FlightCheck

🌟 Why FlightCheck Is the Gold Standard in Preflight Technology

FlightCheck has been the backbone of professional print workflows for over two decades. Its latest iteration—rebuilt for modern macOS (including Sequoia)—retains the reliability users love while adding smarter automation, deeper inspection, and seamless integration. Here’s what makes it unmatched:

• No Software Required: Preflight InDesign, QuarkXPress, or Illustrator files without having those apps installed.
• True Document Preview: See an accurate, asset-based preview—not just a flattened PDF—so you know exactly what the designer intended.
• Comprehensive Error Detection: Flags missing fonts, low-res images, incorrect color spaces, bleed issues, Type 1 fonts, unsupported PANTONE colors, and more.
• One-Click Packaging: Automatically collect all job assets into a single, organized, compressed folder—perfect for archiving, sharing, or sending to print.
• Custom, Branded Reporting: Generate professional reports with your logo and company info in multiple export formats.
• Workflow Automation: Use AppleScript, Automator, Hot Folders, and URL schemes to embed FlightCheck into your existing production pipeline.

FlightCheck Preview with Preflight Results (Dark Mode): See your document rendered accurately using its actual assets—not a flattened PDF—while simultaneously viewing real-time error and warning flags in the preflight panel. This dual-pane view ensures you understand both visual intent and technical compliance.

FlightCheck Preview with Inspector Panel (Dark Mode): The Inspector provides immediate, high-level intelligence: file type, software version, modification date, output intent (print/web/mobile), page count, and status of fonts and images. This enables non-designers like sales or CSR staff to triage files in seconds.

FlightCheck Inspector Panel (Dark Mode): A consolidated dashboard showing critical metadata at a glance. Know instantly if a file is intended for print, how many spreads it contains, and whether fonts or images are missing—before the file ever reaches prepress.

FlightCheck Missing Font Detail (Dark Mode): When fonts are missing or inactive, FlightCheck doesn’t just flag them—it shows you exactly which pages and text frames are affected, along with font attributes like point size and style, enabling rapid troubleshooting.

🔍 Intelligent Document Inspection: See Everything at a Glance

FlightCheck’s Inspector Widgets provide an instant, high-level overview of any document:

• File Meta: File type (INDD, PDF, AI, etc.), software version, last modified date.
• Intended Output: Print, web, or mobile—so you know the correct production standards to apply.
• Page & Spread Count: Verify document structure matches expectations.
• Font Status: Instantly see missing, inactive, or problematic fonts—including deprecated PostScript Type 1 fonts.
• Image Integrity: Detect missing, embedded, or low-resolution images before they cause print failures.

This immediate visibility allows production staff, sales reps, or project managers to triage files within seconds—no design expertise required.

📊 Inventory View: Deep Analysis of Every Asset

For granular control, FlightCheck’s Inventory View delivers a forensic breakdown of your document:

• Image Details: View every linked and embedded image with its type, color mode (CMYK, RGB, Grayscale), resolution (PPI), dimensions, and file path.
• Font Catalog: List all used fonts, their status (active/inactive/missing), and type (OpenType, TrueType, Type 1).
• Color Profiles: Identify embedded ICC profiles and flag overrides that could cause color shifts.
• Page Specifications: Bleed, slug, trim size, and orientation for every page.
• Document Structure: Layers, master pages, hyperlinks, and metadata.

This level of detail empowers prepress specialists to validate technical compliance with brand guidelines or printer specifications down to the pixel.

🚨 Ground Controls: Proactive Error & Warning System

FlightCheck doesn’t just list data—it interprets it. Its “Ground Controls” system categorizes findings into actionable alerts:

• Errors (Red): Critical issues that will break production (e.g., missing fonts, unlinked images).
• Warnings (Yellow): Potential problems that may affect quality (e.g., RGB images in a CMYK job, embedded fonts).
• Advisories (Blue): Best practice suggestions (e.g., unused spot colors, excessive image compression).

Specialized Ground Controls address modern industry shifts:

• Type 1 Font Detection: Flags Adobe’s deprecated PostScript Type 1 fonts that cause rendering failures in newer software.
• PANTONE Color Validation: Alerts when files use PANTONE libraries no longer supported by Adobe.
• ICC Profile Override Warnings: Highlights color management conflicts that lead to inconsistent output.

📦 Smart Packaging: One-Click Job Collection

FlightCheck’s packaging engine is a game-changer for file handoff and archiving. With a single click, it creates a complete, organized job package containing:

• Original DTP file (INDD, QXP, PDF, AI, PSD, etc.)
• Exported PDF
• Converted IDML file (for InDesign compatibility)
• All linked images (with folder structure preserved)
• Extracted embedded images
• All used fonts
• Inventory Report (HTML, JSON, RTF, TXT, or XML)
• Package Report (same formats)

This ensures that every element needed for printing, editing, or archiving is collected—eliminating the “missing asset” nightmare forever.

🤖 Workflow Automation: Integrate Into Any Production Pipeline

FlightCheck is built for automation, not just manual checks:

• Hot Folder Monitoring: Set up a watched folder that auto-processes incoming files—generating reports or packages without user intervention.
• AppleScript Support: Script complex preflight sequences for enterprise workflows.
• Custom URL Scheme: Trigger FlightCheck actions from other apps or web interfaces.
• Automator Integration: Build macOS Automator workflows (e.g., “Watch folder → Preflight → Email report to production team”).
• Open & Report / Open & Package: Configure default behaviors so files are processed immediately on open.

These features make FlightCheck the ideal tool for high-volume print shops, publishers, and agencies seeking lean, error-free production.

🎨 White-Label & Branding: Turn QA Into a Client Service

FlightCheck goes beyond internal use—it’s a client-facing asset:

• Custom Reports: Add your company logo, contact info, and branding to every Inventory or Package Report.
• Affiliate Program: Print shops and publishers can offer FlightCheck-powered preflight as a value-added service under their own brand.
• Professional Presentation: Branded reports demonstrate technical diligence and build client confidence in your production process.

This transforms a routine quality check into a premium differentiator that justifies higher pricing and strengthens client retention.

💡 Pro Tip: Use FlightCheck as a Gatekeeper

Make FlightCheck the first step in your intake process. Have clients or freelancers send files directly to a monitored Hot Folder. FlightCheck auto-generates a report—if errors are found, the file is quarantined and the sender is notified immediately. This prevents bad files from ever entering your production queue.

“FlightCheck can determine if the contents of a package are complete and print ready, and have a preview of what the files look like … Huge efficiency and productivity saver! … I package files for archival with confidence, knowing all the assets have been collected. FlightCheck has the ability to automate my workflow. Win, Win!”

“My workflow is mostly in the area of pre-press. So, I’m taking files from various artists and, on a daily basis, I receive the file … And the first thing I do is I run it through FlightCheck. … So glad Markzware is accommodating all the changes in computers and software — couldn’t work without FlightCheck!”

“As a company active in Prepress, using the FlightCheck program was very valuable to us. Using this application can improve the production and lean printing process.”

“Markzware has done it again! FlightCheck 2022 is a game changer! Yes, I said game changer! FlightCheck 2022 preflights PDFs, InDesign, QuarkXPress files, and opens with NOT the embedded preview, BUT THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT PREVIEW from the documents assets! And ... (drumroll please) did I add that it is not necessary to actually have the specific software? I can determine if the Quark files that a contractor has sent me are complete and print ready, without having that particular software on my computer. That also means sales, and/or production persons that have FlightCheck can determine if the contents of a package are complete and print ready, and have a preview of what the files look like before handling off those files to prepress with confidence! Huge efficiency and productivity saver! No more kicking back files and losing time. When I finish working on a job, I package files for archival with confidence, knowing all the assets have been collected. FlightCheck has the ability to automate my workflow. Win, Win! If you have used FlightCheck in the past, you really need to 'test-drive' the newly revamped 8 cylinder FlightCheck! Vroom Vroom!”

“I have used the earlier FlightCheck Pro for almost 2 decades. It helped me prevent disasters in production and frequently improved my PDF output. For some time now, the solution was outdated. The new FlightCheck 2022 puts it back on the map. Fast, simple to use and way more intuitive as the earlier version, this excellent tool will be a constant companion to my prepress work. Good work!”

“Such a time saver! Great product. Wish I had discovered it sooner.”

“I have been a fan of your company and team since forever! WOW! I don't even remember not being a fan, a patron and supporter through promotion. Your tools have helped me in some tough times. I have used different tools at every single job or client since my first encounter and opportunity to use them. Thanks for helping change and make a difference in what we do, have done, and will do. Nothing happens in this world until those of us in the Graphic Communications Industry does something with it. Thank you for all your hard work in making it 'a little bit easier'. FlightCheck has saved my life back in the day!”

“I'm pleased to see that this FlightCheck release works seamlessly on newest versions of Mac OS. Nice new intuitive user interface, and FlightCheck Score is a bonus. Looking forward to continuing to use this powerful tool --for print and digital environments alike.”

“It has been about 11 years since I used FlightCheck. I have been building cases to get it again and buy for my team. Then I discovered that it would not follow mac as they left 32 bit. my heart sunk. I loved its ease of use and the way that it worked. I cant wait to see it come back bigger and better then before.”

“Prior to upgrading to Mac OS Catalina, I'd used your software faithfully for about 17 years. It is great to see it available again! Functionality is easy to navigate, and the new look is a great update on the original!”

Verdict: FlightCheck is the only solution that combines deep native file inspection, true preview, automated packaging, and enterprise-grade automation—making it essential for any professional print or publishing workflow.

💡 Note: Future-Proof for Industry Changes

FlightCheck is actively updated to address emerging industry challenges—like Adobe’s removal of Type 1 font and legacy PANTONE support. By using FlightCheck, you ensure your workflow stays compliant with the latest software and printing standards.