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Print Workflow and Processes: Prepress File Prep

Print Workflow and Processes: Prepress File Prep

File Preparation – Episode Summary

In this comprehensive episode of The Print University, Pat McGrew and Ryan McAbee walk through the entire lifecycle of preparing design files for production—a must-watch for anyone involved in prepress automation training (Kodak Prinergy, Esko), printing technician certification online, or printing industry training programs for new employees.

The episode begins where design ends: acquiring the customer file. From legacy ZIP disks to today’s FTP, SFTP, APIs, and cloud platforms like Box or Dropbox, file transfer methods must be secure, automated, and standardized. Once acquired, files undergo format normalization—usually converting various native file types (InDesign, Word, XML, TIFF) into print-ready PDFs. Automation is stressed throughout to reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and ensure consistency.

The team explores critical prepress checkpoints: preflighting (automated checks for font issues, image resolution, color space), optimization (file repair and compression), and content editing (page rotation, tab creation, OCR, color remapping, and embellishment setup). Tools like document re-engineering and make-ready applications help clean scanned content, insert tabs, and prep specialty graphics.

Color fidelity is emphasized—whether managing overprint, knockouts, or trapping for analog printing, or preserving spot color behavior through layers in digital workflows. Imposition and nesting conclude the journey, with AI-enabled tools that optimize press sheet layout, align with grain direction, and balance efficiency with SLA requirements.

This episode offers a full-spectrum look at modern file prep, bridging design and production through automation and process control.

You Will Learn:

  • How to securely acquire, normalize, and automate incoming files from customers

  • The role of preflight, optimization, and document re-engineering in production success

  • Page- and color-level editing tools: tabs, orientation, OCR, and color mapping

  • Imposition techniques: AI-driven nesting, N-up layouts, grain direction, and substrate usage

  • Why layered PDFs, color fidelity, and embellishment setup are crucial for consistent output

Who This Course Is For:

Prepress leads, production operators, automation engineers, file prep teams, and anyone developing print shop employee onboarding templates or improving lean manufacturing training printing industry

Time to Watch:

Approx. 30 minutes