How to resolve errors caught in prepress phase

Prepress is all about ensuring that the document is correct and is ready for final printing. This is the phase when you catch the errors that can delay the process of printing. Errors in prepress are just inevitable, but if can be resolved instantly before it is goes to next level. Here are the two most typical errors and their solutions: 

Error: Colors are undefined in linked graphics.

This can be fixed by defining colors using PMS numbers. If it is four-color process, define each color as CMYK percentages. 

Error: “Missing font” warning

First of all try to activate the “missing font” in the computer system. Else, you can make changes to the text that uses a “missing font” into another font manually by opening layout file. Often this warning appears due to spacebar space between the texts which is formatted with a missing font. If you want you can identify the location of missing font in Quark using the "Usage" menu item, InDesign or Illustrator in the "Find Font" menu item. You must get a clean layout file and for this deleting and editing all unused/invisible text along with the spaces is a must, as even this can be problematic in later stage.

For trouble-free printing it is important that proper prepress guidelines are followed. This involves creating layout, proof reading, and other technical and manual checking of the material to be printed. Prepress has a great significance as this is the fundamental pillar of printing which determines overall success or failure of the printing.