What are the best practices for print production management?

Good print production management is mostly disciplined prepress plus checkpoints at every stage. Verify the file before it ships, approve a proof, and inspect the job as it moves through press and finishing so problems are caught while they are still cheap to fix.

• Prepress checks: confirm 300 DPI resolution, CMYK color mode, and correct bleed before anything runs.
• Proof first: always approve a proof ahead of the full run.
• Stage gates: build QC checkpoints at prepress, press, finishing, and final inspection.
• Track the data: log waste rates and turnaround so you can improve over time.
• Watch pagination: on multi-page jobs, page-order errors are easy to miss on screen, so proof carefully.

Treat each checkpoint as a gate, not a formality, and the finished run matches the design instead of surprising you.