Maker Guide 2 of 4
Preparation
i.File Inspection
Inspect the actual file for corruption, pixel dimensions, orientation, color profile, unwanted artifacts, crop, and opaque background. Do not infer readiness from the extension.
Use a consistent intake order so a maker does not discover a fundamental problem after starting a blank.
JPEG intake sequence
- 1
Identify
Confirm actual file type, expected filename and revision, and permission to use the asset for this order.
- 2
Inspect
Read pixel dimensions, orientation, color profile or absence of one, visible background, and artifacts.
- 3
Place
Open it in the production application on the current product template; set physical dimensions explicitly.
- 4
Compare
Compare composition and color intent against the approved listing or proof reference.
- 5
Decide
Accept, request correction, or perform an authorized conversion and record what changed.
ii.Pre-Production Checks
Compare the file to the approved preview and product template. Confirm companion paths or source files where needed, then document unresolved mismatches before running the job.
A file that imports successfully can still fail the job. Check for clipped edges, distortion from nonuniform scaling, a white rectangle on a colored product, unexpected mirroring, profile conversion, and unsupported encoding in older equipment. Ask the creator before editing important content or replacing the approved artwork.
iii.Machine Preparation
Use the equipment manufacturer's current maintenance, calibration, safety, and software instructions for the exact model. Load the validated preset, not a generic JPEG setting.
Confirm maintenance and calibration status, ventilation or protective controls, media loading, and software version. If the machine or material has a current approved preset, use it. A previously successful JPEG job does not validate a different coating or machine model.
Run the shop's preflight for the exact model: maintenance, calibration or nozzle check where applicable, approved software preset, material loading, ventilation, and safety controls. The order's JPEG should be tested only after the machine is known to be ready. Otherwise a machine fault may be mistaken for a low-quality image and lead to an unnecessary creator revision.
iv.Material Preparation
Confirm the correct blank or stock, printable area, coating, handling, and material lot. Prepare it according to its current technical and safety documentation.
Inspect the blank before production for coating defects, size, color, moisture or contamination where relevant. Keep lot and supplier identity with the job record so a color or transfer failure can be traced to material as well as file settings.
Before committing artwork, compare the physical blank with the job's intended product. Check its dimensions, color, coating or surface condition, and orientation. If the blank is contaminated, damaged, or outside the supplier's specification, set it aside; changing image contrast will not repair a material defect. Record the material lot when a later quality issue might affect multiple orders.