If you’ve worked with a printing company, you may have heard the term “prepress.” Understanding this step in the production process is helpful for business owners, purchasing agents, marketing professionals, and others involved in the process of printing and producing materials.
Prepress
This term refers to the process of creating a print layout and performing all the steps that lead to the final print project. A digital prepress machine accepts information electronically and transforms the data onto a printing plate which is ultimately used to transfer your files onto paper while on press. Using an experienced prepress team can be a significant time saver, especially if you used a graphic designer to create artwork in the correct format. Different file sizes, output needs, and file types can all slow down the printing process, but utilizing a trained prepress technician results in efficient file output quickly and efficiently.
Basics of Prepress
As soon as a customer submits art files to a printer for production, the prepress phase has begun. You want the final project to reflect your hard work and design layout, which is why you should always use a professional such as Solo Printing for your commercial printing needs. Our services combine a fully electronic G7 Master Printer Qualification workflow with high-speed digital prepress, digital proofing and direct-to-plate imaging for high-quality work on every piece. We ensure what you envision will be the product we deliver.
Steps in the Process
The first step is preparing the data for transmission. Most files come in Adobe InDesign formats or High-Res PDF’s. The prepress preflight will validate all data to make sure it meets the proper production requirements. Upon completing the validation, the next step is creating proofs, which are sent to the customer for approval. This process also may include transparency flattening, screening, color separation, trapping, or color management to provide a high-quality finished product.
At Solo Printing, our prepress printing services are some of the best in the industry. Contact us today at 800-325-0118 to learn more about how these print services can boost your business communications.
