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Waiting until you have your upcoming 48 Sheet campaign printed and ready for posting is a little late to find out that the headline is misspelled. Or that the text can't be read at that point size from a distance of 30 yards. Or that the colour of the product is the wrong shade.
A proof is a single copy prototype of the finished product that helps you judge what your final piece will look like. It is of utmost importance to you to ensure that everything is as it should be. However, upon sign-off by you, it also becomes the printer's bible to match your printed job against. So make sure you build in the time to properly proof your project prior to printing.
Possible Proofing Errors:
But what should you look out for? Well here are the main areas:
When you receive a colour proof, it should firstly be checked for colour quality. This must be done under the correct viewing conditions, ideally in daylight. The purpose of this exercise is to assess whether the printer or repro house has achieved a result faithful to the original.
Secondly, register must be checked. A job that is out of register will look fuzzy and out of focus, and the edge of the offending colour will be seen to protrude slightly. Check a couple of areas on the sheet to determine if this is an isolated or overall problem.
As well as the actual colour values, it is also important to check for blemishes or scratches. Clearly circle every blemish and anything else that seems wrong.
Finally, keep an eye out for the mistakes that seem obvious in hindsight but can be easily overlooked such as typos, proper styled fonts, and that all graphical elements present, are the right size and are correctly positioned.
Preflight Checklist:
Just to sum up however, here is a "pre-flight" checklist to help you go through your proof in an orderly fashion and make sure everything is correct before you sign-off and print production of your job begins.
1. Re-examine headlines and other display type for typos and placement.
2. Study areas for critical register. Look carefully at each page to be sure no elements have been mistakenly masked out or trimmed off.
3. Check every photo to be sure it is positioned, scaled, and cropped correctly.
4. Clearly circle every blemish, flaw, broken letter, and anything else that seems wrong.
5. Are all corrections made from previous proofs?
6. For process colour proofs, are those involved in judging the colour looking at the proofs under the same lighting conditions? (If you do not have a lighting booth, use daylight).
7. Are neutral colours in proper balance? Look at whites, grays, and blacks. If they show a significant colour variation, the colour is probably out of balance in general.
8. If spot varnish or coating is being applied, is it indicated?
9. Are screen percentages correctly indicated? Are the margins consistent?
10. Is the job keyline (for P-O-P) correctly indicated?
11. Any last minute corrections to the copy?
And after it's printed?
If you have spent the time thoroughly checking your proof prior to printing, then you should receive a perfectly printed job ready for your next campaign, just what you asked for.
But what if you receive the entire job and then discover a mistake? What can be done? Well it depends on how relevant the mistake is. Talk to your printer, and together you may be able to come up with a solution.
Proofing your job
