Here was a nice little article and preflight checklist named, “Prepress Checklist : Use on Graphic Design Projects Sending Out to Printers.” Something to consider before printing color graphics or sending off your valuable graphics to be printed. It is more than just running an electronic quality assurance check on your Adobe Acrobat or InDesign files with their Live Prelight or Markzware’s FlightCheck application, but a process and dedication to perfection- in otherwords, “Prepress“:

PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST

___ The files are camera ready

-> HARD COPY (mark through if not needed)

___ Desktop printed files are done according to the printer’s instructions

___ Files are in order

___ Files are complete

___ Separations (if color)

___ Registration marks (if color)

___ Everything aligned

___ Headlines spelled correctly

-> ELECTRONIC COPY (mark through if not needed)

___ Everything aligned

___ Headlines spelled correctly

___ Headlines spelled correctly

___ Fonts embedded (PDF)

___ Art files included (for Non-PDF documents)

___ Proof copy for the press is supplied (if necessary)

___ The files are all on disk OR

___ Special instructions are included  Read more... (247 words, estimated 59 secs reading time)

Here is a great article from a blog I often follow by CHUCK GREEN titled, “The designer’s prep, print, and proof checklist” which I caught while browsing Graphicstart.com earlier today. In part it reads:

“In either case, your first responsibility of the prepress process is to “preflight” your files. Preflighting is the process of gathering together and reviewing all the elements necessary to translate what you create on your computer to the printer’s computer. Most printers can provide you with a preflight checklist.” CHUCK GREEN
SOURCE: ideabook.com

The article can be broken down into several important parts:  Read more... (339 words, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)

1. Preflight your files
2. Determine who is responsible for what
3. Review and sign off on a proof
4. Check your job in progress
5. Recheck your job after it is delivered
6. Oversee and approve post-press finishing
7. Negotiate a price adjustment for printing errors
8. Stay abreast of developing