Preflight, correct and proof the graduation booklet

You are a prepress operator.

Simulated workplaceIntermediate missionCAQA PrintWorks Media

What is going on

The Bayside Independent Schools Network has supplied artwork for 850 A5 graduation booklets, job J26-4502, due for delivery on 25 September. The preflight report shows no bleed, several photographs at 150 pixels per inch, RGB images throughout and two missing fonts. The school office is not a design studio and will need clear instructions on what to fix. Sarah Kowalczyk wants prepress to fix what it can, send back a clear list of what the school must supply, produce a proof for approval and record the non-conformance so the pattern can be tracked across school clients.

Sarah Kowalczyk, Prepress Manager
Subject: Graduation booklet artwork needs preflight and a proof

The Bayside schools graduation booklet artwork (job J26-4502) has landed in the portal and it has problems: no bleed, several images at low resolution and RGB throughout. Please run it through the Preflight and Proofing Procedure, fix what prepress can fix, list what has to go back to the school, and produce the proof. Record the non-conformance in the register and update the job ticket. The school wants the proof by Thursday because the ceremony is on 25 September.

Your brief

Run the artwork through the Preflight and Proofing Procedure, correct the issues prepress can fix, prepare a plain language list for the client, produce a colour managed proof, and update the job ticket and the non-conformance register.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

Read the Preflight and Proofing Procedure and list every check that applies to a digital cut sheet job on 150 gsm stock.
Run the supplied file through preflight against the digital press profile and record every failure with the page number.
Correct the issues prepress is permitted to fix, such as converting colour space and adding bleed where the design allows, and save a new version with the version number.
Write a plain language list for the school of the items they must resupply, including required image resolution and fonts, for Aisha Rahimi to send.
Impose the booklet for the digital press duplex layout, checking pagination and folding sequence, and produce the proof labelled with job number, version and date.
Update NCR-26-122 in the Non-conformance and Complaints Register with the root cause and the corrective action of a school artwork guide.
Update the job ticket for J26-4502 with the proof version and the outstanding client actions, and check the client artwork security policy for how the files must be stored.

My notes: what did I enjoy, and what surprised me?

What someone in this role would produce

Preflight report with corrections listed
Client resupply list in plain language
Labelled proof and imposition check
Updated non-conformance and job ticket records

Printing this is a record of what you explored. It is not a certificate or a qualification.