Why you should Preflight your Packaging Artwork and Labels? – Part 1

What is Preflight?

Just as a pilot performs a number of system checks on the airplane before take-off, it’s important to make sure that a print project doesn’t contain any serious errors that will prevent it from printing successfully. Pre-flighting for print production is about examining all of the components that make up an eventual printed piece and comparing them against a checklist of potential known issues. If they “pass” the check, the job can move forward in the print production workflow. If they “fail,” something has to be done to correct the problem before proceeding.

When should preflight check be done?

The earlier in a process that problems are detected, the easier and cheaper it is to fix them. This implies that designers should preflight their creations before sending them and brands should check the artworks after receiving it from the designer.

What tools are available to preflight?

There are several preflight tools available in the market. Callas pdfToolbox, Enfocus PitStop, Markzware FlightCheck, Agfa Apogee Prepress and Kodak Prinergy.

What needs to be checked during preflight?

The artworks may look mighty good on screen but may not be the same when they are printed. Preflight checks ensures that you do not end-up recreating the Artwork, as the printer has found that the Artwork cannot be printed properly.

General File Settings

• PDF file must be of a certain version. This is to avoid that someone uses a brand new application that generates a PDF that no one else’s system can read yet. It’s recommended to be PDF/X-1a:2001 compatible.
• Check the PDF compression algorithm. Some of the newer algorithms may pose problems in older workflows so it is best to check if this is the case. The PDF/X-1a file format is recommended.
• To keep things straightforward, it is best to assume that a file is created 1:1 scale
• PDF files can contain annotations. Preflight needs to make sure that there are no annotations in the TrimBox

ManageArtworks is a Packaging Artwork Management Software that helps regulated industries like Pharmaceuticals and CPG to ensure regulatory compliance of their pack labels. It connects all stakeholders into an automated workflow, empowers users with sophisticated proofing tools including Preflight tools that reduce errors and minimize cost of reprints and gives complete transparency to the entire process with approval request tracking, audit trails and dashboards.

ManageArtworks is available as a ready to use cloud product or as a configurable on premise solution.

Click here to know more or visit this link to try the product for 21 days.

Click here for Part 2