The finished product in the majority of graphic design briefs is a printed document.  Whilst the designer has the creative brief it is the job of the art worker to bring that design to life and to make the associated file ‘print- ready’.  The term print-ready is used to describe a file that has been formatted, corrected and had all necessary adjustments made to ensure that when a document is printed it is exactly as required.

Why a file may not be print-ready:

It is the task of the artworker to ensure that files sent to the printers are correct and will not require any further input by the print staff themselves.  There can be many reasons why a file may not be described as print-ready but the ten most common are listed below:

1. The document is not set at the correct size.
2. The specified colours are set to RGB instead of CMYK.
3. Pantone colour formulas or spot colours are not defined.
4. Margins are not set correctly meaning design graphics and text are within ¼” from the edge of the page.
5. Image resolution is too low – minimum is 300 dpi at 100%
6. No bleeds or they are improperly set – bleeds should be more than 1/8” beyond the crop marks.
7. No crop marks or set in wrong place meaning final trimmed document is the wrong size.
8. Missing text, fonts, images or graphics.
9. The contrast between any text and the background design is poor.
10. Document contains spelling and grammatical errors.

The pre-flight stage:

Making a design print ready is usually the next step after the graphics file has been created either by the graphic designer or an artworker.  This is sometimes known as the pre-flight stage where the file is checked to ensure it complies with everything necessary to print successfully.

If you are considering taking artworker jobs then this can form a large portion of the work you will do.  Typically making a file print-ready will involve checking things like the format and resolution of images, that colours are set to the appropriate CMYK or Pantone matching system and most importantly that the document has the correct margins, crop marks and bleeds to ensure the printed design is contained within the paper size.

PDF creation and additional editing:

Another important aspect of this work includes the creation of a PDF file suitable for sending to the printers.  PDF files are preferred because they can be easily shared across different computers and different software.  PDF’s also capture and set the different elements of a design such as images, fonts and layout ensuring everything is in the correct place when the file is opened ready for printing.

The pre-flight stage is not usually performed for the correction of spelling and grammar or other general editing requirements.  Many artworker jobs will require these additional edits to be performed either before or during the print-ready process especially where a document includes a large amount of text.  Mac operators may also be charged with these tasks.

Performing the print-ready process is essential to ensuring a project not only stays on schedule but also on budget.  If the printers need to edit and re-format the files before printing can take place it can lead to delays and additional expense.  Many design agencies continue to employ experienced artworkers and Mac operators to ensure files arrive at the printers ready to go and that projects remain on schedule and within the client’s budget.

Barry Magennis blogs on media jobs, artworker jobs and graphic design careers.