Prepress review

Use the Prepress handoff when design work is finished and a manager needs to check the job before production continues. The handoff keeps the decision, feedback, and production snapshot together on the job.

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Find work that needs action

All product links below require you to sign in. On Home, Needs my action sits below Quick actions and above Active jobs. A manager’s personal queue contains reviews addressed to them and change requests on reviews they submitted. A designer’s queue contains change requests on reviews they submitted. The full list is available under Jobs. Open the filter in the Stage column to select one or more workflow statuses:

• Intake
• Prepress · In progress
• Prepress · Manager review
• Prepress · Changes requested
• Imaging, Washout, QC, and Shipped

The Jobs page initially includes every workflow status except Shipped. Select Shipped in the Stage filter when you need to include sent work. Multiple selected statuses are combined, while the Active and Archived state filter remains separate. The Stage header shows the number selected, and custom selections also appear as removable pills above the table. The default selection is summarized in one Stage: All except Shipped pill. Selected statuses and the other recognized filters are preserved in the page URL. The comma-separated statuses parameter contains the workflow values. Flexoworks removes duplicates and saves them in lifecycle order, so a refreshed, bookmarked, or shared URL opens the same view. To see all pending manager reviews, select only Prepress · Manager review or use the All pending reviews link above. The personal link from Home continues to work for managers and designers. On the Jobs page, its Assigned to me scope appears only as a removable applied filter pill instead of a separate Action queue selector. You can combine that scope with any Stage selection. You can also open a job directly with its numeric ID. For example, job J-0042 uses https://app.flexoworks.com/jobs/42.

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Review uploaded production files

Upload LEN/LENX and DXF files from the job’s Files section. Review production files opens an editable proposal before any production lines change. You can review immediately or reopen pending files later, while the job is in Intake or Prepress. LEN files propose plate specifications. Each DXF proposes one apron for its printing colour, even when several plate pieces appear inside the drawing. DXF apron dimensions come from the unique enclosing rectangular outline and round to whole millimetres. Choose the base and cushion materials, confirm the quantity, and create a new apron line or select an existing apron to update. There is no polymer-thickness adjustment to the extracted apron dimensions. If the drawing cannot be measured reliably, the review explains why and leaves the dimensions blank for manual entry. File metadata remains available after applying. Duplicate uploads are excluded to prevent counting the same file twice.

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1. Mark the job ready for review

An active Designer or Manager can start the handoff. Open a job in Prepress and find the Prepress handoff panel immediately below the job header and above Production lines. Select Mark ready for review. The assigned manager must be an active user with the Manager function; otherwise the job cannot be submitted. The submission form records what the manager will review:

• A snapshot of the current production summary.
• Confirmation that design work is complete and ready for production.
• Confirmation that production quantities and dimensions were checked.
• An optional note describing exceptions or special handling.
• An optional email copy to the manager.

Both confirmations are required. Missing or incomplete production details may appear as warnings, but they do not block the handoff. The manager sees the same warnings in the submitted review. Submitting always creates an in-app task. The email copy is selected by default and can be cleared. The localized email to the assigned manager includes the job, submitter, frozen production summary, note, and a direct job link. If delivery fails, the in-app handoff still succeeds and Flexoworks shows a warning.

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2. Review the submitted snapshot

The assigned manager receives the personal task, and any active manager can make the decision. Open the job from Needs my action, the Assigned to me link or applied-filter pill, the Prepress · Manager review Stage filter, or the direct job URL. The review panel identifies the submitter and recipient and shows the current attempt’s recorded checks, note, production snapshot, and warnings. It also indicates how many earlier attempts are retained. The person who submitted the pending review can also select Withdraw submission to return it to Prepress work in progress.

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3. Request and resolve changes

Select Request changes when the job is not ready. Feedback is required and should describe the exact correction. The email copy is selected by default and can be cleared. When sent, the localized message to the original submitter includes the feedback and a direct job link. The job remains in Prepress. The original submitter receives an in-app required action with the manager’s feedback and can select Mark ready again after making the correction. Each resubmission creates a new attempt. The panel shows the number of retained earlier attempts, and the Activity log keeps the action sequence.

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4. Approve into Imaging

When the submitted snapshot is correct, select Approve and send to Imaging and confirm the decision. Approval moves the job from Prepress to Imaging and creates one individual plate for each required unit. The review no longer matches the personal action scope or the Prepress · Manager review Stage filter. The CDI operator arranges the released separations into physical gangs and records the Esko handoff. The terminal team finishes imaging and washout; job progress follows all current required plates. See CDI: arrange plates and hand off to production. Approval and withdrawal do not send email.

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Changes that reopen a pending review

A review waiting for a manager decision is automatically reopened if someone changes information that could make its snapshot inaccurate. This includes the customer, contact, location, manager, designer, job name, due date, notes, production-line data, and new file uploads. Submit a fresh review after checking the updated job. Billing-payer-only or other billing-only edits and internal comments do not reopen the review. Archiving a job cancels a review that is waiting for a manager decision.

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Audit trail

Every handoff action is audit-recorded. The Activity log shows the event and time, while the current review panel identifies the submitter and deciding manager. Find the Activity log in the lower-right area of the job page, below Comments and Source order when a source order exists. It shows the newest entries first; select Load more when older entries are available. The audit trail records when a review is:

• Submitted or resubmitted.
• Withdrawn by its submitter.
• Returned with requested changes.
• Approved into Imaging.
• Reopened because relevant job content changed.
• Cancelled because the job was archived.