Prepress Procedure

If you’ve received a quote or placed an order with Sticky Business, you may have noticed something called a “digital file prepress” fee and wondered what exactly is this fee for?

For clarification, the digital file prepress is not a fee we charge to prepare a digital proof for review and approval. Digital proofs are a free service we provide – and a crucial one at that! – to confirm that we have accurately interpreted all the various specifications unique to every project. The digital proofing step is key as we use the approved artwork from the proof to double check every step of the printing process. It can’t be stressed enough how important it is for clients to thoroughly check their digital proofs because we are taking their word that it's correct!

Prepress refers to the steps taken by the technician to ensure the approved art file is prepared for the designated printing press. The fee covers the time to calculate and layout the design so it prints multiple copies efficiently across the width of the material and within the web of the press. The technician may need to make slight adjustments for registration and clearance so that borders, graphics or bleeds don’t get cut off during the inevitable shift that occurs during printing. Color testing is often required to match specified colors within one shade and color profiles need to be calibrated for different materials. Prepress is an essential step that does require time and skill.

Once the prepress work is done, it is saved for future reorders and is not applied again, provided there are no changes to the existing art file. And if you ever want to see a digital proof prior to ordering to confirm a repeat order, no problem at all! We are happy to email you a proof to ensure we have the correct version or label – but we will always wait to hear from you before we proceed!