The Purpose of Proofs and Proofing

A proof is fully mocked up copy of your what your final printed materials will look like. A proof should always be thoroughly examined for any errors or unexpected differences from your initial design concept that might have emerged (e.g. due to the differences in the way that screens and paper carry colours). It is no problem to scrap a proof and produce another with altered text or contrast.

Proof Copy

Imagine how frustrating it would be if you had just had 8000 menus printed for distribution in your neighbourhood and you discovered that the advertised deal had the wrong month printed on it: October rather than November, so it looked like the promotion had expired. Errors in text like this are not as uncommon as you might think, which is why it is important to check proofs thoroughly before going to print. At Colour Print, we will always provide clients with a proof copy before we start a print run.

Proofreading

When there is a large quantity of text included on a printed item, you may wish to employ the services of a professional proofreader. These trained readers can spot and correct any grammatical, orthographical or syntactical errors, whilst keeping your phrasing intact. In the literary world, this is done at the proofing stage as the name suggests. However, you may wish to have a proofreader look over the digital files of your text at a much earlier stage in the proceedings.

Low-Res Content Proofs

Where colour accuracy is unimportant and you just want to get a basic idea of how your finished item will look, a low-resolution proof showing the layout of your text and images can be produced. Once you have approved the content, we can go to a full print run. 

Digital vs Wet Proofs

A wet proof uses the same paper and ink that will be used in the final job and can be used to check that the colours you have seen when designing on screen match the colours in the final printed work. (There is always some difference due to the way that the eye perceives transmitted and reflected colour). Far more common these days is a high resolution digital proof. Digital printers were originally designed for producing proofs. 

If you have any questions at all about any of our printing procedures, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can call our office on 01603 488001. Alternatively, email sales@col-print.co.uk. 

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