We were given an InDesign file along with all of the images and embedded fonts to then locate 8 errors within the document. This could include incorrect colour modes, image resolution, missing links and so on.
1) The first mistake we found was a missing link - 'tree silhouette.ai' was not linked correctly therefore in order to resolve this, the designer would need to relocate the image.
2) There are 7 colour separations despite there being just 5 colours - the unused spot colours would need to be removed before going to print to avoid unnecessary costs due to the need of extra printing plates.
3) The yellow background on the title page does not extend to the bleed which may result in white edges when printed and trimmed.
4) 'bird 3.tif' has the incorrect colour mode for print (RGB). A simple correction would be to covert this image to CMYK in Photoshop.
The gamut warning in Photoshop shows the blue is not in the CMYK gamut range.
5) 'bird 1.tif' has a large file size in comparison to the others. This would need to be reduced to avoid sending a larger file size than necessary to print. The designer could simply alter the image to fit the correct dimensions as it has currently been scaled down to fit.
6) 'bird 5.psd' has been set to the default Photoshop resolution - 72 dpi. The original image would need to be replaced and saved at a higher resolution but still retain the same dimensions.
7) The text on the last page is set to registration as opposed to black meaning it has exceeded the ink limit. 'Registration' uses all of the process (CMYK) colours and should only be used to ensure the CMYK separations match perfectly - if a colour is offset, there has been error during print.
8) The blue background uses an RGB colour which may differ when printed.
Preflight
File > Package
The 'package' function gathers all of the linked images and text. You can immediately see there is an error with the document by the warning symbol in the 'summary' window. It will inform you whether there is a problem with the fonts, linked images, colour modes etc. However, general proofing issues such as an image not extending to the bleed (problem 3), will not be shown in pre-flight.
If the effective ppi is larger than the actual ppi (below) it shows that the image has been reduced in size when placed into InDesign (problem 5).
When you go to package the document, you are able to add any additional printing instructions which will be saved as a .txt file alongside your InDesign document and any relevant images and fonts. A warning dialog box will also appear with a message from Adobe regarding copyrighted fonts.
All of the files will be saved in one folder, including the instructions.
You are also able to export the document as a .pdf to be commercially printed (however, this must be discussed with the printer in advance to ensure the settings are correct). The 'smallest file size' option should be used when showing work over the web.
Window > Utilities > Background Tasks is useful when processing a large pdf as otherwise, no dialog box appears to inform you of its progress - this option allows you to monitor what is happening.
The 'preflight' option allows you to see the errors before fully packaging the document. The original logo only allows you to see the links option but this can be changed by editing the profile by going to the options menu (below).
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