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Artwork Preflight

Catch artwork problems before they reach production

Printzoe Preflight evaluates customized designs using product-aware print information, then gives customers and production teams clear steps for resolving issues.

Request a Preflight DemoView Preflight Capabilities

Printzoe Preflight is in development. Two checks already run inside the Online Designer today; the rest of this page describes the checks being built.

Where it fits

In development
Receives
An approved design with its product data
Module
Artwork Preflight
Produces
A classified report and a readiness state
Primary users
Preflight reviewers and artwork teams
Hands work to
Workflow Automation

Concept Walkthrough

Read a preflight result at a glance

Switch between scenarios to see how passed, warning and blocking results are presented to the people who act on them.

Concept · in development

Select a scenario to change the result.

Concept example · in development
Preflight report · Product label · v2
Customer action required
BleedTrimSafe zone

Preflight request

Product
Product label
View
Front
Print Area
Front label face
Dimensions
100 × 70 mm · 2 mm bleed
Design version
v2
Request owner
Account manager
Current status
Customer action required
Errors
Error3
Warnings
Warning1
Passed
Passed7

Artwork Quality

  • Passed

    Artwork file available

    Print-ready artwork is attached to the job.

  • Passed

    Effective DPI meets target

    Placed photo reproduces at 318 DPI at print size.

  • Passed

    Line weights reproducible

    All strokes meet the 0.25 mm minimum.

Print Boundaries

  • Passed

    Print Area assigned

    Artwork is mapped to the Front label face.

  • Passed

    Product size recognized

    100 × 70 mm matches the selected product configuration.

  • Error

    Artwork extends outside bleed boundary

    The logo extends 3 mm beyond the bleed edge and will be cut off.

    Error
    Affected element
    Brand logo
    Recommended correction
    Move the logo inside the safe zone.
    Resolution
    Open · awaiting revised artwork
  • Warning

    Text approaching safe-zone boundary

    The address line sits 0.8 mm from the safe-zone edge.

    Warning
    Affected element
    Address line
    Recommended correction
    Move the text at least 2 mm inside the safe zone.
    Resolution
    Open

Typography

  • Passed

    Fonts embedded

    All fonts are embedded in the artwork file.

  • Error

    Required font is unavailable

    The headline font is not available to the production system.

    Error
    Affected element
    Headline text
    Recommended correction
    Choose an approved font or supply a licensed font file.
    Resolution
    Open · awaiting revised artwork
  • Error

    Text overflow detected

    The description text exceeds its frame by two lines.

    Error
    Affected element
    Description text
    Recommended correction
    Shorten the text or enlarge the text frame.
    Resolution
    Open · awaiting revised artwork

Production Compatibility

  • Passed

    Transparency supported

    Transparent elements are compatible with the selected print process.

Review and Resolution

  • Error

    Customer action required

    Three errors must be resolved before the job can be released.

Status flow

  1. Preflight requested, Completed
  2. In review, Completed
  3. Issues found, Completed
  4. Customer action required, Current status
  5. Revised artwork received, Not reached
  6. Approved with warnings, Not reached
  7. Production ready, Not reached

Concept demonstration with sample data. Results are illustrative and do not come from a real preflight check.

The Problem

Artwork problems are cheapest to fix before release

Most print errors are visible in the file long before the job reaches a press.

  • Challenge: Artwork checks are inconsistent.

    Printzoe’s approach: The same rules run for every request, in the same order.

  • Challenge: Production issues are discovered too late.

    Printzoe’s approach: Checks run after approval and before release, while changes are still simple.

  • Challenge: Customers do not understand technical errors.

    Printzoe’s approach: Results are classified by severity so customers know what actually needs action.

  • Challenge: Generic file checks lack product context.

    Printzoe’s approach: Checks use the product’s Print Area, bleed and safe-zone data.

  • Challenge: Review decisions are not documented.

    Printzoe’s approach: Manual review decisions are recorded with the reviewer’s note.

  • Challenge: Jobs are released without a clear readiness state.

    Printzoe’s approach: A job is marked Production Ready only when its issues are resolved.

Capabilities

Check categories

Each check is labelled as automated, manual review or a configurable rule. Items marked In development are not yet available.

In development
Designed and in development. Not yet available for production use; scope may change.

Artwork Quality

Is the file itself fit to print?

  • Effective resolutionIn developmentAutomated check

    Flags images that fall below the minimum DPI at their placed size.

  • Supported file typesIn developmentAutomated check

    Confirms uploaded artwork uses an accepted format.

  • File integrityIn developmentAutomated check

    Detects damaged or unreadable files.

  • TransparencyIn developmentAutomated check

    Highlights transparent areas that may print unexpectedly.

  • Vector artwork requirementIn developmentConfigurable rule

    Requires vector artwork where the production method needs it.

Print Boundaries

Does the artwork sit where the product can be printed?

  • Content kept inside the Print AreaAutomated check

    The Designer already clips elements to their Print Area while customers edit.

  • Artwork outside the boundaryIn developmentAutomated check

    Flags artwork that extends beyond the Print Area.

  • Bleed coverageIn developmentAutomated check

    Checks that background artwork extends into the bleed.

  • Safe-zone violationsIn developmentAutomated check

    Flags important content placed too close to the trim.

Typography

Will the text print the way it looks?

  • Text overflow warningAutomated check

    The Designer warns customers when text no longer fits its box.

  • Minimum text sizeIn developmentAutomated check

    Flags text too small to print legibly.

Production Compatibility

Does the artwork suit how the product is made?

  • Color validationIn developmentAutomated check

    Warns when artwork colors may not reproduce as expected.

  • Minimum line thicknessIn developmentAutomated check

    Flags lines too thin to reproduce reliably.

  • Background checksIn developmentAutomated check

    Checks artwork backgrounds against product requirements.

  • Required elementsIn developmentConfigurable rule

    Confirms elements a product must include are present.

Review and Resolution

How results become decisions.

  • Severity levelsIn developmentAutomated check

    Blocking, error, warning and information results.

  • Manual reviewIn developmentManual review

    Results that need judgement are routed to a person.

  • Assigned reviewerIn developmentManual review

    Each review has a clear owner.

  • EscalationIn developmentManual review

    Difficult issues move to an artwork specialist.

  • Recorded review decisionIn developmentManual review

    Resolved or rejected, with the reviewer’s note.

  • Preflight reportIn developmentAutomated check

    A summary of every result for the request.

  • Production-ready stateIn developmentAutomated check

    A clear status once every issue is resolved.

How It Works

The intended preflight workflow

From request to Production Ready, with people involved only where judgement is needed.

Result states

  • PassedNo issues. The job can move on.
  • Passed with warningsWorth checking, but nothing blocks release.
  • Review requiredA person needs to look before the job continues.
  • FailedSomething must be fixed and checked again.

  1. Request created

    An approved design is submitted for checks.

    Automatic

  2. Automated checks performed

    File, boundary, typography and compatibility rules run.

    Automatic

  3. Manual checks assigned

    Results that need judgement go to a reviewer.

    Preflight reviewer

  4. Issues classified

    Each result is marked blocking, error, warning or information.

    Automatic

  5. Team or customer notified

    The people who need to act are told what to fix.

    Account manager

  6. Revised design submitted

    A corrected version replaces the failing one.

    Customer or designer

  7. Checks repeated

    The revised design runs through the same rules.

    Automatic

  8. Reviewer approves

    The reviewer records the decision.

    Preflight reviewer

  9. Job marked Production Ready

    The job is ready for release.

    Automatic

Who It Is For

Who acts on preflight results

  • Customer

    Fixes issues in their own design when asked.

  • Account Manager

    Explains results and agrees next steps with the customer.

  • Artwork Specialist

    Resolves escalated artwork issues.

  • Preflight Reviewer

    Reviews flagged results and records decisions.

  • Production Operator

    Receives only jobs marked Production Ready.

Business Outcomes

What consistent preflight changes

  • Earlier issue detection

    Problems surface before release, not at the press.

  • More consistent review

    The same rules apply to every request.

  • Clearer customer communication

    Severity shows what actually needs fixing.

  • Documented decisions

    Manual reviews leave a record.

  • Greater production confidence

    Production receives jobs with a clear readiness state.

Implementation

Agreeing your preflight rules

Preflight reflects how your products are made. These decisions are made together during implementation.

Discuss your preflight rules

  1. Rules and thresholds

    Which checks apply and what minimum resolution, text size and line thickness mean for your products.

  2. Product data

    Accurate Print Area, bleed and safe-zone values for every product.

  3. Review ownership

    Who reviews flagged results and who handles escalations.

  4. Customer communication

    How and when customers are asked to correct their artwork.

Questions

Artwork preflight questions

Talk to a technical specialist

The checks in development cover file type and integrity, resolution, Print Area boundaries, bleed, safe zones, minimum text size and line thickness, color, transparency, backgrounds and required elements. Today the Online Designer already keeps content inside the Print Area and warns when text overflows its box.

See preflight applied to your products

Show us the products and artwork issues you deal with today, and we will walk through how preflight is designed to handle them.

Request a Preflight DemoBook an Enterprise Demo

Bring a sample product or workflow to your demo. We will show how it can be configured in Printzoe.