Why proofs are important


Printing | Online color digital printing available Worldwide > Preparing Files > Why proofs are important

 

A "Proof" is a copy of your job.

  • A Hard-Copy Proof is a printed copy of your job that is sent to you via Australia Post.
  • A PDF Proof is an electronic copy of your job that is E-mailed to you.

If you want to have a ‘last check' of your job before it goes to the printing press, then you should select the type of proof you want (i.e.: a "hard copy proof" or a "PDF proof"). Please note that hard copy proofs are NOT available for Discount Priced products.

If you choose to receive a proof of your job, please be aware that:

  • It takes up to one business day to create a PDF proof and E-mail it to you;
  • It takes between two and three days to create a hard copy proof, and then even longer before you receive it through the mail (it may be weeks in remote parts of the world); and
  • The Production Speed time clock will NOT start ticking until you have received your proof, checked it, and then approved it for us to print.

If you choose "No Proof Required", and provided your file is "ready to go to press", then the Production Speed time clock will start ticking the moment you submit your file.

 

If you want to know more about "Proofs", then read more about them below.

 

 

The proof = your money is not at risk

The proofs we produce are exact copies of your job, prepared from the exact file that will be used to print your job.

In other words, your proof equals the very first copy of your job.

Proofs are the starting point of every printing job. We will send you a proof for your approval before we print your job (either a 'hard copy' or a PDF file).

The proof allows you to check your job for any errors in the images and text. When we send you a proof, we refer you to a page on our web site that contains a detailed checklist of possible sources of errors, compiled from long experience. You sign off your proof on the same page, and we are automatically advised.

The proof is the first thing for which you pay, and we make no other charge until you approve your proof.

If you do not approve of the proof for any reason (e.g. you decided to change the size of the brochure, there is a spelling mistake, the cover is the wrong shade of navy blue, the company logo is too small, etc.), then you may:

  • Advise us of any corrections or alterations BEFORE your job is printed (for a small charge) - you will then receive a second proof to check and approve; or
  • Submit a new file. You will then receive a second proof to check and approve; or
  • Cancel the job and not be required to pay one more cent.

So, your money is not at risk - if you do not like that we are going to print, then you don’t pay for it.

We do NOT print jobs if we believe there is a mistake

We will do a final check just before printing your job. If we see an error (even if you have approved your proof), then we will not print the job - we will contact you immediately for guidance (after all, you might have chosen to spell ‘elephant’ with an ‘X’, a ‘U’ and a ‘Q’).

We would never print a job where a proof has been signed off and where we spotted what we believe may be a mistake for the purpose of perhaps being paid a second time for a second run. 

More about proofs

You can choose to have a PDF proof emailed to you, or you can have a hard copy sent to your door. PDF proofs will get to you faster, usually within 24 hours of submitting your job. They are cheaper because we don't have to mail them, but they are not as reliable as a hard copy proof.

It is much easier and more accurate to check printed copy that copy on screen, so you can and should print out your PDF proof rather than check it on the screen. However your colour printer and our press may, and probably will, print colours differently, so you CANNOT depend on your colour print of our PDF proof as a 100% accurate representation of the colours that will result when we print your job. So, if you want to ensure that your finished product is printed exactly the way that you want it printed, with the exact colour matches, then you should request a hard-copy proof.

Hard copy proofs are exact copies of your final print job, almost always printed on the same paper as your job will be printed on and usually trimmed and folded the way your job will be trimmed and folded. For example, if you want to print 500 copies of 48 page saddle stitched book, then the hard copy proof will be a 48 page saddle stitched book.