Artwork Prepress

Online preflight for PDF and image files

Catch print problems before they print, then fix them.

The Artwork Prepress screen in a Plavidian account

A real preflight on a flat: the trim and bleed read from the PDF, the located issues, and the Make it print-ready fixes (crop marks, RGB and spot color, 300 dpi, flatten) applied to the file itself.

What it does

Upload a PDF, JPG, PNG or TIFF, pick the product, and Artwork Prepress checks the file the way our prepress department does, then fixes what it can. It checks page count, trim size, bleed and safe zone for that product, every image too low in resolution for it, every RGB object, ink coverage, rich black, spot colors and registration-color hazards, grades the file A to F and shows each issue as a color highlight on a zoomable preview, with an overprint preview of how the file will actually print. The fixes are made in the file itself: crop marks and slug stripped, RGB and spot colors converted to CMYK with vectors kept, images up-converted to 300 dpi, and transparency flattened only if you ask. Download the fixed file or open it in Plavidian Studio; on a job, Plavidian staff save it back as the Print Ready PDF.

Why it matters

Most prepress delays are the same few problems: missing bleed, live content too close to trim, low-resolution images, RGB color. Catching them before submission, and fixing them without a round trip to a designer, saves a proof cycle.

How to use it

Upload the artwork file (PDF, JPG, PNG or TIFF)
Pick the product type and finished size
Review the highlighted issues on the preview, tick the fixes, apply, and download (Plavidian staff can also save to the job)

Use it free One-page overview (PDF)

Included with every free Plavidian account.

What you get from a run

Everything Artwork Prepress does

Trim, bleed and safe zone by product

The finished size is read from the TrimBox and compared with the product you chose. Bleed and safe zone follow the product: 0.125 in for print, 0.5 in for large format, the die-cut guide for door hangers, window and flap guides for remit envelopes.

Every image checked at 300 dpi

Each placed image is measured at the size it is placed. Anything under 250 dpi on a 300 dpi product is listed and highlighted on the preview so you can see which one it is; 250 to 299 dpi is close enough and passes.

Color mode, located

RGB images are highlighted where they sit on the page and RGB vector objects are listed; CMYK is confirmed. Ink and color checks run on the CMYK raster too: total ink coverage, rich-black builds, spot-color plates and registration-color hazards.

Overprint preview

See how overprinting objects will actually print before they surprise you on press - white text set to overprint disappears in the preview the way it would on paper.

Remove crop marks and slug

Vector crop marks, registration targets and white backing lines outside the trim are stripped for real, the page is cut to the bleed box, and the TrimBox is kept. Not a white box painted over them.

Convert RGB and spot colors to CMYK

Images are re-encoded, vector colors and gradients converted, transparency kept - vectors stay vector. Spot plates (Pantone and other separations) can be remapped to their own CMYK build, or left as intentional spot plates.

Up-convert images below 300 dpi

Lanczos resampling with light sharpening at the placed size. It adds pixels, not detail - the preview shows what you get.

Flatten transparency, only if you need it

A last resort for a file whose proof shows a transparency problem: each page becomes one CMYK raster at 300, 450 or 600 dpi. Off by default.

Undo, download, hand off

Undo any fix and revert to the original. Download the fixed file, open it - fixed or original - in Plavidian Studio to keep working, or (Plavidian staff, on a job) save it back as the Print Ready PDF and release it as the customer proof.

Questions people ask

What files can I check?

PDF, JPG, PNG and TIFF. A PDF is checked page by page with its own TrimBox; an image is checked against the finished size you enter.

Does it change my original?

Not until you apply a fix, and even then the original is one click away. Standalone use is private - nothing is saved unless you send the file to a job.

Will converting RGB to CMYK change my colors?

Some. Bright, saturated RGB tones - vivid blues, greens and oranges - print duller in CMYK because the press cannot reach them. The preview shows the converted file, which is the honest view of what will print.

Is this the same check my job gets?

Yes. The job builder runs the same preflight on every upload, and our prepress department reviews every job file before production. In the job builder each side is checked on its own page and graded A to F; if a side has issues you can fix it or choose Proceed With This File, and Plavidian staff will review the file and attempt to make it print-ready. Running it here first means the file arrives clean.

Can I fix a file I cannot repair here?

Open it in Plavidian Studio: place it on the right product, erase or cover parts, add the address panel and permit, and save a new press-ready PDF.

Not sure which rule applies?

Ask Plavidian Expert in plain English and get an answer grounded in the USPS Domestic Mail Manual, or read the standard behind it.

Ask Plavidian Expert Browse the guides