(While the graph may seem to indicate that preflight may take as much time as the project itself, this may be misleading. Preflight may take as long, longer, or less time than the actual design project. The graph is intended only to suggest that preflight is important enough to spend a significant amount of time doing right, as it will ultimately save time and money by avoiding production delays.) To explain in more detail, all graphic elements must be captured and reviewed
to insure they are in the appropriate image format, correct resolution, desired
color format (generally CMYK rather than RGB), and not corrupt in any way.
Not including fonts is one of the most common problems, so the person performing
preflight/prepress must insure that fonts are available, not corrupt, and in a
compatible format (or alternatively converted to outlines). With some applications graphic elements are imported by reference,
rather than embedded in the project, so we must insure these elements are reviewed and included in
a manner that does not compromise the links within the project. Generally the project
has been created in a suitable resolution, but that too should be double-checked.
Then the specifications provided by the vendor or department responsible for production must
be rechecked to confirm that the project is in compliance. If the project has been created with layers,
it should be flattened to guard against issues with transparent objects. Finally, a last review of
the project should be performed (ideally with a fresh set of eyes) to confirm that nothing
has shifted at the last minute, been misspelled or forgotten.
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