Q: “I am printing a professional, full-color, high-end brochure for our business. What kind of print proof or press proof can I expect from the printing company? What proofing method is best?”
A: Here is an overview of the types of print proofs you may receive from your printing company.
Types of Print Proofs
1) Soft Proof or e-Proof
What is a soft proof in printing? A soft proof, sometimes called an e-Proof, is a high-resolution file, either PDF or JPEG, electronic version of the art you submitted to the printing company. Since it’s a screen proof, it can’t be used for color accuracy on press. Colors on screen typically appear lighter or brighter than they do on paper. A soft proof CAN be used to confirm the artwork was transmitted electronically to the print shop correctly, that fonts were not replaced, nothing reflowed, and all graphical elements are in place. Basically, an e-Proof ensures the art you sent is the art the printing company received. Sometimes soft proofs will show actual impositions, that is, how the piece will be positioned on press so that you can check how bleeds are extended, front vs back orientation and/or if pagination is correct. D Media, a Dallas printing company and marketing firm, uses soft proofs the most often as a print proof, especially for reorders of previous print jobs.
2) Hard Copy Prepress Proof
A hard copy prepress proof is a printout, usually on photographic paper, from a high-end color-calibrated proofing machine. Since this type of print proof is not output on the actual paper stock that will be used on press, it is not 100% exact for color. When a prepress proof is required, D Media typically gives clients an Epson, which is about 90-95% accurate for color. An Epson is the closest hard-copy print proofing method to the final product.
3) Press Proof
A press proof, different than a prepress proof explained above, can be a press sheet or mockup from a press sheet. The press proof is printed at the start of the press run. It typically shows the actual ink colors at 100% accuracy and exact paper of the end-printed piece. However, these press proofs can be costly because they may require holding up the press while the client is viewing the proof, or if not holding the press, then additional setups when the print job is set to run again. Because of this, D Media doesn’t often do a press proof.
4) Press Check
A press check is great for new projects and/or when there are concerns about color issues, quality of the images/graphics, or a multitude of reasons depending on the client’s concerns. For a press check, you arrive at the printing company at the same time the piece is first put on press. Press checks are only for checking color issues and quality, because to make art or copy changes at this stage can be very costly.
5) Paper Stock Proof
Along with a prepress proof (item #2) a client may like to see a paper stock proof. This is a blank (no printing) mockup of how the piece will trim, fold, and stitch using the exact paper as the finished result. If the piece has minimal bindery sometimes the paper stock proof is simply sheets of the paper that will be used. This proof can be helpful because the prepress proof can’t be printed on exact paper. It has to print on the stock native to that prepress machine.
Approving a Print Proof
Graphic designers, like the experts at D Media, can be part of the proofing process. This may be an additional cost but worth avoiding the risk of having major errors pass through the proofing stage. Once the print proof is approved, that is what the printing company will produce. Your graphic designer can help troubleshoot any potential printing problems by being part of the print proof process.
Once upon a time, we had a client who decided not use D Media’s print shop to produce the brochure we designed. He said he found another printing company that beat our price slightly. We advised him to be sure and ask for a prepress proof. He did. But on the prepress proof, the printing company substituted a different version of the font used. It was the same font family but made from a different font foundry and slightly rounder than the one we used. This caused the paragraphs in the brochure to reflow. The client didn’t notice. When he received his printed pieces, of which he had ordered 50,000, they were all wrong. He asked the printing company to reprint, since the art we submitted was correct. The printing company refused because he, the client, had approved the prepress proof and that is what the press operator printed. It was a hard lesson. Our client thought he had been saving money but ended up spending more in the long run. D Media, a Dallas printing company and marketing firm, always printed his pieces from that point forward.
Local Dallas Printing Company
D Media is a top-rated Dallas printing company and marketing firm as proven by our customer reviews. Since 1995, we have provided businesses with printing, mailing, promotional product and graphic design solutions they need to promote effectively and compete in the marketplace. We can effectively answer your printing questions and more! Contact D Media today at 972-747-9070 or complete the quick quote form below for a FREE estimate on your print and mail project.
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