FlightCheck, the patented preflight technology by Markzware, can check documents in several file formats for print quality assurance before printing. Gary George from tunicca.com wrote this article about preflighting, postflighting and Automation. We invite your comments on whether you need preflighting for such formats as HTML, Flash, Video and 3D. Please feel free to provide feedback, whether you preflight Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, QuarkXPress, Microsoft Publisher, etc. documents:
So there were, early in the morning, driving down to the EuroTunnel, to attend a partner technical meeting for ADAM software. We were discussing the the process of pre-flight and where it fits into the whole business process flow of our production plants.
Lets first look at the term pre-flight: wikipedia describes it as:
The term used in the printing industry to describe the process of confirming that the digital files required for the printing process are all present, valid, correctly formatted, and of the desired type. The term originates from the pre-flight checklists used by pilots. The term was first used in a presentation at the Color Connections conference in 1990 by consultant Chuck Weger.
It seems to indicate that the pre in pre-flight is that process of checking before any actions are performed, i.e. before you create the PDF/postscript and not after you have taken the action, which would be post-flight. Pre-flight has become synonymous with the process of checking your files are fit for purpose regardless of where in your workflow you perform it. Pre-flight has also become synonymous with FlightCheck.
I spent a few hours yesterday with Esko, going over the latest version of their software and asked the presenter if you are pre-flighting a PDF of a file that you have already generated from its original components, wouldn’t it be a post-flight? After a moment, it was agreed that this was a good point and something that FlightCheck addresses by ensuring that the source documents are correct before output.
How should you check those source documents that you receive on a daily basis? Preflight software, Markzware FlightCheck, thoroughly scans documents for potential printing problems, so that they can be prevented before the documents are sent to the printer.
FlightCheck seems to be the only preflight technology that enables extensive automation through scripting with a number of tools for the print workflow. This stand-alone application enables the user to send files through a selected set of Ground Controls, to sort the good from the bad.
More and more companies are having to find ways to automate their incoming pre-media files, which now extend beyond those of just the graphic and design file formats to include formats such as HTML, Flash, Video and 3D. Our applications alone provide us with tools to test whether the files are fit to print.
Pre-media professionals can save a lot of time, money, labor, and materials with FlightCheck, the thorough preflight solution. Use FlightCheck to check your prepress files to ensure quality control and get detailed preflight reports to avoid printing problems, including reprinting.
