Save time with preflighting in production

As a graphic designer, has this ever happened to you? The Scenario: You’ve sent your meticulously designed marketing masterpiece to your printer. The deadline is tight, but you made it. Then the phone rings. It’s his printer calling to let him know that he’s having trouble printing his part. He is about to yell because the customer is waiting to bring this piece to his customers. What are some of the problems? he asks the printer. The answer: You have submitted low-resolution graphics, missing files and type are not included in the graphic elements, and you have submitted missing files and fonts are not included in the graphic elements, and you have submitted missing or stylized fonts. “Ugh,” you say. “How come I didn’t know that the file I created was poorly prepared and has turned into a can of worms?”

Most organizations rely on direct mail to get their message across to current and potential customers. This thinking is fundamental in the design process. As marketers look for ways to get more response from customers, graphics in direct mail are key to grabbing the recipient’s attention. This places a great burden on designers. Not only do they have to create amazing charts, but they also have to be responsible for helping the company achieve its ultimate financial goals.

Preflighting (checking digital files before sending them to a service bureau) is designed to analyze desktop publishing files and flag any potential problems before sending them. Design program preflighting is crucial on several levels, as it can easily help avoid missed deadlines and costly mistakes. Incorrectly prepared files account for the majority of prepress problems. Clean files are required for both digital printing and computer-to-plate printing.

To follow the basic rules of print production, preflight utility programs should be used to verify layouts. Regular verification of files before they go to a print provider or are printed in-house is the best way to ensure error-free output.

One of the easiest ways to save is to pay close attention to prepress costs. The costs of film, direct to plate or creating postscript files for printing are enormous. And when there is a problem and you have to re-produce the film or make a new board, the costs go up.

The printed word remains the most reliable format for reaching potential audiences. Your potential for creating eye-catching flyers and marketing materials has been greatly enhanced by digital technologies. Page layout programs such as QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign have helped streamline the design and production process, which spans material procurement, part layout, and file integrity verification before final printing. .

Design preflighting only takes a few minutes, and those few seconds can save graphics professionals hours of trouble troubleshooting issues that will arise after the film or plates are created. The financial savings in time and materials can be tremendous for salespeople eager to get the message out to potential new customers.