Whenever you first meet someone, the inevitable question of “What do you do?” is asked. When I answer with “prepress,” it always results in blank stares, polite head nods, and usually a follow-up question of “What’s that?” This is the question I dread, and I usually answer it with something like, “It’s complicated” or “It’s hard to explain.”
I will attempt to explain what prepress is, why you should care if you work in the print and design industry, and how essential the prepress department is for ensuring your print pieces come out looking great.
Before any designed piece intended for print can actually go to the press to be printed, there are a number of steps that need to be taken so that the piece is printed successfully. The term prepress refers to these activities.
Pre-flighting
At prepress, a design file undergoes a series of steps called pre-flighting. During pre-flight, a file is checked to make sure it has all the components necessary for a successful print run, such as checking that the images are high enough resolution for print; all of the fonts are included; the colors are in the correct color space specific to the job; and that the file has the correct crop, trim, and bleed settings.
Proofing
Once it is confirmed that the file is set up properly, it goes through a second process: proofing. This step gives the client a chance to take a final look at the job before it goes to press. The proof can be a mockup of the job (printed, trimmed, and folded), or simply posted to a digital proofing website that the client can review and sign off on.
Plate Making
When the client approves, the job is ALMOST ready to be printed. Plate making is the final step before that can happen. When a job is printed on the offset press, all of the information in the file – images, text, and so on – gets burned onto an emulsified printing plate. The plates are imaged in a platesetter. Next, the plate goes into a plate processor, where a mixture of chemicals washes off the excess emulsion. All that is left on the plate is the exposed image. When a plate is put on the press, ink sticks to that exposed emulsion image area only, which is how the copy and images get finalized onto paper. Once printed, the pieces can then be trimmed, folded, and bound according to the job specs.
So there you have it! Prepress is indeed a job. A bit complicated, but it is a very important part of the production process when it comes to printing membership, marketing, and event materials.
Article written by:
Rachel Wood
Prepress
