By: Erik Vlietinck
Wed, December 13, 2006 - 3:24:00

http://www.flightcheckonline.nl

Markzware is the latest partner of Quark to create on-demand creative solutions based on QuarkXPress Server 7. FlightCheck Online is a Web-based, quality-control, and file-delivery solution that enables quick communication among senders and receivers of digital files to ensure they conform to print-ready specifications. Besides QuarkXPress files, the system will happily preflight over 45 file types, compressing and FTP’ing them in the process.

Markzware makes FlightCheck Online available in a demo version at no cost. The downloadable client is always free and serves but one purpose: to set up your browser, and enable a communication session with the service. The whole system is based on Markzware pre-flighting technology and for QuarkXPress documents, on QuarkXPress Server 7. The server combines the functionality of QuarkXPress with scalable server-based performance to help software developers and system integrators meet needs in specific vertical markets. 

FlightCheck Online and QuarkXPress Server 7 combine to create quite a powerful online preflighting solution that allows customers to “pre-qualify” QuarkXPress files before delivering them for printing. I tried the new service by first creating an account on the server. This is done using your regular web browser. The next step is to download the client software and follow the instructions. After unstuffing the client, you simply double-click on it. The FlightCheck Online client software will ask you to select your favourite browser.

As I’m on a Mac and use Safari, I chose Safari, after which the client warned me that I had Safari set up to not open downloads automatically. The message pointed out that if I did not change this setting, the FlightCheck files that are automatically downloaded to your desktop, would have to be opened by myself. If you do allow Safari to open downloaded files, the whole preflighting process is fully automatic.

With my setting unchanged, I had to click on two files. The preflighting procedure starts with you dropping a QuarkXPress file onto the client software icon. The first thing the system then does, is connect to the server and simultaneously start your browser. A web page opens, with some options already selected, based on your file type.

All you have to do once the procedure has started is wait for the first browser screen to appear. When that happens, the system downloads its first file. I double-clicked that file because Safari is set to not open files automatically, and the client auto-connected again and opened the preflight options window. There you have templates for three types of users — in the demo, there are only three, I can imagine, the working solution will have only one or, on the contrary, more than three.

I selected the “Advertising Studio” template. A screen then appears where you can enter your account details and some information on the preflighting project (if so desired). The next step is to select your preflight level and click the Submit button.

Another file is now downloaded after a couple of seconds. This file will auto-open if you allow your browser; I had to double-click again, after which the preflight report appears and an option to upload the file to the server — the server will probably be installed at a printer or print shop, or a Print-On-demand service provider — appears. Behind the scenes, FlightCheck Online checks the files against customised preflight rule sets defined by the output provider.

FlightCheck Online is designed to deliver a “complete” QuarkXPress project with all the correct fonts and images in place; if an error does occur in the file during preflight, the application immediately alerts the sender using the sender’s Web browser. When the file is ready for further processing, FlightCheck Online uploads the file to the server, decompresses it, automatically loads the specific required fonts, and outputs the job through QuarkXPress Server.

Except for QuarkXPress files, FlightCheck Online also supports InDesign files, of course.