Our Quality Process
OUR PREPRESS QUALITY CHECKLIST INCLUDES:
- Text and image safety check
- Bleeds and cut lines check
- Size compatibility
- Resolution in 300 DPI
- Borders check
- Appropriate color options
- Eliminate double-crop marks
- Eliminate key lines (holding lines)
- Convert to Rich Black
- Dropouts check
- Watermark removal
- Illegal images check
- Check for proper orientation
- Perforation and score safety check
- Hole drill placement check
- Indicia confirmation
- Mailing area guidelines
- Image centering
- .FPO file check
- Convert 400% ink coverage
How to Ensure Premium Print Quality
Maintaining premium print quality is crucial in both digital and offset printing. While a comprehensive quality control checklist is essential, there are additional procedures within the printing industry that can help you achieve exceptional results. Along with our 20-point checklist, consider the following steps to ensure high-quality printing:
Export Print-Ready Artwork
Regardless of the graphic design software you use—be it Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or CorelDRAW—properly exporting your artwork for both offset and digital presses is vital. A solid prepress checklist for graphic designers should include software-specific steps tailored to optimize your files for printing.
Artwork Checklists for Designers
To help you prepare print-ready files, consider the following checklists tailored for different software:
- Illustrator Printing Checklist
- Photoshop Printing Checklist
- CorelDRAW PDF Printing Guide
Preflight vs. Prepress: Understanding the Difference
Preflight:
Preflight is the process of checking a job for technical errors, such as font conflicts and missing graphic links. This typically involves using preflight software to ensure that all components of the file are intact and ready for printing. Preflight is an essential part of the broader prepress process.
Prepress:
Prepress encompasses multiple steps completed by the printer to prepare artwork for press printing. These steps include typesetting, color correction, production planning, preflighting, proofing, and offset plating, among others.
In simple terms, you can think of preflight as checking file quality, while prepress involves the comprehensive process of preparing artwork for printing. At Bison Packaging, our approach combines both prepress and preflight into a complete print preproduction checklist. While you may sometimes export your file in its native format, it is typically best to export artwork as a high-quality PDF to ensure the best results.
