| Depending on the workflow of your print service provider and the nature of the job you are submitting, you may be asked to check proofs at several points during the life of the job. You've probably been looking at the same content for so long that it all starts to look alike, and it's easy to develop blind spots when you're in a hurry to approve a proof. Here are some checklists to help you remember key issues at each stage. Checking Image Proofs Image proofs are sometimes referred to as random proofs or scatter proofs, since they are proofs of just the images without any page-layout context. If you're unsure of how your own scans or digital photos will reproduce, or if the print service provider has performed the scans, you may want to proof images before going ahead with the remaining print production steps. Check these issues: Size. Are images the correct size? If some images are used multiple times at different sizes within the project, are there separate images for wide variations in scale factor? Crop. Is there sufficient image to fill the intended area when you place it in the page layout? Make sure nothing's been cropped out incorrectly. Also, if you need only a small portion of a large image, it's OK to crop out unused image area to save storage space and processing time. Orientation. Does the image need to be flipped vertically or horizontally for use in the final layout? Angle. Is the image at the same angle at which it will be used in the final piece? Matching the original artwork. Is the proof a fair rendering of the transparency, reflective art, or digital photo? Matching the art is sometimes a subjective evaluation but, given the limitations of CMYK pigments, is it a reasonable match to the original? Color. Is it too dark? Too light? Does it lack contrast? Are neutral areas such as whites, grays, and blacks free of any tinge of unwanted color? For example, check gray areas such as concrete or paved road and make sure there's no reddish, bluish, or greenish tinge (called a color cast). Detail. Is there discernible detail in the highlight and shadow areas? If the original image or original artwork lacks detail, it can't be manufactured, but any existing detail should be maintained. Moiré. Especially when photographing or scanning patterned originals such as woven fabric or geometric patterns, it may be necessary to give special treatment to all or part of an image. Sometimes slight blurring may be used in Photoshop to subdue the moiré. You may have to decide which is more objectionablethe unwanted pattern or the loss of detail due to blurring. Silhouettes. This is a good opportunity to check the edges of any silhouettes, whether you've created them or asked the print service provider to create them. An edge that looks acceptable onscreen may need some cleanup once you see a proof of it. Retouching. If you've requested retouching, does the proof show that it's been done? Does it need additional work to accomplish what you wish? Are there problems that weren't apparent before, that now should be retouched?
Checking Page Proofs Not every print service provider creates proofs of individual pages. Some may show you imposed proofs, which serve a dual purpose: You can check page content and color, and you and the print service provider can check for correct pagination (page position as a result of imposition). When viewing page proofs, you should check for the following: Correct size. Make sure the page dimensions are correct. Bleed. Make sure there is adequate bleed. If images must bleed, make sure they don't fall short. Image area. Make sure no artwork or text falls too close to the trim edge or interior spine. Such artwork will be at risk of trimming out or disappearing into a fold. Correct fonts. Check to make sure text intended to be bold or italic really is bold or italic. Look for the Courier font being used instead of your intended font (some RIPs use Courier to call attention to font substitution). Overset text. Check the end of text flows to make sure the last line is intact. It's helpful if you hold your own printout over the proof and flip it up to check for disparities between your prints and the service provider's proof. Text reflow. Using the same technique as above, flip between your printout and the service provider's proof to check for changes in line breaks. Reflow could be caused by font substitution or incorrect hyphenation settings. Correct images. Make sure incorrect images have not been used, especially if intermediate retouching or color corrections have been performed. Crop. Make sure images fill their frames, and that they are cropped as you intended. Special effects. If you are using drop shadows or transparency effects created in InDesign, Illustrator, or QuarkXPress 7.0, make sure the effects are correctly rendered, especially where they interact with spot-color content. Rules and other strokes. Make sure rules are unbroken and uniform in weight. Trapping. While there should be no misregistration on proofs, look for any unattractive dark lines where trapping has been performed. Some darkening may be unavoidable, but it's possible to mitigate the effect by changing trap settings, especially where light colors interact with each other. Overprint. Make sure black text and art don't knock out of underlying areas if they're not intended to do so. Rich blacks. Check that rich blacks have been created for large black coverage areas, or ask the print service provider to assure you that such areas will not be anemic or mottled when printed. The same cautions apply to large single-color areas other than black, such as spot color areas. Moiré in screen tints or images. While patterns and woven pieces are prone to moiré, the effect can also occur in some combinations of flat-color screen tints, such as combinations of yellow and black. Moiré in an image can occur when a patterned original, such as fabric, is scanned, but it may not be apparent when you view the scanned image on your monitor. When such an image is rendered as a halftone, the combination of fabric pattern and the halftone pattern can produce an unattractive moiré. If you notice the effect at the proofing stage, don't ignore it. Consult with the print service provider to determine if additional work such as rescanning, softening the pattern, or perhaps even changing the screen angles might improve the outcome. Crossover art. Check the alignment and color match for artwork that crosses from one page to another. Make sure that crossover text isn't awkwardly divided and that any art that should stop at the spine does stop at the spine without falling over onto the facing page. Spot colors. Make sure there are no unnecessary spot colors.
Checking Corrections By now, you're probably tired of looking at this job. It's particularly hard to focus on corrections because they tend to consist of small details such as typographical errors. It's helpful to place a marked-up intermediate proof on top of a later proof, and then flip it back and forth to look for the corrected areas. Checking Imposed Bluelines Crossover art. Make sure that no text or artwork is incorrectly cropped at the spine where pages meet. Make sure that nothing falls short of the spine if it's intended to go all the way to the center of the spread. Correct pagination. Refer to the folding dummy created by the print service provider's planner or imposition department. Changes from page proof stage. Make sure nothing has moved or disappeared, especially if corrections have been made since an earlier stage.
Signing Off on Proofs When you sign off on a proof, you're indicating that you are satisfied with the work. This places responsibility on both you and the print service provider. If the print service provider fails to match the signed proof in subsequent steps, those mistakes should be fixed at no cost to you. However, if you fail to notice problems before you sign off on the proof, you will incur costs when you ask the print service provider to make changes. |
