Read over on PrintWeek an interesting development in the area of “preflighting,” which will be shown in May at IPEX 2010 in the UK. Interesting, for we have been saying for years just demanding a PDF file in a certain flavor does not work:

Enfocus unveils PitStop Connect pre-flighting tool

Barney Cox, printweek.com, 09 March 2010
Enfocus has launched PitStop Connect – a software tool that printers can supply to clients to ensure files are produced to their specification so that there are “no more headaches” for creatives.
Source: http://www.printweek.com/PreMediaWeekly

The reason it is even more interesting, is for the fact that preflighting does not start with checking a PDF!  No, it starts with checking native artwork and Quark, InDesign or Illustrator layouts. That is what FlightCheck Professional and it’s exportable Ground Controls or preflight profiles offer. The ability to share what to check for, BEFORE a PDF is created. The fact that just jamming a PDF spec down the throats of the designers has not worked, as you’ll read in the article, also does not surprise me, for we have been seeing and saying that all along! We read in part:  Read more... (503 words, 11 images, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

For the recent Amsterdam InDesign User Group meeting, Markzware was going to donate a Q2ID (QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign conversion Plug-in), but that would be too logical. So this time we got Gabriel Powell, Chairman of the Netherlands InDesign User Group,  a FlightCheck Professional v6.5, which can preflight 50+ file formats, as a stand-alone preflight and packaging tool, including Adobe Illustrator, PDF and of course InDesign. And the winner was… drum-roll please:

Peter van der Zon
Mediacollege Amsterdam
docent GV
(graphic arts teacher)

To learn more about what they discussed at that meeting and for future events about Adobe InDesign in Holland, see:
http://www.indesignusergroup.com/chapters/amsterdam/

They also offer a very informative and handy publication for their Dutch members:

“Het nIDug Magazine is het eerste digitale magazine dat gewijd is aan InDesign en de bloeiende gemeenschap van InDesign professionals in Nederland.”

InDesign Dutch Forum:

http://www.indesignusergroup.nl/forum/punbb/

Close to fifteen years on the same question arises, time and time again, with regards to quality control in the design to print process:

Where is the best place to preflight the art-work or print layout?

Stop a preflight problem in an element at the design stage, it may only set you back $10€; that same problem on the press will cost you potentially $thousands€. This chart answers that age-old question pretty clearly and shows how simple preflight controls can greatly improve your ROI. Preflighting is not a process just ‘done by someone else’ in the manufacturing of your designs you want to take flight in the form or a printed piece. It should be done throughout in the workflow, time and time again. Just ask Toyota and their recent huge recall of Prius automobilies due to faulty brake software.

Naturally each workflow varies, often greatly, but as a rule of thumb, you should preflight with tools like FlightCheck Professional v6.5 just before you are about to:

A) Send off to another party to work further on the layout or design
B) Before using received  artwork from other sources
C) Whenever something is unsure or elements “act-up” in the layout
D) (before) Output or Export to PDF or Print
E) Postflight the resulting/received print PDF file
 Read more... (344 words, 8 images, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

“QUALITY IS NOT STATIC”

“Kwaliteit is niet statisch” in Vlaams by
Luc De Schrijver, GLS Belgium Distribution

Neither is the Markzware multi-award winning document preflight application for graphic designers, layout artists and prepress professionals alike – FlightCheck Professional v6.5.

FlightCheck Professional v6.5x picture preview window.
Preflight your way to quality with FlightCheck Professional v6.5

There is a great discussion going on in the Group of Prepress, Print & Color Management Professionals over on Linkedin, started by Cindy (Bailey) Wingo, where in short she asked:

“What are the industry standards for producing clean, RIPpable files?” … “What is the industry standard for excellence in pre-flighting files?“

Source: Group of Prepress, Print & Color Management Professionals

Great replies, but it is the last post, which I will start with; which is the summary as far as quality-minded design and publishing users are concerned with, in the overall workflow process to printed output:

“Preflighting should happen even before the PDF is even created. Bad files make bad PDFs. That’s why programs such as FlightCheck are so invaluable.“

Source: David Creamer via the Group of Prepress, Print & Color Management Professionals

This was in response to the usual postflighting options mentioned for later stage PDF’s and the likes. This is fine and true, as a step right before the RIP, but not the entire truth; actually far from it. You need to Preflight FIRST before even making a PDF print-file. What was encouraging was the facts brought forth by industry expert (I.D.E.A.S Training) and certified Adobe and Quark trainer, David Creamer and our own Mary Gay (Pettit) Marchese, for this is the way to make a publishing and print workflow truly flow.  Read more... (504 words, 9 images, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

Was reading this article about how Adobe is dropping a program it had to aide printers, titled, “Adobe Discontinues worldwide Adobe Partner Connection Print Service Provider Program.”

One printer commented to the effect that they were actually more aiding Adobe, by helping customers use the software to properly prepare files for print, as many, even agencies, had problems (i.e. preflight) [see comment from "Robert Arena" in article link.]. And then there was this comment (from the many), and since we just highlighted how Quark is networking with print providers via their new Quark Promote program, this indeed may be an opportunity for the Quark stalls:

“… Quark should do a quick PR and announce they will take all your CS seats and extend their Quark print program the number of months left with Adobe with all new memberships. Also offer to cross upgrade all seats of CS at the upgrade cost of Quark.

Adobe was aggressive with getting printers from Quark with the provider program. Now that they have got what they can of us, they are dropping it. I am sure for money is the reason as Adobe see’s little increase in market share at this point. This opens a huge door for Quark if they move quickly.  Read more... (525 words, 8 images, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

Here is an email I received from Mr. Neil Stratton, whom handles the distribution and management of Deutscher Drucker’s English version for their printing magazine focusing on technology and the larger German printing industry (DACH market; Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Email and PDF of this special edition of their publication posted with Neil’s prior approval here:

Here are the topical bits of eDD42, which, as a special Christmas treat, we are also sending to non-subscribers to show them some of what they are missing.
This is the last eDD before 2010, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
The first issue of DD in 2010 will appear on Thursday 14th January 2010.
Between now and the first issue of 2010, we will be sending out the features articles for 38 onwards to subscribers.
Download PDF here:
eDD42-Deutscher Drucker-eng

Best wishes
Neil

What I like about reading Deutscher Drucker, other than the fact of staying abreast on what is happening within Germany in general, is the fact that they offer some of the most in-depth technical pieces in print (or pdf as is the case here) in the printing trade as a general monthly printing publication. Others are good, maybe even very good, but imho, DD (short for Deutscher Drucker) is one of the best sources for technique, workflow and detailed technical information for prepress software, hardware and related processes.  Read more... (298 words, 7 images, estimated 1:12 mins reading time)

Was reading this CNN article on an 1808 personal letter from the 3rd US president found by a college student studying to be a historian, which reminded me of the many inventions that Thomas Jefferson, “principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776)”[source] made; some of which are directly in the print and copy trade:

“Historians had been aware of the existence of the letter, thanks to Jefferson’s use of a portable copying press, one of his many inventions. But its physical whereabouts had been unknown.”
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/04/jefferson.letter/index.html

So what is this “Jefferson’s portable copying press”?

“Jefferson invented the portable copying press when his overseas travel called for a compact version of the copying press previously invented by James Watt. In the original copying machine, one wrote with ink on a copper plate which could then produce numerous copies; Jefferson praised this enthusiastically because of how well it facilitated record-keeping and correspondence and subsequently sought to improve it. Jefferson designed a lap desk which would hold all the essentials of his day, from a thermometer to pencils to a nightcap, as well as his portable copying press.”
Source: http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~meg3c/classes/tcc313/200Rprojs/jefferson_invent/invent.html
Note: Jefferson did not invent this, but improved on it really. This image is of James Watt copying press, 1780 patent diagram, of which Thomas Jefferson improved and worked closely with…  Read more... (380 words, 10 images, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

Let’s just get right to the educational feature film and then below some all important postflight, pardon the pun, commentary. Here is the nicely prepared tutorial titled, “Analyzing and Preflighting Adobe Acrobat PDF Files For Print“:

Great job by http://www.envisionprinting.com/ in highlighting these technical prepress issues and how to tackle finding them in Adobe Acrobat. OK, but did you notice that most of the items he was checking for, are best checked and corrected well before the PDF stage? The main issues were:

* Non embedded Fonts (missing fonts in native file)
* RGB images instead of CMYK
* Low Resolution Images

These common issues and more would have to be fixed by the graphic designer, back within their native files*. Yes, it is utterly important to check the Acrobat PDF you have created, however, by first preflighting and then creating a PDF, you will be ahead of the game. Not only that, but tools like FlightCheck Professional will not only check Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, QuarkXPress, etc, but also the resulting PDF through one VERY easy to use drag-and-drop interface. Furthermore, you can also package all fonts and images together for archiving or compressing and sending to someone else the full job; it will even preflight Adobe Acrobat, check a PDF and collect non-embedded fonts used but not placed within a PDF!  Read more... (242 words, 7 images, estimated 58 secs reading time)

Preflight oder Postflight

PREFLIGHT
Prozess des Analysierens von nativen Dateien bevor sie in einen Prepress-Workflow eingespeist werden. Damit wird sichergestellt, dass die Daten für den jeweiligen Verwendungszweck aufbereitet sind. (Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, QuarkXPress, Microsoft Publisher, etc)

POSTFLIGHT
Prozess des Analysierens von bereits verarbeiteten Daten (PostScript, PDF, DCS2, etc.) zur Qualitätskontrolle in einem digitalen Prepress-Workflow.

MARKZWARE
Markzware bietet Ihnen sowohl Preflighting von nativen Daten wie auch Postflighting von PDF-Daten in verschiedenen Ausführungen (unterstützt mehr als 40 Dateiformate.) Was auch immer Sie tun, am besten stellen Sie sicher, dass das Preflighting in Ihrem Arbeitsablauf so früh wie möglich geschieht.

http://www.markzware.com/preflight/

— — —>

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Desktop Preflighting und Postflighting mit dem mehrfach preisgekrönten selbstständigen klassischen Programm.

• PDF/X, Pass4Press und andere PDF Ground Control Sets
• Native Dateien-Ground Controls
• In deutscher, englischer, französischer und niederländischer Sprache
• Mac OS X, Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.1
• Führt Sie zu einem spezifischen Problem in ihrer Datei
• Funktion „Job sammeln“ ermöglicht es Ihnen, alle Datei-Elemente in einem Ordner zu sammeln
• Einfach zu benutzen und Sie werden schnell davon profitieren!

Eine Vollversion kostet € 499 (Special limited Price nu €399). Mehrfachlizenzen sind möglich.  Read more... (252 words, 7 images, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)