Prepress is the term used in the printing and publishing industries for the processes and procedures that occur between the procurement of a written manuscript and original artwork, and the manufacture of a printing plate, image carrier, or (traditionally) forme, ready for mounting on a printing press.
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A collection of links to online resources for desktop publishers interested in digital photography.
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Digital Print Production and Distribution 
A presentation about aspects of digital prepress every technical communicator should know.
Flaman, Tim and John Givens. STC Region 7 Proceedings (2002). Articles>Publishing>Prepress
#22553
Digital Printing - Making the Right Moves
The number of printing companies that can call themselves digital printers jumps to many thousands in the United States alone. If you've got a Digital Press, or a Direct Imaging Press, or utilize Computer to Plate technology to 'feed' your conventional presses, you're a Digital Printer!
Chiricuzio, Mike. On Demand Journal (2004). Design>Publishing>Prepress>Printing
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A collection of dozens of links to online resources in digital printing.
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A collection of dozens of links to online resources in digital proofing in prepress.
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Digital Workflow: Managing the Process Electronically 
Between the invention of the printing press and that of the computer, developments in printing and publishing technology occurred in small increments over long periods of time. In those intervening centuries, the process of preparing manuscripts for publication remained fairly static. In the last half-century, however, the pace of change in printing and publishing technology has become dynamic. Now changes in technology come about in a matter of years, sometimes even months. And with those changes, the steps in the process of publication may now be controlled, tracked, and subsumed into one continuous electronic system often called digital workflow.
Beebe, Linda and Barbara Meyers. Journal of Electronic Publishing (2000). Design>Knowledge Management>Prepress>Printing
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Does Color In The Office Replace Color in the Print Shop?
Color printing has been a profitable application for print shops. Whether it be marketing collateral materials (brochures and the like), posters and signage or coupons, color documents have been the exclusive domain of offset printing.
Crowley, Ed. On Demand Journal (2004). Design>Publishing>Prepress>Color
#27429
Using the Blend If sliders in the Layer Style dialog box, you can quickly and easily create interesting duotone and silhouette effects.
Bauer, Peter. Planet Photoshop (2006). Design>Graphic Design>Prepress>Adobe Photoshop
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Special 'blooper reel' edition: the author's biggest paper mistakes.
Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1996). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#19998
Foolproof Your Files, Part 1: Proofing
After weeks or months of preparation, review, and production, it can be cathartic to package up a job and send it to the print shop. If files have been too quickly or carelessly assembled, however, sending that final disk to print means crossing your fingers and hoping that nothing goes wrong.
Lenihan, Amy. Editorial Eye, The (1999). Articles>Software>Prepress
#25894
The Form and Function of Folds
Folds are as important to your brochure design as illustrations, typefaces, and color. A smart layout heightens the drama with which your message is revealed to the reader.
Chuck Green. Ideabook.com (2003). Design>Document Design>Prepress
#24043
Review: Free Guide to Color Printing
3M Imaging has come out with a pamphlet that explains these color anomalies and more. And best of all, it's free.
Dahlman, Gayle. Editorial Eye, The (1996). Resources>Reviews>Prepress>Color
#21853
Give your colors the room they need in Photoshop by understanding and choosing RGB working spaces.
Fraser, Bruce. Adobe Magazine (1999). Design>Graphic Design>Prepress>Color
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Digital technology has transformed design, layout, and prepress; now it's beginning to change printing presses too.
Shuster, Robert. Adobe Magazine (1996). Design>Document Design>Prepress
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Getting it to the Printer: DTP to Press FAQ
Although it takes many hours and piles books to prepare yourself for competent DTP -> Print, we've capsulized a series of comments which address some of the most frequent questions readers and workshop attendees ask. These are also based on our mentoring program, and makeover clinics as the most common problem areas we see in beginner to intermediate desktop publishers. These steps will help you as you approach each project. Each topic is by no means a complete text -- but serves to alert you of problem areas, and suggest simple entry-level solutions.
Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2001). Design>Graphic Design>Prepress
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You're a designer, so you shouldn't waste your creative energy worrying about how your Illustrator document will print, right? Wrong. Spending a few minutes planning your project can ensure that its final output will go smoothly, potentially saving you hours of printing-related hassles.
Alspach, Ted. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Graphic Design>Prepress
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Review: Graphic Designer's Digital Printing and Prepress Handbook 
The Graphic Designer's Digital Printing and Prepress Handbook is not a beginner's manual. Sidles does not walk you step-by-step through the basics of trapping or scanning. Instead, hers is an approach that expands on the knowledge of the graphic design professional. I think her aim is to help you become someone who easily knows how to avoid buying paper that will curl or using overprinted type that is illegible. Sidles, with her print production experience, seems to care about sharing the wisdom she has acquired through decades of haps and mishaps—no small benefit.
Blount Brodersen, Carolyn. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Prepress>Graphic Design
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Green Printing: A Guide to Environmentally Responsible Printing
Pressure from various green organizations (such as the Forest Stewardship Council and ForestEthics), government agencies, and environmentally aware consumers combined with the development of new vegetable-based materials have resulted in the availability of several alternatives to petroleum-derived chemicals for printing and paper made from wood pulp. These alternatives are increasingly price-competitive and a bargain when all costs to our environment are considered. Whether you print documents from your desktop computer or regularly contract with a printing company to produce 100,000 annual reports, user guides, or newsletters, you now have environmentally responsible printing choices. Such choices offer your company an opportunity to reduce its environmental footprint and favorably position itself in the growing Green Market. As a technical communicator, you can also feel better about your work product. This tutorial describes some of the business benefits of going green and outlines the choices that you can make when you print documents, from choosing an environmentally responsible print company to selecting vegetable-based inks and recycled or alternative paper. Even if your organization rarely produces paper-based documents for its customers, you likely can still reduce your office's paper consumption. This tutorial tells you how.
Munger, Roger. Technical Communication Online (2008). Articles>Publishing>Prepress>Environmental
#22531
A Horse of a Different Color is Fine--Just be Accurate!
As much as the hardware and software manufacturers in the digital imaging world would like you to think that buying a digital camera and a photo quality printer will make you Ansel Adams, those of us that earn our living as pixel jockeys battle with color management in one way or another every day. Depending on your workflow and the final destination of your images, there are a number of ways to keep your colors accurate.
Dorgay, Jeff. Digital Output (2003). Design>Graphic Design>Prepress>Color
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How Does Commerical Offset Printing Differ from Desktop Printing?
The three primary differences in offset printing and desktop printing (such as inkjet and laser) are the colors of ink and the way the ink is placed on the paper as well as the type of machinery used to accomplish the task.
Howard Bear, Jacci. About.com (2007). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing
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Printing is a fascinating process involving huge high-speed machines, 2,000-pound rolls of paper, computers, metal plates, rubber blankets and sharp knives.
Mine, Mark. How Stuff Works (2002). Articles>Publishing>Prepress>Printing
#22527
ICC Color Management for Print Production
An introduction to device-independent solutions for color management.
International Color Consortium. Presentations>Graphic Design>Prepress
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How do you ensure the PDF file you distill includes bleeds that are acceptable to a printer?
Scott, Clifford. PDFzone (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Adobe Acrobat
#22514
InDesign How-To: Adding Custom Sizes to the Page Menu
Of course making custom page sizes if nothing new. But here's a handy InDesign CS trick for adding those custom page sizes to your Page menu so you can call it up at anytime.
Cole, Tim. Creative Pro (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Adobe InDesign
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