Preflight

Preflight is a process used to methodically review a designed, digital job prior to its output. This process is critical, regardless of the output device being used, because it exposes errors and/or problems with the designed piece before the job is output. As with any process used to discover problems, attention to detail is essential in preflighting. Therefore, having a step-by-step preflight checklist is really helpful. The image to the left is an example, from Atlantic Printing Company, of a checklist that may be used during the preflight process.

An employee responsible for performing the preflight process may be referred to as a preflight technician or specialist. Their responsibilities include loading customer documents, checking the files to ensure they are complete and without problems (using a preflight software or checklist), identifying problems (if any), and notifying the customer to correct any problems that were found.

The average salary for this, and similar positions, is  $28,568. Preflight technicians may also perform other duties beyond just performing the preflight process, such as assisting customers with repairing files. With this in mind, the salary range will vary depending on the specific responsibilities of the employee responsible for preflight. Location and education are also determining factors. 

Sources: 

http://www.bestprintingonline.com/resources/art1253.htm

http://www.ehow.com/facts_6761063_prepress-technician-job-description.html

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/47047143/Project-and-File-Pre-Flight-Checklist---rossir24-0004