Recommendations for proofing

Proofing is an essential part of getting your print correct. We know that disappointment of receiving some print back from a printers and it isn’t quite right; knowing that if I’d spent that extra few minutes proofing then I would of picked up the extra comma! Nobody is perfect and I constantly see typos, spelling errors on the biggest of companies. Have a read of some news article on BBC and Sky and you’ll soon find something wrong.

That said, you don;t want it to happen to you and therefore we recommend following the below tips for proofing.

1. Print off your proof at 100% size.
   This way you’ll know if fonts, images and other design elements are too big or small.
2. Run through the proof several times.
   If you try and check for all errors – font size, images, spelling errors, content all at the same time, you’re more likely to miss something. Instead, run through the proof several times, each time checking various elements. For example; the read through check your spelling, the second read through, check contact details, third time, check font sizes are consistent, fourth time, check image are placed correctly and so.
3. Ask other people to have a read through.
   You can sometimes look at the proof too long you start to miss things. Having a neutral third party proof read your document will surprise you what they pick up.
4. Don’t focus on colours.
   What you see on screen and on your printed proof will not be representative to the final proof. Choose your colours from Pantone charts or printed colour guides supplied by the printer. These are more accurate.
5. Check key information
   Make sure that the key information you want customers to see is visible and clear.