Avoid print design disasters by following these preflight steps. Use this FREE customizable template to create your own preflight checklist.
Make sure your files are picture-perfect before you send them to the printer by using this preflight checklist. Scroll down for the FREE downloadable list as well as a step-by-step breakdown of everything you need to know and do when finalizing your project.
What Is Preflight?
Preflight is an important quality control checkpoint in the print design process. The term “preflight” is borrowed from the aviation practice of checking a plane for any mechanical issues before takeoff. It’s the last chance to check the file for errors and assure that it’s viable for printing before sending files to the printer.
Many commercial printers, especially online trade printers, provide their own preflight checklist documents. Your workplace may already have this process in place, or maybe you’ve been bestowed with the important task of ensuring a press flub doesn’t happen (again).
Whether you’re auditing current processes or starting fresh, the steps below and the FREE downloadable customizable preflight checklist are a perfect place to begin.
What Preflight Is NOT
Preflight is not the time to proofread your document. It’s also not something that should happen before client approval. Your design should be 100% approved by the client and thoroughly proofread prior to checking off boxes on the preflight checklist. Do not try to consolidate approval, proofing, and preflight processes to save time. That way lies mistakes and madness.
Any time anyone opens a file for any reason, you’re creating an opportunity to introduce errors. It pays to be a little paranoid and rigid around these processes because it’ll ultimately save you time, money, and your reputation. Unfortunately, the last person to touch the file usually gets saddled with the blame if something goes wrong, so lean into the responsibility and advocate for standardized processes to set yourself (and your projects) up for success.
Download the Preflight Checklist
Just click the button below and the download will automatically begin. Once the download is finished, double-click the ZIP file to unpackage its contents.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST TEMPLATE HERE
By downloading this FREE pack, you agree not to resell or redistribute these assets.
The Preflight Checklist
You can use this checklist in many design apps, but I’ll be breaking it down in Adobe InDesign for demonstration purposes. It’s also important to note that this isn’t intended to be a comprehensive checklist, as specialty printing has even more considerations.
However, this should be a good starting place to make sure your standard four-color print job comes out looking great. If you have more than one designer on your team, use the buddy system and proof each other’s work using this checklist. Fresh eyes are more likely to catch mistakes.
Step 1: Check Your Specs
Go to File > Document Setup to ensure that the size of your design matches your printer quote. If your printer provided a template for your project, make sure that it was used properly. If your design has cuts and scores, print out folding mockups to make sure everything is placed and oriented where it needs to be. You don’t want to be the bozo who puts the cover of the brochure on the wrong side. (Trust me, I’ve been that bozo.)
Pro tip: If your design is too big for your printer paper, simply print your mockup at a smaller scale.
Step 2: Watch Those Edges
It’s important to build in some wiggle room around the edges of your design because commercial printers can’t trim mass quantities with laser-like precision. Having adequate bleed around your design avoids slivers of white, unprinted paper on the edges of your design. You can also check your bleed in File > Document Setup. Bleed will appear as a thin red line outside the page. In my example, I failed to extend the bleed of the photo to the top, so I’ll fix that before proceeding.
Step 3: Keep an Eye on Tiny Details
It’s advisable not to use small fonts (≤5pt) or strokes (≤.25pt). The smaller they are, the more likely they won’t print the way you envisioned.
Miniscule type may also be impossible to read. If the information was important enough to typeset, it’s important enough to make legible. Now is the time to beef up those little details. Can you tell I had a .05pt stroke in my design? No? Then, I’m choosing to delete it.
Step 4: Check Linked Images
Click on the images in your design and check their Resolution and Color Space in the Links Panel under Link Info. You want about 300 Effective PPI for all raster images. At the time of preflight, all images should be accounted for and there shouldn’t be any missing links. You’ll want all of your linked assets to have a CMYK color space (or, in some cases, Grayscale).
Step 5: Clean up Your Colors
As with your linked images, you want your color Swatches to be CMYK, too. Open up your Swatches Panel and click the hamburger menu on the right. First, Add Unnamed Colors to make sure no sneaky swatches are trying to fly under the radar. Then, go back to that menu and Select All Unused colors to quickly select all the swatches not actively being used in your design. Click on the Trash icon at the bottom of the Swatches Panel to delete those. Now, you’re left with the colors you’re actually using.
You can confirm that these swatches are “four color process” (a.k.a. CMYK) because the icon that appears next to them contains four cyan/magenta/yellow/black triangles. Other color modes will have different icons, so if your swatches look different, double-click on the swatch and change the Color Type to Process and the Color Mode to CMYK.
Step 6: Use the Correct Blacks
This is an easy one to overlook. It’s important to just use plain [Black] for text or strokes to avoid registration issues. However, if your design has large areas of black, you want to make sure you’re using a Rich Black to really saturate that page with ink and avoid a wimpy, streaky gray.
To make a rich black, click on the hamburger menu in your Swatches Panel and click New Color Swatch. Many creatives have their own secret recipe for a rich black, but my favorite is Cyan: 60%, Magenta: 40%, Yellow: 40%, Black: 100%. Enter those values and click OK to create your new swatch.
Step 7: Fix Overset Text or Missing Typefaces
If you open your file and suddenly notice that some type is highlighted with a weird salmon color, this means that the typeface that was originally used is missing. If you’re using an Adobe Font, simply reactivate it. Or, if you’re opening this file on another computer, there may be a conflict with the installed fonts. It may take some troubleshooting to resolve, but don’t let your file leave your hands in this condition.
InDesign does its best to tell you if there’s content that invisibly extends beyond the text frame. If you see a little red plus sign at the corner of a text frame, it means that your content is getting cut off by a too-small text frame! Fix Overset Text ASAP by extending your frame or making your type a little smaller.
Step 8: One Final Tidying
Delete unnecessary layers or objects on the pasteboard. You don’t want anything that’s supposed to print on a hidden or non-printing layer. If you manually drew page borders on your file to help with the review process, now is the time to delete them or change that layer to non-printing. Keep only what is necessary (and sparks joy).
Step 9: Specialty Considerations
Communication is key to making more complicated print pieces. Your local printer may want the special effect designated on its own layer with an obviously labeled spot color like “FOIL” or “DIE-CUT.”
An online printer may also have its own guidelines. Work with your printer to ensure special effects like foils, die-cuts, scores, etc. are properly set up.
Step 10: One Final Glance Over
At this point, I like to compare my prepped file to the PDF that the client approved (which I keep meticulously organized). Side by side and page by page, I’ll eyeball through the document to make sure nothing shifted, changed colors, disappeared, got abducted by aliens, etc. Like I said before, anything can happen when you open a file and start clicking on things. Especially if you work in an environment with unavoidable distractions, or work from home with small children and helpful animals.
You’re Ready to Send to Press!
If you’ve checked all the boxes on your checklist, you can be pretty confident that the final product is going to look sweet. Save your prepped files in accordance to your printer’s requirements. Depending on the complexity of your project, you could simply be uploading or emailing a press-ready PDF. Or, you might need to package your InDesign file. Whichever method you use to send your file, make sure to get yourself a little treat for taking the extra time to ensure your project is executed successfully. Go you!
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