production for its numerous publications.
Markzware spoke with Donna DeMarco—the integrated marketing and publications manager for Weight Watchers Group, who oversees a diverse mix print and electronic media—about some of the challenges she faces with disparate workflows that cross over platforms (PC to Mac) and content-creation applications, like those that make up the Microsoft Office suite and Adobe’s Creative Suite.
“The need for preflighting depends on the workflow and the job type. Magazine publishers will want to preflight early in the publishing process because they have no idea where the layout files they receive (adverts, classifieds, etc., for example) come from, and what the skill level of the layout designer of the file was.
Preflighting is the process of checking digital files for potential problems prior to output (Exporting to PDF or Printing). This can also be a process best done on native or source file types, such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator or QuarkXpress, everytime before saving or sending the job onto another party- simple quality assurance. Special software such as FlightCheck Professional from Markzware or PitStop from Enfocus can be used, or the process can be done manually, often called the eye-ball method.
One thing is for sure; over here at Markzware, FlightCheck Professional can preflight both InDesign and QuarkXPress, as well as the resulting PDF… Plus, we have conversion tools such as ID2Q (InDesign to QuarkXPress) and Q2ID (QuarkXPress to InDesign) which could assist you no matter which layout application you choose today or in the future.
With all the various media available to today’s content creator, communicating with large groups has become a complex proposition. You have to scream to get people’s attention — especially when preparing documents for print.
The printed word is still the most reliable format for reaching potential audiences. Just a few years ago, it’s layout was created with paper strips of text that were pasted up on art boards, using either wax or rubber cement This was know as ‘cold type.’
It took until the early 1990s for most organizations to come to rely on page layout software. The freedom computer programs now allow designers can be as varied as one’s imagination.
A few years ago, printed pieces were created using strips of text that were pasted on art boards. These strips of paper were bound to the board with wax or rubber cement. Known as “cold type,” it wasn’t until the early ’90s that most organizations began to rely on page layout programs. Today, the freedom computer programs allow is as varied as your imagination.
“A revolution is waging in the design and publishing industries. Workflow responsibilities are shifting and graphic artists are wearing many more hats than a decade ago,” says Mary Gay Marchese, public relations director for Markzware, a Santa Ana-based company that provides a wide range of preflighting solutions.
“With the advent of CTP and an increasing demand to re-purpose content electronically to CDs or the web, for example, creative professionals find that they can no longer realistically focus on just design. Increasingly, they are being asked to take on additional technical challenges that once were the domain of the prepress group, like preflighting and preparing final content files for distribution to electronic media or print.
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…
