RELIABLE PDF CHECKS

PDF TO PDF COMPARISON

Handling PDF files is still more difficult and less automated than we all hoped it would be by now. MediaCheck compares the content of PDF files regardless, whether the content of one is a raster image and the other contains vector data. It does artwork inspection not only for similar files but can also compare single up files against a sheet with a large number of (different) ups.

MediaCheck provides security that the content of the customer file is correctly retained in the file to be used for printing. That is more than a conventional pre-flight check can do. Where pre-flight is concerned with the question whether the PDF file is suited for printing, MediaCheck can tell you whether the PDF file has the content that the customer wants printed.

COMPARE SCANS

COMPARE SCANNED PACKAGING AGAINST PDF

While PDF files are intended to have the same appearance everywhere, a print on paper or other material is something very different from a computer file.

The Professional version of MediaCheck Light, Medium and Workflow allows you to compare the content of a PDF file against the scan of printed media.

Our software takes into account all differences in appearance and presents you with just the deviations. For print inspection, we support scanners from sizes A4 up to A0. You can use scanners that are specialized in handling very light media (e.g. paper for leaflets with only 40g).

PIXEL BASED COMPARISON

MediaCheck compares a PDF reference and a sample pixel by pixel. This means security independent of the language, the font and the kind of content. It does not matter, if the data in the PDF file is a raster image or vector or text. We compare the resulting visual appearance of everything: text, images, line-art. This allows us to find deviations in text of any language and font, in codes of any kind, in drawings or in images. You can do artwork inspection and text inspection in one tool with one step.

TRUE DEVIATIONS

An automated proof reader finds deviations between a reference and a sample. We do our best to make the software „intelligent“ to just provide you with deviations that cannot automatically be recognized as sampling or usual printing effects. But to decide if this deviation is really an error with consequences is still up to human intelligence. The software just helps to direct the attention to the relevant parts and visualize and document the differences. The user is the one to decide what to do with it. Therefor we differentiate between errors and deviations and initially give all deviations the state „unhandled“. The user can then decide, whether the deviation is acceptable or whether it is a true error!

PDF REPORT

DOCUMENTED RESULTS

It is not only important to have a system for automatic quality control, you also want to document the level of quality – for your own use and for your customer.

MediaCheck gives you options for documenting the proof in different levels of detail and options. The system creates PDF protocols that document not only the results of the automatic comparison but everything that was relevant for it – the parameters, the sources of the data, the user names for each single step and the comments given for each deviation.

You can configure your selection of detail for the protocol and modify the layout; You can also optionally include a system signature to secure the validity of the protocols. You can decide whether you want to print or archive the protocols and whether they are for your future reference or to demonstrate the level of quality of your work to your customer.

CLIENT-SERVER-ARCHITECTURE

Why a client-server architecture?

A crucial question yet easy to answer when looking at the advantages compared to a single-user solution. The simple and flexible integration into existing workflows to rapidly respond to market changes and market requirements and to optimize work processes smoothly deserves special attention. But there are other advantages to using a client-server-architecture and reward a modern system.

Optimal adaptation to existing workflows
- Flexibility regarding who, when and where to do tasks
- Batch-processing, specialization
- No need to have each person do everything (e.g. a printer needs no knowledge about PDF format)
Access job history (not only the most recent job)
Clients are continuously available for the user (no forced waiting periods during complex computations)
Efficient use of hardware resources
- Computational intensive tasks only on one computer – the server
- Parallel processing of different proofs
Cost-effective for multiple users
Floating licenses allow unlimited installation of the client-software
Relevant data stored centrally on the server
Minimal validation effort despite multiple user solution
Centralized management and synchronization of decided inspection settings