How Not to F*ck Up: Your Guide to Proofing for Digital and Print Design
Do you really know how to proofread for digital and print design?
You’ve gotten something back from the printer and there’s a typo: a wrong phone number or date. Money down the poo-chute. Or you run an expensive online ad only for someone to message you and point out a bad typo in your copy or image. Online reputation shagged.
It’s usually something important and blatantly obvious that gets overlooked. And most of the time it costs you money. But it can also degrade your professional reputation.
If there are consistent errors in your brand copy or visuals, it sends a message to your audience that you don’t care. If you don’t give a toss about your own marketing, why would you give one about your clients’? If your own standards are so low, how crappy is your product or service going to be? This is the shit that people think when they see your mistakes, because most of them are judgey bitches.
I know, I know, everyone is allowed to make mistakes, especially under pressure or stress. But screwing up frequently can be detrimental to your success. If you’re dyslexic, can’t spell, or are visually impaired, then get someone who isn’t to check your stuff. Simple.
In the design and print world, there’s a chain of responsibility when it comes to checking things. There are different terms for this. In South Africa, this is generally referred to as ‘proofing’ in both design and print. It’s also called ‘Quality Assurance’ or ‘Sign-off’. I usually refer to it as ‘Approval’ because clients often don’t know what ‘proof’ means – and ‘approval’ sounds more consequential. This approval should always be in writing. Yes, an email counts.
If you’re looking for ways to save on printing costs, have a read of this.
The chain of responsibility: who fucked up and who must pay?
When it comes to mistakes made in design or print, sometimes it’s your fault, but sometimes it isn’t. I’m going to break this down so you can understand whose responsible for what. Let’s go.
Copywriting and Editing
Copywriter’s responsibility
Copy refers to the actual wording/text in your design, product, or post description. Not a photocopy. If you’re hiring a copywriter to write for you (or an editor to fix your copy), it’s their responsibility to ensure that there are no errors in the text.
Your responsibility
If you change anything in the text, you become responsible for any mistakes going forward. That onus on the copywriter (or editor) falls away.
If you’ve written your own copy, then you’re responsible for making sure it’s 100% correct.
Photography and Illustration
Pre 2020, editing a photograph or illustration was not the easiest thing for a layperson (aka non-designer) to do. But now that we have Canva, image editing is free-for-all, often with disastrous results. The same applies here as to copywriting.
Illustrator/photographer’s responsibility
If you’ve approved briefs for photos or drawings and the colours are wrong, or the end files are low resolution and pixelated, or the wrong file format, that’s the photographer or artist’s responsibility.
You also may not be aware that there is an issue until this is picked up by the designer (heaven forbid you have a stupid designer who doesn’t say anything) or printer. The illustrator or photographer will need to fix the problem and supply new files at their own expense. They could be liable to compensate you for time wasted if you’re on a tight deadline.
Your responsibility
If you’ve signed off on illustration or photography proofs that had an error you didn’t notice (yours or the creator’s). The onus is 100% on you regarding any losses going forward.
If you’re going to mess around with those files in Canva (or elsewhere) and break something, the onus is also on you if they don’t print properly or there are errors down the line.
Graphic Design
Your graphic designer should really take the lead when it comes to making sure that content is correct and audience-appropriate. But not all designers do. Many just reproduce what you ask them to. A proactive and forward-thinking designer will tell you if there are issues with your copy and graphics before they even start designing. This is the standard for professional design.
Designer’s responsibility
It’s the responsibility of your designer to ensure that they use the exact copy and graphics you supply them with. Unless you are giving them full creative license. Whether or not you do, will depend on the designer’s experience and how far you trust them. In both instances, it’s up to the designer to make sure that everything is correct. If your designer doesn’t send you a proof to check and there are errors at print (yours or the designer’s), the designer is fully responsible.
When a designer changes something after you’ve signed off on a final proof for a digital item (e.g. for a Google ad) and the ad runs with the error, the designer is 100% liable for losses.
Where you’re both responsible
If a designer changes something without your consent (accidentally or not) after you’ve signed off on a final proof, and it gets printed with the error, then you are both equally at fault because you should have checked a pre-print proof. The designer is liable for 50% of your loss.
Your responsibility
If your designer sends you a proof with errors that you sign off, and the design is printed or published with those errors (yours or the designer’s), then you are 100% responsible.
Printing
If your project has made it all the way from conceptualisation and copywriting to design and then the print shop without any errors, you’re probably breathing a sigh of relief and looking forward to holding it in your hand.
No. Now’s not the time to relax.
This is the place with the highest likelihood of your project going to shit. It’s also the place where material loss can happen because printing needs materials. In copywriting and editing, there’s usually just one other person – and you. In design, there’s also usually just one person – and you (unless you’re hiring an agency).
In printing there’s a whole gamut of people involved, which means a higher chance of something breaking along the production line. From the receptionist misunderstanding the paper size; to the pre-press operator imposing pages incorrectly or not checking embedded fonts; to the plate maker overexposing the artwork; the press operator using the wrong colour; or the finisher trimming too close to the page edge. All the things.
Printer’s responsibility
If there are any errors or inconsistencies in the final printed job that weren’t on the proof you signed off, the onus is 100% on the printer to fix it.
Where you’re both responsible
If the printer accidentally shifts something and you don’t notice it in the printed proof, and sign it off, you have 50/50 responsibility and can ask for a 50% reduction in the cost, or for them to reprint it at half the cost, depending on how bad the error was. Whether or not they will comply depends on their Ts and Cs, which you should have accompanied your invoice or proof. Read them!
Your responsibility
You sign off on a printed proof with ANY errors (yours or the printer’s) that also end up in the final print. This is 100% your baby.
How to avoid the shit show
Here’s a sort of checklist you can use for any project requiring any or all of the above. Run through this list after every checkpoint in the process: from copywriting all the way to printing.
1. Check spelling
Read the text backwards. This forces your brain to focus on the spelling of each word instead of glossing over them and missing errors. Check all contact details and names here too.
2. Check copy
This includes grammar, punctuation, quote marks, page numbers, and missing words. If you don’t mind your information being shared with the hive mind, run your copy through AI and ask it to only check grammar without touching your formatting.
3. Check visuals
Compare every image against your original brief. Take note of image quality and crispness. This includes quality and formatting of tables, charts and graphs. Are small fonts readable in print or on small screens?
4. Check layout
For multi-page documents, verify page numbers, headings, content cross-referencing, margins and content flow. Make sure that any blank pages are meant to be blank (e.g. the back of section pages).
5. Check colour
Sometimes weird things can happen in design and print. If you have strict rules for brand colours, check them against your brand guide. If you don’t, then make sure that colours are in alignment with those of your design proof, and are high visibility with proper contrast for visually impaired readers.
6. Always check a hard copy
Even for digital designs, print them out to check. Checking an actual sheet of paper will show you errors that your eyes missed on-screen. You’ll be surprised.
7. Use fresh eyes
Never check immediately after writing or designing. Visual fatigue can prevent error detection. If there is a lot of content to check, break it up into smaller sessions throughout the day.
8. Mark errors clearly
Mark any errors in a red pen. Some people use sticky notes, but those can fall off during handling. Use your phone to photograph any changes you’ve marked so that you have evidence later if anything is missed or your proofs are lost. Your designer must supply you with a new corrected proof and print files at their expense, if they’ve made the mistake. Your printer must supply you with another printed proof, at their expense, if they’ve slipped up.
Damage control
If you pick up an error after printing, contact the printer immediately. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to do it, and the more likely the printer may fob you off. Follow the proofing paper trail to establish who was at fault so the liable party can compensate.
If it was your fault, there are some possible fixes:
- Sometimes a printed error can be covered with a sticker containing the correct info.
- If it’s a brochure or book, the offending page may be able to be removed and a new one inserted, depending on the finishing process. Alternatively, an errata slip can be inserted into the document.
- If an online ad can be paused and fixed, then do it. If not, whether the ad cycle should run to completion or not depends on the severity of the mistake and whether it will affect sales or your reputation.
Bottom line
Proofing is a pain in the tits. But it’s a helluva lot cheaper than reprinting 5000 flyers. Most importantly, read everyone’s Ts and Cs to make sure you know what you’re getting into. You can read mine here.
Earmark this article for reference because you’re going to want to come back to it later. Share it with someone who needs this information.