1. Proof Checking Guide: How to Review Your Artwork Before Print

    Sending artwork to print without a thorough proof check is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make. Errors that are caught before printing cost nothing to fix. Errors that make it to the finished print job mean reprinting the entire order — at full cost, and often with a tight deadline to meet. A systematic proof check is the single most effective way to protect your print budget and ensure your finished materials look exactly as intended.

    This guide gives you a complete, practical checklist for reviewing your artwork before submission — whether you're printing business cards, flyers, booklets or banners.

    Colour

    • Is your document set to CMYK? RGB files produce unexpected colour shifts at print stage. Check your document colour mode before exporting. See our guide: What is CMYK and Why Does it Matter?
    • Do your colours look right in your exported PDF? Open your exported PDF and check that colours appear as expected — not shifted, washed out or incorrect
    • Are your blacks set correctly? Use 100% K only for text and thin lines. Use a rich black mix for large dark backgrounds. Never use Registration Black (100% of all four inks) for anything other than crop marks
    • Have you checked any Pantone colours? If your brand has Pantone references, confirm they have been converted correctly to CMYK equivalents

    Resolution and Images

    • Are all images at least 300dpi at the final printed size? Images sourced from websites are typically 72dpi and will print blurry. See our guide: Understanding DPI for Print
    • Are logos supplied as vector files? Logos should be AI, EPS, SVG or PDF vector format — never a low-resolution JPEG or PNG
    • Have you zoomed in on all images in your PDF? Check at 100% or larger for any pixelation, blurriness or artefacts
    • Are all placed images embedded in your PDF? Missing linked images will either cause errors or be replaced with low-resolution previews

    Bleed and Safe Zone

    • Does your artwork include 3mm bleed on all sides? Any background colour or image that extends to the edge of the printed piece must extend 3mm beyond the trim line
    • Is all important content at least 3mm inside the trim line? Text, logos and critical design elements placed too close to the edge risk being cut off
    • Are there any unintended white edges? Check that background colours and images fully fill the bleed area with no gaps

    See our guide: What is Bleed and Safe Zone?

    Text and Typography

    • Are all fonts outlined or embedded? Unembedded fonts will be substituted at print stage, changing the appearance of your design. In Illustrator, use Type ? Create Outlines. In InDesign, embed fonts via PDF export settings
    • Have you proofread all copy? Read every word carefully — particularly contact details, prices, dates and names. Read backwards to catch spelling errors your eye skips over when reading normally
    • Is your phone number correct? Dial it
    • Is your email address correct? Send a test email
    • Is your website URL correct? Visit it in a browser
    • Are all prices, dates and addresses accurate and up to date?
    • Is all text legible at the printed size? Check minimum font sizes — 6pt minimum for most print, 7–8pt for business cards
    • Is text contrasting sufficiently with its background? Light grey on white, or dark on dark, can look fine on screen but be difficult to read in print

    Layout and Alignment

    • Are all elements correctly aligned? Check that text blocks, images and design elements are properly aligned and consistent across the design
    • Are margins consistent? Uneven margins are immediately noticeable on a finished printed piece
    • For multi-page documents — are page numbers correct? Check the sequence is correct and no pages are duplicated or missing
    • For folded products — have you supplied spreads, not single pages? See our guide: Tips for Designing Folded Print Products
    • For booklets — is your page count a multiple of 4? Saddle-stitched booklets must have a page count divisible by 4

    File Format and Export

    • Is your file exported as a high-resolution PDF? PDF is the preferred format for print submission
    • Are crop marks included if required? Check with your printer whether crop marks should be included or excluded from your export
    • Has transparency been flattened? If your design includes transparent elements, check that they have flattened correctly in the exported PDF with no colour shifts or white lines. See our guide: Understanding Transparency in Print Design
    • Is the file size reasonable? Very large files (over 100MB) can indicate unnecessarily high-resolution rasterisation. Very small files (under 1MB for a multi-page document) may indicate images are not embedded or are low resolution

    Final Check: Fresh Eyes

    After you've worked on a design for hours, your brain starts to fill in what it expects to see rather than what's actually there. The most effective proof check uses fresh eyes — ideally someone who hasn't been involved in creating the design. Ask a colleague, a client or a friend to review the artwork before you submit. You'll be surprised how often a second pair of eyes catches something you missed.

    Digital vs Physical Proofs

    For most standard print jobs, a thorough review of your exported PDF on screen is sufficient. For colour-critical jobs — brand materials, premium business cards, high-value brochures — a physical printed proof is the most reliable way to confirm colours, paper stock and finish before committing to a full print run. Ask us about physical proof options when placing your order.

    Print with Confidence at Dipol Print

    At Dipol Print, we print for businesses across Brighton & Hove and the wider UK. If you're not sure whether your artwork is print-ready, get in touch with our team before you submit — we're happy to review your files and flag any issues. Collect from our print shop at 97 St James's Street, Brighton BN2 1TP or order online for UK-wide delivery.