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FeaturesPrint & StandardsPreflight Checks

Preflight Checks

Inspect your documents for potential issues before printing or publishing.

What is Preflight?

Preflight is a quality assurance process that checks documents for common issues:

  • Font problems
  • Image resolution
  • Color space issues
  • Structural problems
  • Compliance violations

Running preflight before sending documents to print can save time and money by catching issues early.

Running Preflight

Open Preflight

Click Tools → Preflight → Run Preflight

Select Profile

Choose a preflight profile:

  • Print Ready: General print production
  • Digital Distribution: Screen/web publishing
  • PDF/A Compliance: Archival preparation
  • High-Quality Print: Premium print output
  • Custom: Your saved profiles

Run Checks

Click Analyze to start preflight

Review Results

Issues are organized by:

  • Severity (error, warning, info)
  • Category (fonts, images, colors, etc.)
  • Page location

Preflight Profiles

Built-in Profiles

ProfileUse CaseChecks
Print ReadyCommercial printingFonts, images, colors, bleed
Digital DistributionWeb/email PDFsFile size, compatibility
PDF/A ComplianceLong-term archivalPDF/A requirements
High-Quality PrintPremium outputResolution, color accuracy
Press QualityProfessional pressAll print requirements
Magazine AdsAd submissionsSWOP compliance
NewspaperNewsprint outputGrayscale, resolution

Creating Custom Profiles

  1. Click Tools → Preflight → Edit Profiles
  2. Click New Profile
  3. Name your profile
  4. Select checks to include
  5. Set thresholds and options
  6. Save the profile

Check Categories

Font Checks

CheckWhat It Catches
Fonts not embeddedMissing fonts cause substitution
Subset fontsFonts embedded as subsets only
Type 3 fontsFonts that may not print correctly
Font licensingFonts with embedding restrictions

Image Checks

CheckWhat It Catches
Low resolutionImages below DPI threshold
Missing imagesBroken image links
OPI commentsPlaceholder images
Compression qualityOverly compressed images

Color Checks

CheckWhat It Catches
RGB colorsColors that need CMYK conversion
Spot colorsNamed colors needing handling
OverprintIncorrect overprint settings
Rich blackOverly dense black
Ink coverageTotal ink exceeds limit

Page Checks

CheckWhat It Catches
Page sizeInconsistent or wrong sizes
BleedMissing or insufficient bleed
Trim marksMissing trim/crop marks
Page rotationUnexpected page rotation

Document Checks

CheckWhat It Catches
PDF versionUnsupported PDF version
SecurityPassword-protected files
JavaScriptScripts that may cause issues
Embedded filesAttachments that shouldn’t be there

Transparency Checks

CheckWhat It Catches
Live transparencyUnflattened transparency
Blend modesProblem blend modes
Soft masksTransparency masks

Understanding Results

Severity Levels

  • Error (Red): Must fix before proceeding
  • Warning (Yellow): Should review and consider fixing
  • Info (Blue): Informational, may not need action

Result Details

Each issue shows:

  • Description of the problem
  • Affected page(s)
  • Location on page (when applicable)
  • Suggested fix
  1. Click an issue to select it
  2. Click Go To to jump to that page
  3. The problem area is highlighted

Fixing Issues

Manual Fixes

For issues requiring judgment:

  1. Click the issue
  2. Click Go To to locate it
  3. Make the necessary change
  4. Run preflight again to verify

Auto-Fix

For issues with automatic fixes:

  1. Select the issue
  2. Click Fix (if available)
  3. Review the proposed change
  4. Apply the fix

Fix All

To fix multiple issues at once:

  1. Click Fix All for a category
  2. Review what will be changed
  3. Confirm to apply all fixes
  4. Re-run preflight to verify

Auto-fix changes are permanent. Always work on a copy or ensure you have a backup.

Auto-Fixable Issues

IssueAuto-Fix Action
Fonts not embeddedEmbed fonts
RGB to CMYKConvert colors
Remove JavaScriptDelete scripts
Remove embedded filesDelete attachments
Flatten transparencyFlatten to paths
Low resolution imagesFlag for replacement

Preflight Reports

Generate Report

  1. After running preflight, click Report
  2. Choose format:
    • PDF report
    • HTML report
    • XML data
  3. Select detail level
  4. Save the report

Report Contents

  • Summary statistics
  • Issues by category
  • Page-by-page breakdown
  • Resolution recommendations
  • Compliance status

Best Practices

Before Sending to Print

  1. Run preflight with print profile
  2. Fix all errors
  3. Review warnings
  4. Generate report for records

Before Archival

  1. Run preflight with PDF/A profile
  2. Fix all compliance issues
  3. Convert to PDF/A
  4. Validate the result

Regular QA Workflow

  1. Create custom profiles for your needs
  2. Run preflight early and often
  3. Document recurring issues
  4. Update profiles as needed

Tips

  • Run preflight before making final edits
  • Use the profile that matches your output
  • Don’t ignore warnings—they can cause issues
  • Create custom profiles for repeat workflows
  • Keep reports for quality documentation
  • Re-run preflight after any fixes

Next Steps

Last updated on
PDF/A, PDF/X, PDF/UAFlatten Documents