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.
#26007
Screen doesn't match prints? Paper affects density of inks? Open your color management dialog in CS and look for the printer profile. This should fix the problem.
Photoshop 911 (2005). Design>Document Design>Prepress
#23405
Problems with Colors - and the Solution: Color Management
The profession of the technical editor is rapidly changing, from the pure text manufacturer to a data manager, which leads inevitably to intensive occupation with the production of the final product: the technical documentation on paper or online. The color matching reproduction on the local screen or printer plays a new, important role. Particularly since the meaning of color in documents increases rapidly.
Thiele, Ulrich. TC-FORUM (2000). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Color
#21904
Quick Footwork in a Dull Market 
Right now the paper market is stable. So should you relax and enjoy the calm? Hardly. Now's the perfect time to test new paper sheets and negotiate better financial terms with your supplier.
Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1997). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#30330
The demand for recycled paper is on the rise and more and more paper manufacturers are producing recycled paper in the same categories and range of choices as virgin stock. However, because of the variations and inconsistencies in the raw materials used, paper that contains recycled fiber tends to he at the middle to lower quality levels of each paper grade.
Boston Broadside (1992). Articles>Publishing>Prepress>Paper
#21856
Not in the mood for smooth? Consider going rustic with your paper and design.
Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#21959
An in-depth guide to working with spot colors in Photoshop.
Amladi, Rita and Erik Gibson. Adobe Magazine (1995). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color
#31661
Seven Habits for Highly Successful Documents
To assure that your job flows smoothly through the printing shop without a glitch, this document presents seven preparation habits for highly successful documents.
Copresco (2001). Articles>Document Design>Prepress
#21882
'Going against the grain' is more than a cliché when you're weighing the merits of one paper characteristic over another. Learn how paper's grain direction affects the finish of your jobs.
Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#25149
Single-Sheet 16-Page Gift Book
Everyone loves photos, and by using a little creativity and a little planning you can make a superb photo album.
Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2005). Design>Document Design>Prepress
#22524
Soft-Proofing and Printing with Profiles
Many photographers today print directly from Photoshop to photo-quality inkjet printers or send images to a lab to have enlargements made on LightJets, Lambdas, or the Fuji Pictography and Frontier systems. All of these devices are capable of stunning, photo-realistic output. However, if you do not employ color management effectively the output from these devices will not match the image you saw on your monitor. At best, you will waste some time, ink and paper making reprints. At worst, if you are sending images to a lab, proofs and reprints to get the image correct can become costly.
Hagadorn, Matt. Nature Photography (2004). Design>Graphic Design>Prepress>Color
#22593
Acrobat's annotation tools are valuable for marking-up and commenting on design layouts and digital comps no matter where your client is located. Acrobat 6.0 goes a step further by integrating e-mail comment tracking for more efficient review cycles. Learn how to tap into these powerful features.
Knowlton, Gray. Creative Pro (2003). Design>Publishing>Prepress>Workflow
#31665
Successfully Merging Litho and Digital
The merger of offset lithography with digital printing is a highly successful technique that maximizes the benefits of both technologies.
Copresco (1999). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing
#24044
Paper stock makes a big difference in the appearance of a product, and even though prices have come down recently, it's probably the most expensive element in your print run, so you need to make it count. Though budget is probably the biggest factor in choosing stock, here are several other considerations.
Dahlman, Gayle. Editorial Eye, The (1996). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#22546
Everyone who has worked with color proofs knows that proofing systems are fundamentally flawed. A color proofer represents the output of the offset press.
PrintMedia (2004). Design>Publishing>Prepress
#25457
Tips to Save Money When Printing Translated Work
When designing things in several languages, the cost of production can become quite high. However there are ways to save money and make the printing cost of flyers, magazines, etc. much lower. These tricks also apply when doing several versions of one job even if it's in the same language.
Bruno, Elisabetta. Designorati (2005). Articles>Document Design>Prepress
#12924
Oh, it's in vogue these days isn't it. Trap here. Trap there. All the computer graphics experts and magazine writers showing off their divine knowledge, writing about 'trapping.' Some people don't even know what trapping is. Some don't even care. But the computer industry sure wants us to know – and they want us to buy the latest and greatest software to prove it. Do I sound cynical? (He asks with a sly grin.) Your first line of defense in avoiding trapping traps is to understand the concepts.
Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2001). Design>Graphic Design>Prepress
#21915
'Tree-free' paper - made from fibers other than wood - isn't just a gimmick.
Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1996). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#31659
The system of paper weights used in North America dates back to medieval Europe. It is important to understand this system, in which 50# (50-pound) paper can well be thinner and lighter than 24# (24-pound) paper.
Copresco (2002). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#25155
Color expert Mike Davis of Colorprep knows what to do when color goes wrong... and many times it's the photographer or designer's fault!
Davis, Mike. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Color
#25437
Download label templates, in Word or PDF format. CD, DVD, shipping, book, and many other blank label templates for designing your own labels.
Worldlabel.com (1998). Design>Document Design>Prepress
#21911
You Get What You Pay For...Sometimes
Buying the quality you need isn't just a matter of checking the price tag.
Sidles, Constance J. Adobe Magazine (1997). Design>Document Design>Prepress>Paper
#34195
The Newest Tool for Technical Communicators: Redux 
Discusses color properties and color systems. Re-examines and supports Jan V. White's advice to technical communicators to use color to increase document usability. Discusses what technical communicators should know about color to work effectively with professional printers.
Mackiewicz, Jo M. Technical Communication Online (2009). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Color
#35455
Ten Pre-Press Tips For Perfect Print Publishing
A lot of designers think CMYK is the way to go when designing for print. We will, of course, always use CMYK-based ink, but this does not mean you have to work with CMYK files. You can work with RGB images to perfectly optimize your print colors.
Kramer, Marco. Smashing (2009). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing
#35461
While art and design schools do an impressive job of teaching the importance of form, function, and how to use flashy Photoshop techniques, it's rare that designers have been taught the skills necessary to pass off their projects to printers so that they may not only successfully, but smoothly, produce a designed work. In this article, I'll discuss the basics when it comes to translating your brilliant ideas (and surely hours of your precious time and energy) into successfully printed projects with a printer, making it easier to keep your deadlines and maintain a blissfully happy and healthy relationship with your vendor.
Stanley, Brandi. Tuts Plus (2009). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing
