What is a preflight check?

Preflight is an automated check of a PDF before it goes to print. The tool analyzes everything your printer would check manually: are colors in CMYK or RGB? Is there bleed/crop marks? Are fonts embedded? Are images at high enough resolution (300 DPI minimum)? Is there live transparency that could cause issues? The result is a pass/fail report with the exact problems flagged.

What does the tool check?

Five things: (1) Color profile — is your PDF in CMYK with the right ICC profile (FOGRA39 standard) or still in RGB? (2) Bleed and crop marks — does the printer have what they need to trim accurately? (3) Fonts — are all fonts embedded, or do some need to be outlined? (4) Image resolution — are photo images at least 300 DPI? (5) Transparency — is there live transparency that could give unexpected results on press?

Why is preflight important?

Print shops typically reject 10-20% of incoming files due to errors that preflight would have caught. Common problems: text in RGB that shifts color in CMYK, missing bleed leaving white edges, non-embedded fonts getting substituted, or low image resolution printing pixelated. Preflight catches all of this before you pay for a misprint.

Which errors can I fix in the tool?

Quite a few can be auto-fixed: convert RGB to CMYK with FOGRA39, embed missing fonts or outline them to curves, add bleed and crop marks, flatten transparency. Other issues (low image resolution, missing bleed in the original design) must be fixed back in InDesign/Illustrator.

Is this the same as Acrobat Pro preflight?

Similar — Adobe Acrobat Pro has preflight (€240/year), Enfocus PitStop is the industry-standard prepress preflight (€750/year). Our tool covers the most common checks for free. For critical production work use PitStop or Acrobat; for quick checks before sending to print-on-demand or smaller offset jobs, our tool is plenty.

Yes — preflight checks and the most common auto-fixes are free. No watermark, no signup. Pro members get larger file limits and batch processing for production environments.

Is your PDF print-ready? Free preflight check

Preflight check your PDF before printing: color profile (CMYK/RGB/ICC), bleed, fonts, image resolution, transparency. Catch errors before sending to your printer. Free online tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a preflight check?: Preflight is an automated check of a PDF before it goes to print. The tool analyzes everything your printer would check manually: are colors in CMYK or RGB? Is there bleed/crop marks? Are fonts embedded? Are images at high enough resolution (300 DPI minimum)? Is there live transparency that could cause issues? The result is a pass/fail report with the exact problems flagged.
What does the tool check?: Five things: (1) Color profile — is your PDF in CMYK with the right ICC profile (FOGRA39 standard) or still in RGB? (2) Bleed and crop marks — does the printer have what they need to trim accurately? (3) Fonts — are all fonts embedded, or do some need to be outlined? (4) Image resolution — are photo images at least 300 DPI? (5) Transparency — is there live transparency that could give unexpected results on press?
Why is preflight important?: Print shops typically reject 10-20% of incoming files due to errors that preflight would have caught. Common problems: text in RGB that shifts color in CMYK, missing bleed leaving white edges, non-embedded fonts getting substituted, or low image resolution printing pixelated. Preflight catches all of this before you pay for a misprint.
Which errors can I fix in the tool?: Quite a few can be auto-fixed: convert RGB to CMYK with FOGRA39, embed missing fonts or outline them to curves, add bleed and crop marks, flatten transparency. Other issues (low image resolution, missing bleed in the original design) must be fixed back in InDesign/Illustrator.
Is this the same as Acrobat Pro preflight?: Similar — Adobe Acrobat Pro has preflight (€240/year), Enfocus PitStop is the industry-standard prepress preflight (€750/year). Our tool covers the most common checks for free. For critical production work use PitStop or Acrobat; for quick checks before sending to print-on-demand or smaller offset jobs, our tool is plenty.
Is the tool free?: Yes — preflight checks and the most common auto-fixes are free. No watermark, no signup. Pro members get larger file limits and batch processing for production environments.

How to

Upload your PDF file
Wait a few seconds while we analyze color profile, fonts, bleed and image resolution
Review the report — green for OK, red for issues to fix
Apply suggested fixes directly (outline fonts, convert to CMYK, add bleed) or download a checklist for your printer