4/16/2007

Will PDF-X-Robot Solve My Prepress Problems?

We are a design and printing company located in Alaska that for some time has been attempting to implement a PDF workflow. Basically, we have three designers that build primarily in Adobe InDesign CS and Quark XPress 6.5. We make all types of documents, from one-color business cards to full color booklets and everything in between (rack cards, brochures, etc.) Currently, when the designer is done with a particular job, they create a PDF using AdobePDF 7.0 virtual printer. Using Dynastrip, the production manager places the PDF's and sends them to the correct RIP for output.

Primarily, we are running into problems with the creation of the actual PDF. I would say that the problems they run into are usually the following:

1)Fonts are not embedded
2)Resolution is not high enough

While it is relatively easy to enable font embedding, and to choose a correct PDF profile it is not something that they always check before sending a job to PDF. They are not willing to wade through the options to double-check this before creating a PDF.

We have tried other solutions, such as Enfocus InstantPDF, but have found that it rarely saves any time because you have to set up options for every job (such as page width, separations on or off, etc AND it's not consistent between quark and indesign).

Yes, these solutions do not assist in automating anything or adding any value to your productivity. They are simply a fancy printer to print into, with some reactive postflight capability telling you to

(a) start over if there's a big problem
(b) fixing a minor problem.

In either case, you are executing inaccurate problem PDF files just to see if they are OK, then doubling your work if there's a problem. Furthermore it's reactive and leaves your source files un-corrected for later use, thereby not really supporting correct and whole source files for next round of work.

PDF-X-Robot is entirely different and is nothing like these reactive postflight tools. PDF-X-Robot is completely proactive, verifying all fonts and graphics creating a PDF file. Prompting all issues to be remedied IN THE SOURCE FILES. This way, you are. . .

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