Proof Reading your Print Artwork

How many mistakes can you spot in the paragraph above taken from the March 2008 edition of '3004 News' magazine, an otherwise very professional looking publication that is very well designed? Throrough and careful proof reading is an essential part of the design process and can save you time, money and embarrassment. So why don't people spend more time checking their artwork?

Nearly all designers put out a disclaimer to their clients when providing their artwork proofs, stating that all spelling, numbers and layout must be checked carefully and signed off before proceeding to print. However I can't tell you the amount of times that I've seen clients complain that something isn't right after the job has already been printed and in uproar that it is the printers fault. Most of the time this is something that could easily have been spotted in the proofing process if only they had properly proof read their artwork. It is often something simple like an incorrect digit in a phone number or a spelling mistake or grammatical error. Many times the client fully provided the text and details to be included on the artwork themselves, and yet still failed to see the error until the job was printed. 

Once the job has gone to print and a mistake is found, you could be up for the full cost of reprinting and you might as well double your initial quote. Not to mention the waste of paper and resources that will be simply thrown away. The alternative is to keep your product and distribute it with errors. Either way this isn't the ideal way to go and could easily have been prevented the majority of the time through careful proof reading. So often people are in such a rush that they don't think they have the time to waste, but you'll waste a lot more than those few minutes if you have to reprint later.

The smart designer will spend time proof reading their typesetting and artwork before sending it to the client, as they are only human and can easily make mistakes too. I have certainly found this to be most worthwhile, however careful you think you may have been. But sometimes the mistake may be a misinterpretation of the client's instructions, or an error in content that the designer did not write. So it is essential that the client have the final check and approval before proceeding to print. And don't be afraid to get a third party to check over it too. Sometimes you are so close to a process you might miss something that's right in front of your face.