Hello,

FreeFlight™ is our new FREE Preflight software tool. This software is in beta testing now and will be released very soon. FreeFlight is designed to be a very efficient graphics file check. I have been an avid FlightCheck user for many many years and it is out of my frustration with FlightCheck that this application is born. FlightCheck is a great application, and I have used it every day for years. However, with OS X version, it has gotten to be slower and slower. It's not nearly as fast as it used to be in OS 9. Besides, FlightCheck costs like $499!

Of course, my PDF-X-Robot™ was designed to use FlightCheck as a preflight tool. The software has been really successful. But, it requires a FlightCheck license to use it. This is cost prohibitive for many many potential users. So, in 2003 I began developing my own methods of preflighting without using FlightCheck. FreeFlight was hatched and I've decided to make it available for free to the graphic arts trade. FreeFlight™ is a universal application that is very lean in design, easy to use and understand.

This will be a community tool. Like my other software, I believe in heavy user to user support through these forums. So, I ask that if you use the software, please assist and contribute in the forums here helping others and sharing any problems and solutions that you may run into. Make it easy for the next guy who has same problem.
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JoePostscript -- support administrator

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Wind Turbine Buyer's Guide


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Hi JP, what types of files does this FreeFlight application inspect? Does it check Quark Xpress and Adobe InDesign Files? What are you doing about FlightCheck support and requirement of PDF-X-Robot workflow?

As you know I have an investment in Flightcheck and have used it for years with PDF-Robot and we are very successful with it in our PDF workflow. Are you still going to support flightcheck or are you replacing it completely with this free preflight software?
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prepress forums, computer graphic design, graphic arts design, graphic design artist, graphic design schools, web site graphic design, graphic design services, graphic design portfolio, history of graphic design

Hi Skip,

Long time no post, glad to hear from you. Your avatar cracks me up when I see it. FreeFlight(TM) is designed to alert on most common graphics support file problems. So, as a stand alone universal (NATIVE ON INTEL MAC) application, FreeFlight is a really simple drag-n-drop preflight check for support files that you would use, placed INTO QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign.

FreeFlight will check all your support files, Tiff, EPS, PDF, etc and make sure that what is placed into Quark Xpress or Adobe InDesign are appropriate for commercial prepress production. So, you can drag a job folder onto it and it will quickly scan all the support files for integrity. And, it's very, very fast. Anyone can use it with virtually any workflow, FREE.

In my plant, I am using the latest release of PDF-X-Robot as I develop it. This is a very big change in that I haven't used FlightCheck in my workflow for months as I develop all this future generation of my PDF automation. PDF-X-Robot now has it's own built in preflight capability by using a FreeFlight.xnt which is a preflight Xtension for Quark Xpress 6.5. Of course same as always, PDF-X-Robot has same functionality for preflight and output from BOTH Quark and InDesign. So, it also comes with FreeFlight.pln which is a FreeFlight™ Plug-In for Adobe InDesign CS2.

So, my Quark Xpress and Adobe InDesign CS2 documents are preflighted as I process files with PDF-X-Robot™. Before generating any PDF, it uses the FreeFlight™ plug-in or Xtension to inspect the current document and environment (FONTS), then quickly calls the FreeFlight™ universal in the background to quickly check placed graphics to be sure they are OK. PDF-X-Robot then merges these results into a common report and GO/No-GO response and reporting. Markzware's FlightCheck is no longer required as it is replaced by the Xtension, Plug-In, and the FreeFlight™ stand alone freeware application. Preflight now goes about 400% faster than when using Markzware's FlightCheck. PDF-X-Robot is now able to process every document with a quick preflight every time automatically much faster than it has before.

After using Markzware's Flightcheck for my automated preflight for so many years now this is a huge improvement in productivity for PDF-X-Robot. It also allows me to provide help to thousands of folks by releasing this tool for free.
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JoePostscript -- support administrator

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Wind Turbine Buyer's Guide


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Hi JP, FreeFlight is working really well for me. i am running it native on an intel mac and it's been fast and accurate so far. I'm just dropping Pictures & Images folderes on it to find bad graphics before I link up and output projects from Quark Xpress or InDesign.

Hey JP,

Sounds like a nifty little program. Might fill my void of not having RGB file checker on OSX.

Shall check it out and pass on some feedback.

SM..

I am very much looking forward to the increased speed flightchecking images!

I was looking for a product like this and am so glad to be able to catch those darn RGB eps files !!