Checklist for approving an artwork proof
Proofing for artwork proof is an important step in the CD/DVD replication process. It gives you one last chance to see the artwork before it goes off to be printed thousands of times. Here is a checklist that might help you organize what needs to be verified:
- Bleed: make sure there is enough bleed, this is the area that is beyond the crop mark or trim lines
- Crop marks / Trim lines: look for crop marks or trim lines and make sure it is not cropping any important graphics or text off. If the artwork should bleed out, the graphic should continue beyond the trim. If the artwork has a white border, make sure to check the thickness of border is satisfactory
- Safe area: make sure no graphics or text is less than 1/8″ away from the trim or fold, or it might be cut off since the trim line will slightly shift during actual production
- Correct size: dimension of artwork should be correct, print and cut out the proof to ensure the right sizing
- Fonts / type: check to make sure correct fonts are displayed, whether it should be regular, bold or italics
- Text content: proof read all text to make sure there is no typo, however this should have been checked long before this step
- Correct images: make sure the right images have been used, especially when multiple revisions have been made
- Special effects: look for any drop shadow and transparency effects, make sure they show up correctly
- Spot colors: if any spot colors is used, it should be noted on the proof
These are our suggested minimum steps to verify we have received all the graphic elements correctly for print; if there are special requirements for your specific project, please check for that as well.
Remember, when you sign off on a proof, you indicate that everything on the proof is correct. If a problem is discovered afterwards it is likely that you will incur additional costs to fix it.
Next, we’ll talk about the different artwork proof options.
