Preflight Errors
This page covers every preflight issue code you may encounter, what causes it, and how to resolve it.
Errors (block export)
Errors must be fixed before you can export. The export button is disabled until all errors are resolved.
OVERFLOW
Message: "Text exceeds bounds at minimum font size"
What it means: The text in a field is too long to fit even after shrinking to the minimum font size defined in the template field.
How to fix:
- Shorten the text. Edit the item and abbreviate the name or text. Check with your customer before making changes.
- Lower the minimum font size. In the template field settings, reduce the min font size. Be careful going below 6pt — it may be unreadable on your material.
- Increase the field size. Make the template field wider or taller to give the text more room.
- Switch overflow policy. Change from "shrink to fit" to "wrap" if the field has enough vertical space for multiple lines.
MISSING_REQUIRED
Message: "Required field has no value"
What it means: A template field marked as "required" has no data for this item.
How to fix:
- Add the missing data. Edit the item and fill in the empty field.
- Check your field mapping. The parsed data may have the value under a different column name that wasn't mapped to this field.
- Set a default value. If the field should have a fallback, add a default value in the template field settings.
EMPTY_JOB
Message: "Job has no items"
What it means: The job doesn't contain any items to process.
How to fix:
- Parse data into the job. Use the parse dialog to paste text or upload a file.
- Add items manually. Click "Add Item" on the job detail page.
NO_TEMPLATE
Message: "No template assigned to the job"
What it means: You haven't selected a template for this job. Without a template, CraftStage can't compute layout or generate proofs.
How to fix:
- Select a template. Use the template dropdown on the job detail page to assign one.
Warnings (review recommended)
Warnings don't block export but indicate potential quality issues you should review.
SHRINK_WARNING
Message: "Font shrunk more than 30%"
What it means: The text was reduced significantly from the base font size to fit. For example, a field set to 14pt was shrunk to 9pt or smaller.
What to do:
- Review readability. Consider whether the reduced size is still readable on your material. A 14pt → 10pt reduction (29%) is usually fine, but 14pt → 7pt (50%) may be too small.
- Consider alternatives. See the Handling Long Names guide for strategies.
MISSING_FONT
Message: "Font not available, using fallback"
What it means: The font specified in the template isn't available on the server. CraftStage is using a fallback font (typically Arial).
What to do:
- Use curves export mode. This converts text to vector paths using the fallback font, which avoids further issues in CorelDRAW.
- Stick with system fonts. Arial, Times New Roman, and other common system fonts are always available.
LONG_TEXT
Message: "Text is unusually long and may need review"
What it means: The text value is longer than typical for this type of field. It may be a data entry error.
What to do:
- Verify the data. Check that the text is correct — it may include extra content that shouldn't be there.
Info (awareness only)
Info-level issues don't require action. They're shown for awareness.
SPECIAL_CHAR
Message: "Non-ASCII characters present"
What it means: The text contains characters like accented letters (é, ñ, ü), apostrophes ('), or other non-ASCII characters.
Why it's shown: Some laser software handles special characters differently. This is informational — CraftStage preserves these characters correctly in the export, especially when using curves mode.