What should you look for in a proof?
By Kaukab Jhumra, BuyerZone.com Assistant Content Writer
September 27, 2000
The most important thing you can do to make sure that your printing order turns out the
way you want is to ask the printer for a proof. A proof is a printout of how your order
will look, complete with graphics, text and layout.
Although this depends upon the complexity of your order, proofs don't have to be much
more than black and white computer paper printouts. Basic proofs are usually called pre-press
proofs because the printer typically shows them to you before sending your order to the
press to be made into printing plates. Pre-press proofs are cheap to produce - most printers
will provide them to you for free.
Press proofs, that is, samples of how your final product will look with your chosen paper,
are more expensive, especially if it is a full-color order.
Size
• Are both the flat and folded sizes of the proof correct?
Folding
• Is the blueline folded correctly?
• Does all copy read correctly when the paper is folded?
• Are all required scores and perforations indicated?
Copy
• Are there any spelling or grammatical errors?
• Are there any missing characters or broken type?
Page Order
• Are the pages, including blanks, in the correct order?
• Is all copy in the proper position on the page or panel?
• Is the page number in the correct position on each page?
• Are all margins straight or consistent?
Photos and Illustrations
• Have all photos or illustrations been shot at the proper size and placed into position?
• Are there any upside-down or flopped (mirror) images?
• Does each image have the proper caption?
• Do photographs fully touch the outline rules?
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