Within printing and publishing industries, prepress is the term used for the procedure that takes place after the initial creation of a print layout, before it is ready for final printing. It is much more cost effective to alter a file during the prepress stage than when it goes to press.
The procedure followed includes manufacturing a print plate, ready to be mounted onto a printing press, the variation of text and imagery and the creation of a high quality print file.
Some prepress services are retouching photographs, file and color correction and typesetting. Operators are most commonly employed by print companies and related services, with newspapers the next largest employer. Whilst the age of modern technology has seen a decrease in the number of traditional prepress jobs available, it has also created digital prepress services and a subsequent demand for digital prepress operators. Normally operators receive the files from their customers electronically, often in a PDF file or a file created by Adobe or Quark applications. Advances in technology have, naturally, greatly shortened the duration of any prepress process.
Prepress specialists use a range of equipment, such as scanners and desktop publishing software, to prepare the files you require.
The typesetting process presents text as graphics on paper or a similar medium. In the past typesetting was carried out by hand by typesetters in printing shops. Later machinery was used, which also became obsolete with the invention of desktop publishing which is the method used nowadays.
An editor normally carries out copy-editing in order to make improvements to the style, format and exactitude of a document. After the copy-editing process, the document goes to a proof-reader for final checks before publication. Proof-reading involves careful reading of a document’s text to make sure there are no errors before it goes to print. Although proof-reading is always done in the final stages, it can also be done as and when required earlier in the procedure.
Another prepress process is markup – a manufactured language that uses annotations to a body of text to provide direction in relation to the text’s arrangement or display. Markup is commonly used in word processing.
The proofing process involves creating an accurate copy of artwork prior to production. Proofs can be produced for images, texts, illustrations and colors – effectively any part of the product.
Prepress services for photographs include retouching, screening and adjustment. Magazine and newspaper publishers and advertising and marketing companies commonly use these.
Prepress procedures are also known as “workflow.” Depending on the specific process, e.g. digital printing, offset, screen printing, workflows alternate. They also vary according to the finished product – book, newspaper, and packaging for a product.
Prepress work is extremely adaptable due to the fact that it is interchangeable with many other parts of the entire production process.
Modern prepress software is designed to manage the workflow as efficiently as possible. With the flexibility of online tools, many different workers – prepress operators, graphic designers, editors etc – can work together on the same project, even in different locations. Many contemporary industries benefit greatly from this, as an increasing number of workers are hired on a freelance basis and worldwide travel for business purposes becomes ever more accessible.
There are a vast number of companies offering a range of services including prepress, graphic design, web development and photography. By covering all of your digital imaging requirements, they promise greater accuracy and consistency than you might get if you outsource each element of your project to separate businesses.
The Internet is a good resource as a starting point if you are looking for a company that will provide you with the prepress services that you need.