How Do You Preflight and Package an InDesign File for Translation or Print?

The package folder lands in the translator's inbox and the first warning appears before they've opened a single file: missing font. Or the DTP operator receives a client's InDesign package, relinks everything, and finds three images still flagged as modified — packaged after a last-minute edit, links never updated. Or the printer calls to say two placed images are 96 PPI and there's no bleed on the document. Every one of these problems is visible in InDesign's preflight panel before File > Package is ever clicked. The issue isn't the packaging step. It's the absence of a structured preflight pass before it.

This article covers how to build a custom preflight profile for translation and print handoffs, what the Package function actually collects and silently omits, which errors to block on versus flag, and the seven mistakes that reliably generate a revision round.

What the Preflight Panel Does — and Why [Basic] Isn't Enough

InDesign runs preflight continuously in the background. The coloured dot at the bottom-left of the document window reflects the current status against the active profile: green for no errors, red for one or more. Double-clicking the dot opens the Preflight panel. The profile selector at the top of that panel is where most operators leave money on the table by keeping it set to [Basic].

[Basic] checks only for missing fonts and missing or modified links. That catches roughly half the problems that surface after a translation or print handoff. A custom preflight profile defines exactly what constitutes an error for a specific output intent. A translation handoff and a print handoff have different error definitions — which is why a single profile for both is a structural mistake. Running a bespoke profile takes thirty seconds and eliminates the majority of late-stage surprises.

Building a Custom Preflight Profile

Open the Preflight panel via Window > Output > Preflight. Click the profile dropdown and choose Define Profiles, then hit the + button to create a new profile. Name it clearly — Translation Handoff and Print — Offset CMYK are unambiguous. Each category can be switched on or off independently.

For Translation Handoffs

• Fonts — Missing Fonts: Always on. A file with unresolved fonts cannot be meaningfully worked on by the recipient.
• Fonts — Font Types Restricted for Embedding: On. Some fonts cannot be copied in a package. Identify these before handoff so substitutions can be agreed in advance rather than discovered mid-project.
• Links — Missing Links: Always on. A missing link in the packaged folder means a red question mark in the recipient's Links panel.
• Links — Modified Links: Always on. A modified link means the placed image no longer matches the file on disk. Yellow warning triangles that the recipient cannot resolve without access to the original source.
• Text — Overset Text: Always on. Overset text decisions belong in the source file review, not discovered mid-translation workflow.
• Images — Resolution Below: Optional — set 150 PPI if the file will eventually go to print, skip for screen-only deliverables to avoid false positives on web-sourced assets.

For Print Handoffs

• All of the above, plus:
• Images — Resolution Below 300 PPI: Non-negotiable for offset. Set 1200 PPI for 1-bit bitmap images. Low resolution cannot be fixed inside InDesign — the source file must be replaced.
• Images — Colour Mode: Flag RGB images in a document set to CMYK output. RGB in a CMYK job is the most common cause of surprise colour shifts at proof stage.
• Document — Bleed and Slug: Verify bleed is set per the printer's specification (typically 3mm). Missing bleed is rarely caught until the printer checks the PDF.
• Document — Colour Mode: Confirm the document colour space matches the output intent.
• Transparency: Flag unflattened transparency if output is going to a RIP with known flattening issues — flatten at source, not at PDF export.

Preflight Error Priority Matrix

Not every preflight error warrants blocking a handoff. This matrix covers the most common errors and the correct response for each output type — bookmark it and share it with the team as a triage reference.

How to Run the Package Function

Once the preflight profile shows clean — or documented errors have been consciously accepted and noted — run File > Package (Shift+Cmd+Alt+P on Mac, Shift+Ctrl+Alt+P on Windows). InDesign opens the Package dialogue with several summary panels. Work through them rather than clicking straight to the next step: the Fonts panel lists any licensing restrictions; the Links and Images panel flags anything still unresolved; the Colours and Inks panel lists every spot colour in the document. These panels are your final check before committing.

The Create Package Folder step contains six checkboxes. These are not cosmetic — they determine what gets physically collected and whether the recipient can open and work on the file without your help.

What's Inside the Package Folder

InDesign creates a self-contained folder with a predictable structure. Understanding exactly what gets collected — and what doesn't — is what prevents the "but I sent you everything" exchange.

The Document fonts/ folder collects only the specific variants actively used in the document — not the complete typeface family. If the file uses Roboto Regular and Roboto Bold, only those two files are collected. Roboto Thin, Italic, and Condensed are absent. This matters for translation handoffs: if a DTP operator on the receiving end applies a character style that references a weight not in the package, they get a missing font error that traces back to a gap at packaging. Font planning for multilingual DTP is a separate problem that should be resolved in the source file before it reaches this stage.

What to Add Beyond the Package

The package folder is technically complete but contextually bare. The Instructions.txt that InDesign auto-generates is a technical manifest — it lists fonts, inks, and linked files. It says nothing about layer logic, style conventions, overset decisions, or anything that requires human context. A plain-text or PDF README added to the root of the package folder eliminates a significant proportion of incoming queries.

For Translation Handoffs

• Target languages and any language-specific notes (RTL requirements, character set constraints)
• Which layers contain translatable text and which are locked and why
• Any known overset in the source and the agreed handling approach
• A brief style map — which paragraph styles mark body text, headings, captions, footnotes — especially useful when the file uses named paragraph and character styles for translation
• Brand glossary or approved terminology list if one exists

For Print Handoffs

• Colour profile and substrate specification: coated or uncoated, colour standard (Fogra39, GRACoL, SNAP)
• Spot colour callouts with Pantone references and any varnish or foil instructions
• Finishing notes: die lines, perforation, fold marks — especially if these live on separate layers
• A preflight report PDF showing a clean result against the print profile

Seven Packaging Mistakes That Create Revision Rounds

1. Packaging with modified links still pending. Run File > Update All Links immediately before packaging — not twenty minutes before, in case any last-minute edits have since triggered new modifications.
2. Not checking Include IDML for translation handoffs. An INDD file alone cannot be imported by most CAT tools. The IDML is what gets exported to XLIFF. Omitting it means the translator has to request it, adding a round-trip delay.
3. Ignoring font embedding restriction warnings. InDesign packages the file and shows a warning about restricted fonts that most operators click through. The recipient cannot legally use or embed that font downstream — agree a substitution before packaging, not after.
4. Sending no README. Instructions.txt lists files. It does not explain layer logic, overset decisions, style conventions, or the agreed handling for any known issue. A two-paragraph plain-text brief saves multiple email threads.
5. Forgetting hidden layers. If Include Fonts and Links from Hidden and Non-Printing Content is unchecked, hidden layer assets may not be collected. The recipient enables a layer and finds broken links they cannot resolve.
6. Wrong PDF export preset for the included PDF. Include PDF (Print) uses whatever preset is currently active. The last export may have been screen-quality or proof-quality — always verify the active preset before packaging for a print handoff.
7. No post-edit preflight pass. If any text or layout edits were made after the preflight check and before packaging, run preflight again. A last-minute style change can introduce new overset; a replaced image can drop below the resolution threshold.

The Short Version

Open Window > Output > Preflight and build two custom profiles — one for translation handoffs, one for print — rather than relying on [Basic]. Export them as .idpp files for team consistency. Block on missing fonts and missing links in all cases; treat modified links as a hard stop for print and high-priority for translation. Run File > Update All Links immediately before packaging. In the Create Package Folder dialogue, always enable Copy Fonts, Copy Linked Graphics, and Update Graphic Links; add Include IDML for every translation handoff; add Include PDF (Print) for print jobs after confirming your export preset. Add a plain-text README to the package root — Instructions.txt is a file manifest, not a handoff brief. Run preflight one final time after any last-minute edits, before you zip and send.

Further Reading