Does your design work? Does it look good? And can you prove it?
That, in a nutshell, is a printer’s proof. A way to prove that the final output of a given business card, envelope or other project looks right.
Lets be clear, proofs don’t come in nutshells, they generally come in 2 formats – A soft or hard proof.
Hard Proof
A hard proof is a hard copy of what your final project will look like. If you are ordering a brochure for your company, the hard proof will be a copy of that brochure. Although it’s likely it will not yet be trimmed and folded. You will see it as it is, with the colors and design all laid out.
Sometimes a hard copy proof will be generated with a laser printer, and while this may be adequate in some cases, we would encourage you to beware. A laser print showing PMS colors, is not be able to generate an exact copy of those colors. Most laser printers cannot fully produce the PMS color gamut, so you may end up with a brighter blue, or darker violet than intended. Always be sure to check the colors of any laser print against a Pantone swatchbook.
Soft Proof
A soft proof on the other hand is an on-screen proof. In most cases this will be a PDF file designed to replicate the ink colors on screen, and it will be fine for most projects. Like a laser print, you need to be aware that colors on screen will not match exactly to a final ink. This is more true for the soft proof than the laser print due to the fact that monitor settings vary considerably. If you will be soft proofing a lot of files, than you may want to look into monitor calibration software to ensure consistency. Soft proofs are an excellent tool for checking colors, but it is important to be aware of their limitations.
Other types of proofs
Are there other types of proofs? Well, there are, but they tend to be less common. One you may encounter is known as the blueline. This is a proof that is generated directly from the film or platewriter that makes the plate for a given project. The advantage of this is that you can see exactly what the final layout will look like. But a major disadvantage is that everything appears in a shade of blue, not your intended colors. That’s why it is called a blueline.
Proofing is a vital part of the printing process, it’s the final check that everything is ready to print. Take advantage of the printer’s proofs for your project and review them carefully. If you have questions regarding anything on, about, or missing from them, take the time to ask and find out. Because after the printer’s proof is approved, the next stage is going to press. And there is no coming back from that point.
