A document looking finished is not the same as a document being ready for delivery. Before exporting from InDesign 2021, check the production requirements and run an appropriate preflight review.
Choose checks that match the job
Adobe describes the Preflight panel as monitoring production issues such as missing fonts, modified links, overset text and low-resolution images. The useful checks depend on the output you are preparing.
Ask the printer or recipient for the relevant page size, bleed, image and PDF requirements. Record those details with the project. A generic green status cannot confirm requirements that were never included in the review.
Work through the issues
- Open the Preflight panel and use a suitable profile.
- Resolve reported issues against the actual production specification.
- Inspect text that overflows its intended frame.
- Confirm that links point to the approved, current assets.
- Export a sample PDF and review it independently.
Keep the editorial check separate
Preflight can help identify production problems, but it does not decide whether a price, name or date is correct. Review those facts against the approved content. Also inspect page breaks, captions and headings that may have shifted during the final revision.
For example, replacing a photograph near the deadline may fix its resolution while changing the crop in an important frame. Open the exported PDF and inspect that page rather than relying only on the source document’s status indicator.
Keep the issued PDF and its source revision together. That provides a clear record of what was approved and makes later corrections easier to explain.
Publisher reference: Adobe: configure and use the InDesign Preflight panel.
Check the Windows platform and product information on the InDesign 2021 listing before preparing your publishing setup.