Job code PP-01
Prepress, Imposition and Colour Proofing
Most print problems are file problems, found late. Preflight catches them before plates exist: missing bleed, unembedded fonts, images at the wrong resolution, blacks built four-colour where they should be single. The contract proof then fixes what everyone is agreeing to.
| Input | PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 preferred; native files accepted with fonts |
|---|---|
| Image resolution | 300 ppi effective at final size; 1200 ppi for line art |
| Bleed | 3 mm minimum on all trimmed edges |
| Colour | ISO 12647-2, FOGRA characterisation data |
| Proof type | Contract proof on calibrated device with control strip |
| Plate output | Computer to plate, after written proof approval only |
Output
What you receive
- Preflight report listing every issue found and how it was resolved
- Corrected, press-ready PDF with the agreed trim and bleed
- Imposition proof showing the folded sequence
- Contract colour proof, signed off before plating
Suited to
Suited to
- Publishers supplying files from mixed sources
- Institutions whose typesetting is done in-house
- Any title where colour has to match an earlier printing
Process
How the work runs
- Preflight against the job specification and report findings
- Correct or return, with each change recorded rather than applied silently
- Impose to the press sheet and generate a folding dummy
- Produce the contract proof and hold it for approval
- Plate only after written proof approval
Questions
Questions we are asked
- What if our file fails preflight?
- You get the report with each issue named and located. Simple corrections we make and list; anything that changes design intent goes back to you, because that decision is not ours.
- Is a screen proof enough?
- For text and layout, usually. For colour, no. An uncalibrated screen cannot be a contract, so colour-critical work is approved on a measured proof.