This was a very nice image that our Swiss distributor, Kursiv, designed for their FlightCheck Professional v6.5 Swiss German mailing. Check it out; and for those from Switzerland, you may want to see the text below, for there are some great offers on stand-alone preflighting for multiple desktop publishing file formats via FlightCheck:

Preflighting für (fast) alles

Sicherheit in der Produktion – das erreichen Sie durch standardisierte Arbeitsabläufe. Eingehende oder ausgehende Dokumente können auf Fehler untersucht werden. FlightCheck Pro prüft alle wichtigen Dokumentformate aus der Druckvorstufe – sogar ohne dass Sie über die Originalprogramme verfügen müssen.

FlightCheck Pro 6.5
FlightCheck Professional 6.5 ist die neueste Version von Markzware’s Preflighting Tool, welches sowohl offene Dokumentformate (XPress 3–8, InDesign bis CS4, Word, Illustrator, usw.) als auch Ausgabeformate wie EPS, PDF und PDF-X prüft.

FlightCheck Professional läuft als eigenständiges Programm, und Dokumente werden durch einfaches Drag-and-Drop auf das Programm-Icon geprüft. Dafür müssen die Originalprogramme nicht installiert sein. Flightcheck Pro generiert sofort einen vollständigen Report gemäss Ihren Einstellungen. Perfekt für Ihre AVOR.
FlightCheck Pro unterstützt auch eine Batchverarbeitung mehrerer Dateien, und lässt sich durch Presets einfach für verschiedene Aufgaben konfigurieren.  Read more... (270 words, 1 image, estimated 1:05 mins reading time)

FlightCheck Professional v6.5 is now shipping with Adobe CS4 InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, etc and Quark 8 support. After an Adobe CS4 purchase, for example, computers can be licensed for various compatible softwares, like Markzware’s FlightCheck. So, if you buy Adobe CS4 Master Collection, you can use FlightCheck when you preflight.

A question about software licensing was asked, which I think is a good one to share;

Question: Can I use FlightCheck Pro v6.5 on two machines from myself? Such as on a desktop computer and on my MacBook Pro?

Answer: FlightCheck Professional v6.5 is licensed for a single computer. You may load the software on more than one computer, per the license agreement, but if you want to run it on another computer you must first de-activate your single user license on one computer and then activate that license on a second computer. If you need two run on two computers simultaneously then you will need to purchase a second license for FlightCheck. 5-pack and 10-packs of FlightCheck are available and contact your local Markzware reseller to get a reduced price for variable site licenses other than the 5 and 10-packs.  Read more... (239 words, estimated 57 secs reading time)

There are not many things in life you can swear by, but it is good to hear that for many that includes the patented and advanced preflighting solution Markzware offers, FlightCheck Professional.

Yes, many will have their high-end, expensive workflows and RIP software with some form of limited preflighting built-in, but the real-thing, always adds just that right touch, as we can read:

“I like it because it quickly identifies RBG colour space, trapping and over-printing issues and even problems that might have occurred with ink density. I work on a high-end system with inbuilt file-checking facilities, but I still think it is important to have a system like FlightCheck Pro to catch any problems early on.”

Martin Harding, pre-press Mac operator, Prometheus Press
Source: http://www.printweek.com/RSS/News/895744/I-swear-Markzware-FlightCheck-Pro/

Markzware had the pleasure of attending the PIA San Diego Seminar “Printing 101″ which was located at Marcoa Publishing. This beautiful facility was an excellent place to tour and gain an understanding of what takes place behind the scenes.

PIA SD Location for Printing 101

The Printing 101 seminar, a type of printing how to presentation, was a great opportunity for anyone getting into the printing industry or for those who are currently in the industry that wanted to learn more about the basics. The overall big picture overview helped the student to gain an understanding of the different processes/requirements, file construction and the importance that preflighting plays, color (theory, use and characteristics), proofing, film assembly and CTP, Press, Finishing which was taught by Neil Bruington.

Printing 101 Seminar at Marcoa Publishing

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Ernie wins Markzware FlightCheck

Markzware FlightCheck winner

Bruington who is a graphic arts instructor and has had a 27-year career at Palomar College shared his expertise and knowledge to a packed class room. Included in this seminar, was a tour of the facility where the students saw first hand the printing of plates, and what takes place in the production process. They were able to ask questions and see the process unfold in real time.  Read more... (324 words, 4 images, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)

More wonderful news from Markzware for those of us who use InDesign or QuarkXPress.
Markzware’s best preflighting software, FlightCheck Professional 6, has just received a
really big upgrade to version 6.12.  With FlightCheck, you don’t have to worry that Acrobat wont print right, that nothing can be done about Acrobat printing comments, that Acrobat does not print right, that you can’t deal with Acrobat print with comments or Acrobat print error, that Acrobat 8 won t print right, etc.

Click here to read full article

Even though the technologies enabling businesses to create documents have become more accessible, there remains a hidden cost in the generation of print and electronic media—a cost easily offset with some simple tools and best practices

Perhaps you’ve seen the commercials by print giants like Xerox and Hewlett-Packard, in which they espouse how cheap print has become? Indeed, the cost to generate color print these days is, in fact, much less expensive for businesses than it was just a few short years ago.

While printers and the consumables they use have become more accessible to businesses on a budget, there remains an unnecessary hidden cost in print output and electronic publishing—the cost of ill-prepared content.

The origin of content
The amount of content businesses generate these days is mind-blowing. It’s disseminated in any number of ways—in print products such as brochures, marketing and sales collateral, advertisements, educational and training materials, presentations and so on. In combination with their print initiatives, businesses also have “new media” opportunities—creating content for electronic communications, such as the Web, an Intranet, DVDs and CD-ROMs, and e-newsletters—each medium requiring that the content be prepared just a little differently based on its output intention.  Read more... (678 words, estimated 2:43 mins reading time)

Henno Jacques, a freelance designer in Holland, gets interviewed by Markzware Europe’s Arnold Roosch in this perfect example on why to use FlightCheck Professional (and ID2Q in his case):

FlightCheck Professional and ID2Q user review

Dutch version of this interview can be found here…

It is excellent how he is using FlightCheck to preflight everything BEFORE making the PDF. He also checks the resulting PDF/X file with FlightCheck Professional as well. Making brochures, booklets and the likes, he also has seen from experience that sending both the press-ready PDF as well as the open source file (where he uses FlightCheck to collect all fonts and images into one approved folder) is the best way to get the print-job to the printer. This way, if there are any last minute changes, corrections or press problems, they can quickly and safely make the changes and re-output the PDF job.

Heno prefers QuarkXPress 7, even though he has CS3 and InDesign. He even goes so far that if Adobe InDesign files come in, he converts them with ID2Q into QuarkXPress. Now that is interesting!

Want to tell us your Markzware story? Just email us on marketing@markzware.com and we can arrange an interview in person or perhaps via a web cam/iSight!

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 printed 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.

The GAI offers printing companies the opportunity to broaden their employees’ experience with electronic prepress, press and Web technologies. Along with the 20-inch press, the facility houses more than 30 computers, state-of-the-art software and a Creo CTP platesetter driven by a Delta RIP.

Michale Carling, executive director of the GAI, believes preflighting is an important first step toward eliminating print mistakes. One of the tools used at the GAI is Markzware’s FlightCheck. “We look for problems with fonts, images, CMYK vs. RGB and difficult gradients,” says Carling. The examination begins with a check of native files created by staff and students. Using FlightCheck is part of the training that students receive at the GAI facility.  Read more... (865 words, estimated 3:28 mins reading time)