Pre-press troubleshooting & 5-colour print fix

Brought in mid-press when the printer couldn’t match proofs. Diagnosed a wrong PDF profile and GCR-heavy conversions that locked jewellery tones to the background. Rebuilt the artwork: separated images/text/gradients, introduced a 5th Pantone spot (Pantone 426 C) for the backgrounds, applied fine trapping around cut-out jewellery, and colour-matched to supplied samples. Delivered 5-colour press-ready PDFs—stable backgrounds, accurate jewellery tones, smooth print.


Role: Pre-press rescue, retouching, colour management

Problem: Wrong PDF spec + GCR conversions → excessive K; printer couldn’t control background without affecting jewellery

Solution: Convert background gradients to Pantone 426 C spot; separate black/white text as individual PDFs; isolate jewellery from backgrounds

Execution: Precise cut-outs; rebuilt noise-free gradients; fine trapping around jewellery; colour-corrected to client samples; recombined to 5C (CMYK + spot)

Output: Press-ready PDFs with clean overprint and reliable on-press control

Result: Proof-accurate print and a happy client