WebFlow / Pitstop Server Preflight and Actions

Example where Pitstop Server is part of the workflow - shown in the red circles.

Combining Pitstop Server with WebFlow makes it possible to automate PDF Preflight/actions and control them via WebProof.

• Note: There are many ways to customise this, and the functions with combinations mentioned in these examples are based on best practice. 

PDF Preflight
In the WebFlow setup Pitstop Server can automatically preflight PDF files from a hot folder. Pitstop Server is set up with rules to preflight for different aspects such as missing bleed, image resolution, RGB/Spot colors, transparency, hidden layers or ink coverage. Different hot folders can be set up to preflight for different rules. If the set-up is combined with an InDesign Server, documents are preflighted automatically at each upload − see more.

Error statuscode

1. If the preflighted PDF does not meet the requirements of the Pitstop Preflight settings it will result in PF ERROR statuscode in WebProof. A downloadable report (3) that describes the issues is attached in a note (2) on the page (1) in WebProof. 
2. Resolve the issues and upload again. 

Pitstop Actions
Pitstop Server can be used to make changes to the PDF files, either automatically or by WebProof users. Examples of uses of actions are to convert colour spaces (Convert to CMYK Pantone, black/white, sRGB etc.) or convert fonts to outlines.

1. By changing a status code in WebProof you can control Pitstop Actions on the WebFlow Server. The file will then be converted and moved to a specific folder. 
2. The flow can be set up to automatically convert the files when they go to specific hot folders and also regarding output to specific folders − see below. 

PDF output
As mentioned above, the flow can be customised to move files to specific folders when they have been converted with an action. There are three different ways:

1. The files will always be written to the same fixed folder on your server. 
2. The files will be written to a folder called "PDF" in your original document folder. 
3. The files will be released to a defined local folder, FTP server, email, etc when a specific status code in WebProof is changed.

Required files installed on the server:

• Pitstop Preflight Profiles and Action Profiles.

These profiles are created on a workstation version of Pitstop.
See more about the installation process.