behind the scenes of sending frankie to print

Have you ever held a frankie magazine in your hands and wondered how it all came together? Today we’re showing you how it all happens: the collaboration, moving parts and behind the scenes coordination in the final week before we send the magazine to print.

The energy in the frankie office during deadline week is very specific… it’s not quite panic, but it’s definitely not calm. You can tell because chocolate consumption increases, tabs multiply and everyone is looking at their screens very closely. Multiple people are working across the same files, at the same time, uploading, downloading and messaging constantly – all relying on a smooth, reliable internet connection in the background.

From the outside, a magazine can feel like a neat, finished product – 120-odd pages of thoughtful stories, beautiful photos and intricate illustrations. But in the final days before it goes to print, it’s less “tidy object” and more “giant, moving puzzle” where multiple people are working on different pieces at the same time and everything has to stay connected for it to come together.

“Sometimes it’ll be right up until the morning when we go to print that things come through,” says editor Shannon Jenkins. “Even hours before print, something will finally come through and it’s a scramble to swap it back in and do all the finishing touches.”

That “something” could be anything: a final interview answer, a late image, an advertiser request. And when it arrives, it rarely drops neatly into place – one small change can trigger a ripple effect across layouts, headlines and page order, all while the clock keeps ticking.

In the design team, Eliza Williams is deep in the details alongside art director Kate Pullen. “The week before print is basically just checking everything – having as many eyes as possible on every page to make sure there are no mistakes or printing errors,” she says.

This is where the process becomes almost forensic. Files are opened, zoomed into, checked again often by more than one person at the same time. Pages are printed out, pinned up and tested on the actual paper stock to see how the colours behave in real life.

And all the while, the files themselves are getting bigger. Heavier. Like your check-in luggage the morning before take-off. “We design everything in InDesign, then export it as PDFs so it can be checked and shared across the team,” says Eliza. “Altogether, the files are massive – well over a hundred pages, all high resolution.”

Those files don’t just sit quietly on one computer – they’re constantly moving between people and platforms. Luckily, frankie’s nbn Business Plan is up to the task, with fast upload and download speeds that support cloud-based tools and sharing documents.

“We use OneDrive to share everything – that’s where all the final files live,” Eliza says. “We actually have to clear out most of it just to make space before print deadline.”

At any given moment in that final stretch, multiple people are working across the same ecosystem. Shannon is checking copy and making last-minute editorial calls. Eliza and Kate are adjusting layouts and exporting pages. Files are being uploaded, replaced and renamed, while messages fly back and forth on Microsoft Teams – questions, updates, last-minute ideas as everyone works across the same shared files and timelines.

“I’m constantly checking emails to see if last-minute interview answers or files are coming in,” says Shannon.

“There are always super-last-minute things that need to be added,” Eliza says. “Or photography comes in late and it’s not what we expected, so we have to change the layout completely.”

Everyone is working at once – editing, redesigning, uploading, checking and keeping that many moving parts in sync relies on things most readers never see. So everyone needs to be online at the same time on a connection that can support multiple devices working simultaneously.
By this point, everyone is a little tired – understandably! Eyes are strained more than when you were addicted to Magic Eye books for a few months in primary school.

“I’m usually struggling to read words by that point,” Shannon admits.

Eliza’s desktop tells a similar story. “My desktop is definitely chaotic – there are screenshots everywhere,” she says. “I’ll send screenshots to show progress instead of exporting full files every time, so it just builds up.”

But beneath the chaos, there’s structure holding everything together. A shared system that allows all of these moving parts to stay (mostly) in sync (I mean, fingers crossed).

Because for all the creativity, instinct and last-minute decision-making involved, sending a magazine to print also depends on something far less visible: the ability to move large files quickly and reliably between multiple people under pressure.

“It’s a big, arduous process uploading all of those final files,” Shannon says.

When it works, it’s almost invisible. Pages update, files upload and everyone stays connected. But when you’re dealing with high-resolution, print-ready files – entire issues being transferred, updated and checked in real time – that reliability becomes essential.

“Sending the mag to print really is so reliant on all the technology working,” Shannon says. “If something failed, it would be detrimental to the magazine.” That’s where frankie’s nbn Business Plan comes in – it’s an internet plan that supports the behind the scenes work that keeps everything moving during crunch time.

But even after the files are sent off, it’s not quite over yet. Production manager Lizzie Dynon has one final step before the magazine is officially locked in – checking dielines.

Dielines are when the printer lays everything out flat, with guides showing exactly where each page will be cut and folded. It’s the very last stage of approval – a final chance to catch anything major that might have slipped through. “We upload even more corrections,” Lizzie says. “And then it’s finally time to approve the magazine. Bada-bing bada-boom. Done.”

Then the files are sent and the issue is officially on its way to becoming a physical thing!

“It feels very celebratory,” says Shannon. “Another one’s off!”

A few weeks on, when you’ve moved on to producing the next issue, the magazine arrives at the frankie office (as well as in shops and letterboxes).

“You almost forget all the little details inside,” Shannon says. “It feels like a present when it finally arrives.”

This article was produced in partnership with nbn. If any of this feels familiar – juggling shared files, cloud tools, multiple collaborators and tight deadlines – it might be worth checking whether your internet setup still reflects how your business actually works today. nbn Business Plans are designed to support team-based work with fast upload speeds, reliable performance and 24/7 business-grade support — helping everything behind the scenes run that little bit more smoothly.