Pre-Press

Our full-service pre-press department strives for excellence, and works to surpass the highest standards. Our state-of-the-art workflow is PDF based and completely integrated with our website.

Internet Control Panel

Customers enjoy complete control over their files by using our Internet Control Panel. Uploading of files, on-line pre-flighting, remote Internet soft-proofing and job tracking are just some of the benefits of using our control panel. For compete information on the use of Control Panel as well as file submission guidelines, visit the Resources section.

Direct to Plate

Our pre-press department utilizes Creo direct-to-plate imaging solutions in a fully automated environment. Creo’s technology includes the use of “square spot” imaging which produces a plate dot offering a higher resolution than traditional plate imagers.  This higher resolution process allows for the use of new technologies such as “FM” or “stochastic” – a process that uses random spots rather than traditional rosettes.  We call this process “High Definition” printing, because the resulting image is upwards of a 300-line screen when this process is used.  If you would like to take advantage of this “High Definition” screen process, contact your sales representative.

Of course, the “Square Spot” technology Creo employs also makes traditional rosette screen look better.

Quality Control

All of our presses are “fingerprinted” or dot-gain compensated on a regular basis. The fingerprint process matches the actual output of the press to a target dot size. For example, a 50% dot on a plate may print at 70% when run through the press. This is called “dot gain” and is a normal condition in every printing press. At Fox Print Direct, our pre-press department calibrates every plate we produce to match the dot gain of the press upon which the job will run. So, in our example, if a 50% dot is required on the final job, the plate is imaged at 30%. When the job is run, the 30% dot from the plate plus the 20% dot gain from the press produces the desired 50% dot on the finished product. This meticulous attention to detail helps us keep the quality of our printing as high as possible.

Every job we run is accompanied by a set of proofs: Color Match Proof, Soft-Proof and an Imposition Proof. The Color Match Proof is provided to the press room for every job we run. The Color Match Proof process is also tied into the dot gain profile of the printing press. This ensures that what the pressman sees as a proof is actually achievable on press. Much attention is given to the creation of the proof and keeping quality and color consistency between your original file, the color match proof and the final product.

Soft-Proofs are also provided on every job. A soft-proof is basically a screen resolution PDF of the files as they will print on the press. While the resolution and color matching are not as good as a color match proof, soft-proofs are good for imposition and text proofing.

On multiple page books, we require that customer receive and approve an Imposition Proof. This is a low color proof that matches the size of the finished product and is in mock book format. Customers use this proof to check for position, pagination and copy errors.

We also employ an Ink Matching System that automatically calculates the amount of ink required per plate and electronically delivers the ink key settings to the press. This automated feature means that press operators can get your job “up to color” faster and more accurately.

Customer Support

Our pre-press department is available to assist you with all of your file output needs. We have years of experience in dealing file output and creation. If you ever require technical assistance with the creation of your files, we're here to help.