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At a recent meeting, a print production manager lamented that customers keep sending files that they say are print-ready but as they enter the onboarding process, there is still a lot of work to do. His point to the people in the room was that print-ready is not production-ready. It’s an important point because so many print file producers assume that they are the same thing.

The term print-ready is where the confusion begins. It is often used to describe files that are prepared for immediate printing, with the intention that they should not require any modifications. However, the reality of accepting print-ready files, whether for offset or digital printing, is fraught with challenges. Any intervention to make the file printable in the shop can lead to delays, increased costs, and compromised print quality if not addressed properly.