The optimal digital workflow for print begins at the beginning—at the content creation stage. When digital files submitted to the printer are correct and complete, the workflow is most efficient and cost-effective.
Printers have led the global print industry through a revolution—first, with the introduction of computer-to-plate manufacturing (CTP), and then with direct digital imaging. They made these critical changes for the benefit of their businesses and their customers. But along with the leadership role comes a certain amount of responsibility. Printers must also be committed to educating their client base on how to prepare appropriate and reliable digital content files, and equip their customers with the digital tools and technologies that will enable them to attain the goal.
Enabling the print customer with digital workflow toolsBeyond simply telling the customers how to prepare the files according to the print shop’s specifications, printers should also be prepared to promote digital file verification tools to their client base—low-investment-cost software that will help their clients ensure that the files are correct and complete before they’re ever submitted to the printer’s prepress environment.
There are a several “preflighting?or “postflighting?software solutions on the market today—some significantly more expensive than others, some better suited for high-volume printers, others better suited for content creators. Preflighting solutions are capable of verifying digital files in their native application stage—such as a document being prepared in QuarkXPress or Microsoft Word—while an application that postflights is capable of verifying specs in a final exchange format, such as PDF or PDF/X-1a file.
These solutions electronically look inside the digital file to make certain that all of the elements are resident, placed properly, and specifications like resolution, color space and document dimensions are correct. The software will often print out a report of its findings, so that the content creator can see the problems immediately and make any necessary changes before the file moves forward in the workflow.
Keeping with the idea that the ideal workflow is one that catches any potential file problems as far forward in the process as possible, Markzware Software—one of the leaders in preflight/postflight software—has come out with a new idea, on-the-fly file verification. This United States-based software developer (best known for its flagship FlightCheck Professional software) recently introduced a new tool specifically designed to help content creators and graphic designers avoid file preparation mistakes from the start.
FlightCheck Studio is a brand-new plug-in application that works alongside the native application, such QuarkXPress and Adobe’s InDesign. Before they begin create a document, they can assign certain parameters to the document. For example, if the document is bound for print, the designer will not want to mistakenly insert an image that’s 72 dpi. Based on the output specifications, FlightCheck Studio will sound a visual warning to the designer if any of the specifications are mistakenly disregarded.
For less than a few hundred dollars, graphic designers can invest in software of this kind, never have to leave the comfort of working in their familiar native applications, and never again send a digital file to a printer that’s incomplete or ineffective. Printers would be served well to introduce their customer base to best practices in digital file preparation, including recommending software solutions that assist their customers in content correctly, from the start.
Gretchen Peck is a U.S.-based author who writes about the global printing and graphic arts industry.