Artwork Triage
Artwork Triage is submitting your book design files to pre-press experts to undertake an analysis to determine if files are set-up just right for the printer. We will analyse the files and provide an assessment and a prognosis.
The Fox Merit-Green Hill 18 Point Check
Let us check your artwork and remediate if needed.
Prepress technicians lay the groundwork for accurate, high-quality printing. They make sure every element—text, images, format, and layout—is correct and press-ready before production begins. These elements are tweaked to suit the printer and their technology.
Our 18 Point Check means your files will be ready for the printer. Your printed book will arrive with no surprises. We’ve seen every sort of error made by authors self-designing their books and also by experienced graphic designers. Setting up a book for successful printing is a real science.
Our prepress technicians will provide you with a 10 page report detailing the state of your files, what needs to be remediated and how to remediate. Don’t leave the printing of your book to chance.
Your Print Assessment | $175
Subsequent Remediation |
If your files have significant issues, and if you don’t want to remediate yourself (or through your graphic designer) the Green Hill prepress studio can help based on an hourly rate.
What’s included in the 18 Point Check…
General File & Document Setup |
| File Format: |
| ❏ PDF/X-1a |
| ❏ PDF/X-4 |
| ❏ High-resolution TIFF |
| ❏ Other |
| Document Size: |
| Does the document size match the final print dimensions? |
| ❏ Yes |
| ❏ At least 3mm |
| Safety Margin: |
| ❏ At least 3mm from the trim edge |
| Page Count & Order: |
| ❏ Number of pages of the document (multiples of…) |
| ❏ Correct order (page number) |
| Spine: |
| ❏ Artwork has a spine |
| ❏ Spine width is correct |
Colour & Imagery |
| Colour Mode: |
| ❏ CMYK |
| ❏ RGB |
| ❏ Spot colours (correctly specified) |
| ❏ Pantone |
| ❏ Other |
| Colour Consistency: |
| ❏ Consistent |
| ❏ Inconsistent (i.e. RGB colour modes that need to be converted) |
| Images: |
| ❏ Minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch) |
| ❏ All images and graphics embedded |
| ❏ All images and graphics linked and included with the file |
Typography & TextTypography & Text |
| Fonts: |
| ❏ Embedded |
| ❏ Unembedded, but included in file |
| ❏ Missing |
| Font Format: |
| ❏ OpenType (.otf) |
| ❏ TrueType (.ttf) |
| ❏ Other |
| Text Outlines: |
| ❏ All, consistent |
| ❏ Inconsistent |
| ❏ None |
| Text Clarity & Size: |
| Is all text legible? |
| ❏ Yes |
| ❏ No |
| ❏ Fonts below 6pt |
Special Considerations |
| Overprint & Knockout: |
| ❏ Correct |
| ❏ Needs fixing |
| Incorrect settings can cause unexpected colour shifts or missing elements. |
| Transparency: |
| Has any transparency been flattened correctly? |
| ❏ Yes |
| ❏ No |
| Layers: |
| If the file has layers, are the correct ones visible and the unnecessary ones hidden or removed? |
| ❏ Yes |
| ❏ No |
| File Name: |
| Is the file name logical and descriptive? (e.g., “Company-Brochure-Final.pdf”) |
| ❏ Yes |
| ❏ No |
Canva Checklist for Pre-Press |
| File Type: |
| ❏ PDF/X |
| Download the PDF Print option and check the “Flatten PDF” and “Crop marks and bleed” options. |
| Colour Mode: |
| ❏ CMYK |
| ❏ RGB |
| ❏ Spot colours (correctly specified) |
| ❏ Pantone |
| Colour Consistency: |
| ❏ Consistent |
| ❏ Inconsistent (i.e. RGB colour modes that need to be converted) |
| Bleed Check: |
| ❏ All background images and colours extend past the bleed marks |
| ❏ Inconsistent bleed |
| ❏ No bleed |
| Image Quality: |
| ❏ Okay |
| ❏ Issues present |
| Fonts: |
| ❏ Embedded |
| ❏ Unembedded, but included in file |
| ❏ Missing |
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Australia's book design and pre-press experts.
Do you need help setting your book artwork up for print?
Does book printing seem too complicated?
Are you
- an author who has asked a graphic designer to produce artwork for a book and they don't seem to know how to do it; or
- a graphic designer who has been asked by an author to arrange printing of a book
and it seems confusing? Help is at hand. Our trusted design and pre-press associates can make sure the book is expertly prepared for printing. This can include specifications like bleed, spine width, image resolution, spot colour, varnishes, foils, gutter width, print methods (digital or offset), paper choice and digital. Childrens board book set-up can be especially tricky.
Green Hill's service starts at just $175 - a small price to pay for piece of mind regarding you book printing project. If it's a small issue, remediating your files for print with Fox Merit will be free! See more details: Artwork triage
Call the Green Hill help-line on
1300 810 131