Flyers · Glossary
What is a print proof?
A print proof is a preview of a print job that the customer checks and approves before the full run. A soft proof is a PDF viewed on screen, a hard proof is a sample printed on paper, and a press proof comes off the production press itself, each more accurate and more costly than the last.
Once a run of five thousand flyers is printed, a typo or a wrong colour is five thousand mistakes and a second invoice. The proof is the last cheap moment to catch it, and signing one usually moves responsibility for anything you missed onto you.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
5 min read · Published
| Soft proof | Digital hard proof | Press proof | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A PDF or image checked on screen | A sample printed on a proofing printer | A short run on the production press |
| Colour accuracy | Approximate, depends on your screen | Close, especially on the real paper | The closest to the final job |
| Also checks | Text, layout, size, images | Folds, trims, paper feel | Inks, coatings and finishes |
| Cost | Usually free | Moderate | Highest, needs press setup |
| Turnaround | Minutes to hours | A day or more, plus delivery | Longest |
| Typical use | Most flyers and posters | Brand colour work, folded pieces | Large or complex runs, special materials |
The check between artwork and press
A print shop prepares your file for production, which may mean placing it on a larger sheet, converting its colour and adding marks for the guillotine. Any of those steps can introduce a problem, and so can the file itself. The proof shows you the job as the shop is about to print it. You check the words, the numbers, the images and the size, then sign off or ask for changes. Proofs are about catching errors, not about redesign; asking for new copy at proof stage usually means a new proof and sometimes an artwork charge. For most small jobs the proof arrives as an email with a PDF and a button marked approve.
Soft, hard and press proofs
A soft proof is a file viewed on a screen. ColorGATE, a maker of colour management software, defines it as a digital simulation of the print result viewed on a screen; it is fast and cheap, but Color Vision Printing points out that monitors show colour in RGB while presses print in CMYK, so screen colour will not exactly match the paper. A hard proof is a physical print on paper that you can hold, which shows colour, sharpness and how the design sits against folds and cuts. The printing company John S. Byrne describes a third level, the press test proof, made on the same press, inks and paper as the real job, the most accurate and the most expensive. At the strict end, ColorGATE describes a contract proof as a colour binding proof made to ISO 12647-7.
When a hard proof is worth paying for
For a single sided flyer in ordinary colours, a soft proof is enough. A physical proof earns its cost when colour carries meaning or money: a brand colour that must match signage and packaging already in use, a food photograph where a green cast would put people off, or a large run where a reprint would be expensive. It also helps for anything folded, since a flat PDF cannot show whether a panel lands the right way up or whether a line of text falls into a fold. Color Vision Printing notes that hard proofs cost more and need shipping, so they are generally reserved for complicated projects. Allow for that time in the schedule rather than skipping the proof to make a date.
Common mistakes
The most common is reading the proof for the design rather than for errors. Check phone numbers, prices, dates, web addresses and spelling one item at a time, ideally by someone who did not write them. The second is judging colour on a laptop screen at full brightness and then being surprised by the print. The third is approving a soft proof of a folded piece without printing it on an office printer and folding it by hand. The fourth is ignoring the shop's notes, such as a warning about low resolution images or text close to the trim. The last is assuming the shop checks your content; proof approvals normally state that the customer is responsible for errors present in the approved proof.
Proofs and the flyer builder
The flyer builder does not produce a print proof and has no soft proofing mode or colour profile setting, so any formal proof comes from the print shop. What you can do before sending the file is check the export itself. The PDF, PNG and JPG exports are rendered on a server from the saved flyer at twice the canvas size, so an A4 page arrives as 2480 by 3508 pixels and matches what the canvas showed. Open the PDF at full size, print one copy on an office printer at actual size and read it at arm's length. Exports are RGB, and the shop will convert them for its press, which is exactly why a hard proof is worth asking for when a colour must match.
Questions people ask
What does approving a proof mean legally?
Most printers' terms say that once you approve a proof, errors in the approved content are your responsibility and a reprint is charged. Differences between the proof and the printed job that the shop introduced are normally still theirs to fix. Read the approval wording before clicking, especially on online print services.
Why does my printed colour differ from the proof on screen?
A screen emits light in red, green and blue, while printed ink absorbs light and uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black, and the paper itself changes the result. Bright blues, greens and oranges on screen often print duller. A calibrated monitor narrows the gap, but only a physical proof on the real paper shows the true outcome.
What is a wet proof?
Another name for a press proof, printed with real ink on the production press or a proofing press, as opposed to a digital proof from an inkjet or laser device. It shows exactly how inks sit on the chosen paper. It is costly because the press has to be set up, so it is rarely used for small flyer runs.
Should I check a proof on my phone?
Only for a first read of the words. Phone screens are small, often very bright and colour tuned for vividness, so they are poor judges of colour and hide small text problems. Open the PDF on a larger screen at full size, and print it at actual size if the piece will be read on paper.
Is a mock up the same as a proof?
A mock up shows how a design will look in use, such as a flyer placed in a hand or a poster on a wall, and is a presentation tool rather than a print proof. It does not show trim, colour or print faults. A print proof is the production file itself, prepared by the shop for the press.
How many rounds of proofs are normal?
One or two for a well prepared file. Each round costs time, and some shops charge after the first or second revision. Collect all changes from everyone involved before replying, rather than sending corrections one at a time, so the next proof is the last.
Make one with flyers
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Create a flyer with OneCraftRelated questions
- What does print ready mean?What does print ready mean: a file a printer can put on press without fixing it first. The checklist of size, resolution, fonts, bleed and colour, item by item.
- What is Pantone?What is Pantone: numbered standard colours mixed as spot inks, so a colour prints the same everywhere. Spot against process colour and when each is used.
- CMYK vs RGB: why printed colours look differentCMYK vs RGB: RGB mixes light for screens, CMYK mixes ink for paper, and ink cannot reach every screen colour. What shifts in print and how to limit it.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .