PCB fab and assembly, how to resolve width problem between adjacent pads?
The two pads that were highlighted are probably just the first ones that showed up in their rule-checker. If you changed just those pads and sent it back to them, they'd probably come back asking about the next two pads, etc. How wide are the current pads, and how wide are the component pins? It looks like a QFP package, so I wouldn't recommend removing the soldermask. That greatly increases the chances of solder bridges between the pins, especially when hand-soldering. I would say your best bet would be to decrease the width of the pads slightly (~.02mm total, or .01mm on each side) so that they can bridge the gap with soldermask. However, if the pins of your part are too wide to fit on narrower pads, you may not have much of a choice. Either eliminate the soldermask webs between pins and just be VERY careful about solder bridges, or go to a different manufacturer who can handle soldermask webs between pads that are 0.23mm apart or less.