On most runs of 21 copies or more, we send you a PDF proof to approve, and hardbacks are always proofed. Short runs of 1–20 stapled or perfect bound copies go straight to print after a thorough file check by a real person.
Until you approve, you can still change anything. Want to hold one first? Order a single test copy before the full run.
What you get depends on your order
A real person gives every page a thorough check, free. Then your job goes straight to print, with no PDF proof as standard.
After the same free file check, we send you a PDF proof to approve on most runs. Once you’ve said yes, it goes straight to press.
Every hardback gets a PDF proof to approve, every time, however many copies you’re printing.
This keeps short runs moving, and a real person has still looked over every page. If you’d like to hold your book before committing, order a single copy first. There’s no minimum.
Your file goes straight to print after our check, so give it one last careful read first. The checklist below works just as well on your own PDF as it does on a proof.
What our free file check covers, and what it doesn’t
Every file on every order is checked by hand before anything goes near a press. It’s free, and it’s usually done the same day.
What we check
- Bleed: 3mm past the trim wherever colour touches the edge.
- Page count and page order: the right total for your binding, in reading order.
- Image resolution: around 300dpi at the size each image prints.
- Spine width: worked out from your page count and paper.
- Colour: RGB converted for print, with anything that’ll shift noticeably flagged to you.
If something needs fixing, we’ll tell you exactly what and how. Often we can sort it for you: we rebuild missing bleed, build covers from loose PDFs and calculate your spine.
What we don’t check
- Spelling, grammar and punctuation.
- Names, dates, prices, web addresses and phone numbers.
- Whether the words say what you mean them to.
We check that your file will print properly, not what it says. Editing and proofreading aren’t services we offer, so read it through yourself, and ask someone with a sharp eye to read it too.
I felt like I really had my hand held with Ex Why Zed. As it was my first book I was worried that I would have missed something and the print run would have given me a few glaring mistakes but I need not have worried. I was advised all the way and it really feels like a personal service.
How to read a PDF proof
A PDF proof is your file after it’s been through our prepress team, with any issues flagged for you to sort before printing. It’s the last on-screen check before your job goes to press, so take your time with it.
- Crop marks, fold guides and boxes are there for us. They’re trimmed away or folded in, and they don’t print.
- Page 1 is your cover. The page numbers in your PDF reader may not match the numbers printed on your pages, so check the order by what’s on each page.
- Artwork running past the crop marks is your bleed. Wherever colour meets the edge, it should carry on beyond the trim line.
- If anything looks odd, ask us before you approve. No question is too small.
Screens glow and paper reflects, so colours on screen are only a guide, never an exact match. If colour really matters, see it on paper first. Our guide to screen versus print colour explains why.
Your proof-checking checklist
Keep this list open beside your proof and go slowly. Check the pages you’re sure are fine as well as the ones you’re not.
- Spelling and names: read every page, word by word, including headings, captions and credits. Names, dates and prices deserve a second look.
- Page order and count: pages in reading order, the right total, and no unexpected blank pages.
- Spreads lining up: an image across two pages meets neatly in the middle. On perfect bound and hardback books a few millimetres disappear into the spine, so keep small text away from the fold.
- Images: all there, the right way round, and cropped where you expect.
- Spine text: title and name spelled right and sitting centrally. Spine text needs a spine of 5mm or wider.
- Bleed: backgrounds run past the trim line, and words stay at least 5mm inside it.
- Colour in the right places: colour pages in colour, black-and-white pages in black and white, and nothing missing.
- Quantity: the number of copies is the number you need.
Printing a hardback? Look over the cover wrap and any printed endpapers as well.
Approving your proof, and making changes
- Found something? Tell us.Until you approve, you can change anything. Send us a corrected PDF and a real person will check it again, free.
- Happy with it? Approve it.Once you approve, your job goes straight to press, and the turnaround clock starts. The sooner you check it, the sooner it prints.
Ring us straight away on 01206 766647. Approved jobs move to press quickly, but we’ll always check what can still be caught.
If the books have already arrived, it happens to the best of us. Send us the corrected file and we’ll quote a reprint of whatever quantity you need.
Want to hold it first? Printed proofs and test copies
A PDF shows you the layout. Paper, binding and the way the pages turn only show up in your hands. There are two kinds of printed proof, both charged at cost price: materials, labour and set-up, with no profit for us.
Your artwork printed on an A3 sheet of the paper you’ve chosen, untrimmed and unbound. Put a few versions of an image on one PDF to compare them side by side.
Your PDF printed and bound, to check the layout, style and feel. About £44 stapled, £58–82 perfect bound and £120–180 hardback.
A printed proof adds 2–3 days before the full run. Prices checked September 2026 · we confirm the exact price on your quote.
A printed proof shows you paper, layout and feel, but it isn’t colour-matched. We won’t have someone at the press matching the final run pixel for pixel to your proof. On longer runs, which may be printed on a different press, treat it as a guide to layout and paper.
Or simply order one copy first. There’s no minimum, so you can print a single copy of the real thing, check it, then order the run. For 1–20 copies, our instant price calculator prices it as you click.
Our photo book showcase covers flat-sheet proofs and fully bound test copies, and why they’re worth it when colour really counts.
Quick questions
Will the crop marks and boxes on my proof print?
No. Crop marks, fold guides and boxes are there for us, and they’re trimmed away or folded in. If anything on your proof looks odd, ask us before you approve.
Why haven’t I had a proof for my 12 copies?
Runs of 1–20 stapled or perfect bound copies go straight to print after a thorough file check by a real person. If you’d like to see one first, order a single copy before the rest.
Do you proofread my text?
No. We check that your file will print properly, not the words themselves. Editing and proofreading aren’t services we offer.
Is a printed proof colour-matched?
No. It shows you the paper, binding and layout in your hands, but it isn’t colour-matched to the final run.
Does waiting for a proof slow things down?
The turnaround clock starts when you approve, so the sooner you check it, the sooner it prints. A printed proof adds 2–3 days.
I’ve found a typo in the delivered books. What now?
Send us the corrected file and we’ll quote a reprint of whatever quantity you need.
Want to hold it before the full run?
Order a single copy first. There’s no minimum, and a real person checks your file for free before anything prints.
