Why do we need proofs?

The primary goal of 'proofing' is to serve as a tool for customer verification that the entire job is accurate. Proofing is a cost effective way of providing a visual copy. If errors are found during the printing process on press it can prove very costly to one or both of us.

Press time is the most expensive part of print media. The main objective of proofing is to produce either a soft or hard copy of what the final product will look like on press. Hard copy proofing usually involves printing to produce high-quality one-off copies of the production artwork. Soft proofing usually involves highly color accurate wide-gamut computer displays.

The mission of a proofing system is to create accurate predictions. The proofing process will emulate the effects of the printing press through color management and screening techniques, which can be quite challenging because proofing devices may behave and operate quite differently than press devices.

Comparison of printing (CMYK) and computer screen (RGB) colors.