Prepress guides
Plain explanations of the checks, measurements and file problems that decide whether artwork can go to production. Written for people who have to explain them to customers.
What is prepress?
Everything between a customer approving a design and a press being ready to run it.
What is PDF preflight?
The checks a PDF has to pass before it can go to production, and what each one means.
RGB vs CMYK for printing
Why RGB artwork prints differently, and what a conversion can and cannot preserve.
How much bleed do I need for printing?
What bleed is for, typical amounts by process, and when it cannot be generated.
What DPI do you need for print?
Effective resolution at final size is the only number that matters, and why upscaling does not fix it.
What is a cut contour?
The path a cutter follows, how it should be defined, and when it can be generated.
Canva to print: what can go wrong?
The predictable problems in design-tool exports, and which of them are safe to fix automatically.
What is PDF/X-4 for print?
What PDF/X identification means for print workflows, and why marker checks are not the same as full ISO validation.
How to fix missing bleed in a PDF
When bleed can be generated safely, when it cannot, and how to check the file before you send it back.
Do fonts need to be embedded for print?
Why embedding matters, what happens when a font is missing, and how to check a PDF before production.
Does PDF transparency matter for print?
When live transparency is fine, when it must be flattened, and how to check a customer PDF.
Also being written: PDF/X-1a vs PDF/X-4, preparing artwork for large-format printing, how to prepare a logo for printing, and printing from a phone photo. They are not published yet.