Most of the previous printing buyers submitted the film and proofing to the printing factory. The printing factory did not need to face any erroneous responsibility in the prepress production. However, most of the printing buyers today submitted electronic manuscripts. Many printing companies therefore added additional prepress departments and purchased a large number of equipment such as computers, CTPs, and process systems. However, due to the lack of experience and talents, as well as different formats of electronic manuscripts submitted by customers, too many software versions, uneven levels of manuscript drafting, and various techniques, many problems often arise, such as: low-resolution images, missing OPI links. Links, wrong color spaces (RGB, CIE diagrams...), out of total ink, lines too young, inappropriate overprints, lost fonts, etc.... And these responsibilities are often borne by the printers and they need to be reprinted or fined. Not only does it lose money and time, the most important thing is that the company’s reputation is damaged. These problems have repeatedly occurred one after another. If you do not do so, you will repeat the same mistakes.
Although there are some preflight systems on the market that can help you to check the files in advance, if you find a problem and produce a report, you can return the file to the customer for modification based on the report. However, in many cases, the customer is only a middleman. His customers may be foreign publishers or other companies, and these companies are also likely to send outbound manuscripts to independent designers. In this case, the manuscript will need to go through multiple channels and take a lot of time to make changes.
There were also occasions when the pre-inspection report found no problems, but there were still problems with the output of the film or the zinc plate. It may be that the RIP version does not match, and it is possible that the embedded font is corrupted. Of course, it can be found in time. It is only the cost of the zinc plate or film. If it is not discovered in time, it will only be found after the printing. Then it will suffer heavy losses.
Recently, Workflow Integrator in Singapore launched a solution named proSkipper prepress auto detection and modification. ProSkipper's unique Predictable Printing (P2) profile optimization technology ensures faster, error-free output.
Basically, proSkipper is like a preflight system. After sending files to the system, the system automatically performs preflight processing. However, proSkipper has several more programs than other preflight systems. It will perform five steps to process the file-preflight, optimization, correction, output, and transmission.
1. Preflight - A preemptive JDF-driven preflight engine that generates a low-resolution PDF report after detection. When this report is opened with PDF Reader, the non-compliance issue of the file will be in the bookmarks bar. The red word is displayed, and the page is displayed on the right with a low resolution. When you click on the red word for each question, the right page will be covered with a blue square in the non-compliant position for easy viewing.
2.Optimization—The system automatically analyzes and optimizes the redundant and burdensome command statements generated by some application software (such as PageMaker, QuarkXpress, Illustrator...) to automatically flatten the layers of the PSD file and reduce excessively high. The image resolution and so on.
3. Correction - You can set some correction parameters according to your requirements, the system will automatically modify the substandard areas according to these parameters, for example: if you encounter an RGB chart which ICC Profile to use when converting to CMYK If the value of the young line is less than the value of the young line, the system automatically bolds to the value you defined. If the total ink amount exceeds the number, the UCR is automatically used to correct, and the gradient of the Vector is replaced with a smooth continuous tone gradient network. network.
Preflight PDF report, blue squares showing the location of the problem
4. Output - You can provide error-free electronic files for the first time according to the clear and detailed requirements of publishers and printing houses. proSkipper outputs all standard file formats. For example: Synthesis or separation of Postscript level 1/2/3, DCS1/DCS2, and PDF 1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5, PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3 (both 2001 and 2003), PDF /X-Plus, Pass4Press, exclusive PDF/P2*, and TIFF-IT-P1 and more. Regardless of the output of these electronic files to the old Postscript Level I raster processor (RIP) or the latest version of the PDF file, proSkipper will have a corresponding tool set to identify different versions of files at different times to protect the previous investment. The proSkipper check check file is processed according to the raster processor (RIP) mode, so if the file passes the proSkipper check test, it will be able to output the correct zinc plate or film.
proSkipper outputs all standard file formats
5. Transmission - When the output process is complete, the transfer job is started and it is ready to transfer the file to the next session: automatic compression, rename, local archive, FTP upload to the remote site, and even transfer to another On the production platform. The PDF file output by proSkipper ensures transfer to any application and system (even different vendors' platforms).
The server-based proSkipper system is set up on the network like a printer, allowing simple printing of MAC or PC clients. Like printing to a regular desktop printer, proSkipper can use a standard print window to control Or intercept the data in the production workflow.
ProSkipper structure flow chart
proSkipper is an open, scalable system that can choose to use the Mac OSX, Linux, or Windows platforms. proSkipper consists of a set of pre-defined tools, each of which performs its own unique function on the incoming file and passes it to the next stage of production. Production managers can not only define the workflow of those tools through the edit mode, but also those settings can be changed by authorized operators on the desktop system.
proSkipper also allows you to manage your production process the way you want. It can handle the prepress electronic files for each printing factory more simply, more efficiently, without worry.
proSkipper multiple sets of different user settings windows
*Note: PDF/P2 (Print -Predictable predictable printing effect) is a unique format of Germany's Dalim Company. It is packaged as a PDF Header on a file that has been converted into Contone & Linework. The advantage of this format is that the file has been converted to meet the conditions of What you see is what you get, even if there is no problem with using the oldest PS Level I or the latest PS RIP.
Source: Graphic Arts 263 Year / November 2005 Author: Keith