Preflight

Before you hit “send to print”

Check your files before the printer does.

Preflight is a small set of free tools that catch the mistakes that get files rejected or come back blurry: low resolution, wrong colour mode, missing bleed. Most checks run in your browser. The optional CMYK converter is the only tool that sends a file to the server, and it processes it in memory only.

The tools

8 live · 8 planned

Private by default

The checkers run locally in your browser using JavaScript. Only the optional real CMYK conversion sends a file to the server for in-memory processing.

Built for real print jobs

Each tool answers one specific question that comes up when preparing a file for an actual print run, not a generic image utility.

Free, and staying free

The core checkers will always be free. Paid, higher-volume tools may join alongside them later, kept clearly separate.

Why files get rejected at print

Most print rejections come down to a handful of repeat offenders: an image pulled from a website that looks fine on screen but has nowhere near enough pixels for an 8x10 print, a logo saved in RGB that shifts colour the moment it hits a CMYK press, or a flyer designed edge-to-edge with no bleed, so a millimetre of trim error leaves a thin white line around the border.

None of these are visible on a screen. A 72 DPI web image and a 300 DPI print image can look identical in a browser tab, because your monitor doesn’t care about print resolution at all. The problem only shows up once ink is on paper, which is exactly why it’s worth checking beforehand rather than after a reprint bill.

Preflight exists to catch these before a print shop does. Start with the DPI checker if you’re not sure your image will hold up at the size you want to print it -- it takes about ten seconds and runs in your browser.