Frequently asked questions

Prepress automation is software performing the file-preparation steps a prepress operator would otherwise do by hand: checking artwork against production requirements, correcting what has one correct answer, and preparing an output file for production. The operator stays responsible for judgement calls; the repetitive checking and correcting is handled automatically.

PDF preflight is the process of checking a PDF against the technical requirements of a print workflow before production. A preflight check typically covers page size and trim, bleed, colour space and profiles, effective image resolution, font embedding, transparency, overprint and PDF standard compliance. Preflight reports problems; it does not by itself fix them.

No. Preflight is one step inside it. Prepta first classifies what kind of file arrived — a professional PDF behaves very differently from a screenshot or a Canva export — then preflights it against your production profile, applies the repairs that profile marks as safe, validates the result, and escalates anything requiring judgement. The output is a production file plus a record of what changed, not a list of errors.

It can apply the repairs your production profile allows. Typical automatic repairs are RGB to CMYK conversion against a named output profile, bleed generation where surrounding content makes it safe, transparency flattening where the workflow requires it, cut contour generation where the geometry is unambiguous, and vector cleanup. Anything outside that set is proposed or escalated rather than applied.

Yes, using the output profile configured in your production profile rather than a generic conversion. The conversion is recorded in the audit trail with the source and destination profiles, so the result can be checked later. Where a colour cannot be reproduced in the target gamut, the shift is reported rather than passed silently to production.

Where it is safe to do so. Bleed can be generated by extending artwork that continues to the trim edge, or by mirroring edge content. When the artwork stops at the trim, or critical content sits in the way, Prepta reports the missing bleed instead of inventing it. Your profile sets the required amount.

Yes — measured as effective DPI at the final output size, which is the number that matters. A 300 dpi image scaled to 400% is a 75 dpi image. If the result falls below your profile minimum, Prepta reports the measurement and the affected area rather than upscaling it.

It reports a likely source with a confidence level, based on file structure and image characteristics. Canva-style exports, Office-generated PDFs, screenshots, camera photos, web assets and professionally prepared PDFs each leave recognisable traces. This is stated as a likelihood, never as a certainty, and it informs the recommendation rather than overriding your profile rules.

Bleed and trim (when page boxes are present), colour space against a CMYK print profile, placed-image resolution, font embedding, live transparency and PDF/X markers. You get a Prepta Score and the measurements behind every finding. Full ISO PDF/X validation is not claimed — we check for the markers print workflows expect.

It answers the same question — is this PDF print-ready? — but as a free single-file check in the browser. Full Prepta adds automatic repair, your own profiles, and validated output. Acrobat and PitStop are operator tools; Prepta is built for print shops receiving customer files.

No. The file is deleted as soon as the report is ready — within about an hour if the check fails. You can share the report link; the PDF is never part of it.

The free check only reports. Automatic repair within your production profile, revalidation, and a production-ready output file are part of full Prepta.

Yes. Create a preflight link and send it over. The recipient runs this same free check without an account, sees what needs fixing, and can send you the link to their report. The link carries no file and no names — only an anonymous ID.

It depends on the product. Many commercial and digital jobs ask for 3 mm; large format often wants 10 mm or more. Check the file against the profile you will print with — the free bleed checker uses a 3 mm public minimum.

Upload it to a colour-space check against a CMYK print profile. The free CMYK checker reports RGB, mixed spaces and profile mismatches with a Prepta Score.

What matters is placed-image resolution against the print profile (and effective DPI at final size for shop jobs). Use the free resolution checker for a quick diagnosis.

PDF/X-4 is an ISO print-exchange standard. Many workflows look for identification markers (version string and OutputIntent). Prepta’s free check looks for those markers and states clearly that this is not full ISO validation.

Rebuild with artwork past the trim, or generate bleed only where content already reaches the edge. If the design stops at trim, send it back rather than inventing content.

Upload the PDF to the free font checker. Unembedded fonts are listed by name so you can ask for a re-export or outlines before the RIP substitutes type.

Upload it to the free transparency checker. Live transparency is flagged when the production profile cannot leave it as-is — common on Canva-style exports destined for cutters or older RIPs.

Yes. Upload the image and the free check measures resolution against the production profile, reports the colour space (RGB vs CMYK), and reads the pixel dimensions — the classic reasons a printed photo disappoints.

Upload the PDF to this free bleed check. We look for TrimBox and BleedBox and measure whether the bleed meets the production profile. If those boxes are missing or were synthesised by the viewer, we say so — we do not invent a false pass.

Upload it here. The free checker reports colour mode against a CMYK print profile — including RGB images, DeviceRGB content and mixed colour spaces.

Upload the PDF to this free resolution check. We evaluate placed images against the production profile’s minimum PPI and list findings in the Prepta Score report.

A tool that checks whether a PDF carries the identification and output intent print workflows associate with PDF/X. Our free check looks for PDF/X-4 markers required by the public profile.

Upload the PDF to this free font check. We report fonts that are not embedded so you can ask for a re-export or outline before production.

Upload it here. The free checker reports live transparency when the production profile cannot leave it as-is, along with the rest of the print-readiness findings.