Standard Preflight Profiles VIGC, version 2 (July 2010)
(go directly to them via download page)
Preflight is very important when working with digital documents in the printing industry. With preflight you can perform a check on the technical properties of digital documents, like PDF, in a very easy and very efficient way.
But a good preflight software tool isn't enough. You also need the appropriate settings. The Ghent PDF Workgroup (a world wide organisation of experts, in which VIGC participates) has doen ground breaking work in that field. The GWG has world wide recognized profiles for creating PDF's and for preflighting PDF's. Setting files for mainstream software tools can be downloaded from this page.
Live Preflight: check for errors during layout!
With the introduction of Adobe InDesign CS4 and CS5 now there is a strong preflight engine built into this popular page layout application. The 'Live Preflight' tool will already check the document during layout, before a PDF is created. 
A very good idea: most errors need to be corrected at the source. Trying to correct them afterwards is just trying to patch it up, which will show...
UPDATE: VIGC Live Preflight Profiles for 18 market niches
VIGC has developed an updated version of its 13 different preflight profiles, geared to the same market niches as the GWG profiles for PDF creation and PDF preflighting. It also created 5 completely new profiles for packaging, based on the Packaging v3 specifications of the Ghent PDF Workgroup (GWG):
- CmykVeryHiRes (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- MagazineAds (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- NewspaperAds (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- ScreenPrintCmyk (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- ScreenPrintSpot (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- SheetCMYK (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- SheetSpotHiRes (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- SheetSpotLoRes (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- SpotVeryHiRes (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- WebCmykHiRes (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- WebCmykNews (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- WebSpotHiRes (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- WebSpotNews (UPDATE JULY 2010)
- Packaging Design LR (NEW JULY 2010)
- Packaging Design HR (NEW JULY 2010)
- Packaging Offset (NEW JULY 2010)
- Packaging Flexo (NEW JULY 2010)
- Packaging Gravure (NEW JULY 2010)
These profiles check a large number of important parameters, among which bleed and minimal text size. But also some very technical things like the 'transparency blend space'. All are parameters that can generate errors, during layout or later in the process. So things you need to fix before you create a PDF, before you send the document to the printer.
The updated VIGC Live Preflight Profiles are available for free, for everybody!
You can download them via this page.
The most secure workflow: 3 steps
1. Preflight documents already during the design, during the page layout. You can use the VIGC Live Preflight Profiles if you use Adobe InDesign CS4 or Adobe InDesign CS5.
2. Create PDF files with the appropriate settings (which you can find at this page on the GWG website)
3. Preflight PDF files with the appropriate settings (which you can find at this page on the GWG website). Preflight the PDF right after it has been created, when the customer delivers a PDF, when you send the PDF to a printer or a platesetter.
With a thorough control you can prevent many errors. Errors which often lead to reprints and huge costs.
