Design verification

Artwork Proofs

What is a soft proof?

A soft proof is an electronic file, such as a PDF, that displays the appearance of a finished printed piece. It's incredibly useful for quickly getting approvals from clients on print projects like business cards, flyers, or postcards, since they can easily be emailed to the client. 

What is a hard proof?

A hard proof is a physical sample that is generally used for more involved print projects like brochures or books. This ensures that all the pages, margins, and other aspects of the product appear as intended before they are printed and distributed. 

Why does Print Peppermint utilize mostly Soft (Digital) Proofs?

Although we would love to do hard copy proofs for every single order, it simply isn't feasible for us. The amount of time it takes to set up our machines to run a 1-off sample is the same time it would take us to run the full order.

This is why instead of providing hard copy proofs, we provide a 14-day hassle-free quality guaranty. If you aren't happy with your project, easily request a reprint or refund.

In some cases, for larger or very complex orders we do offer the possibility for a hard-copy proof - and often times we require approval of this hard proof. Not always, but in most cases we will charge an extra fee and shipping for the production of the hard proof.

Can I request a hard-copy proof?

Yes! But here are some things to consider first.

Depending on the size/scale of your order, the cost of a hard-copy proof can often be 50% or more of the total cost of your full order.

You must be aware that adding a hard-copy proof can often double the overall turnaround time of your project.

  • For example, it might take 2-3 weeks for your proof to work through our production calendar + shipping transit time.
  • Then there may be design changes and additional soft proofs needed after you've reviewed the hard proof.
  • Then an additional 2-3 weeks is required for your full order to work through our normal production calendar.

Due to time constraints, many clients opt for trusting our quality guaranty program over going through the long process of producing and approving a hard proof.

Lastly, please be aware that most of the time we require the client to pay an extra fee (Ex: $250) plus the delivery cost for creating and shipping the hard proof.

Can I get samples of paper, print methods, or finishes?

You sure can!

In place of hard-proofs of your unique design, we often encourage clients to order some of our sample packs to get a sense of the quality of our materials, design, and print capabilities. 

Check out our Print & Paper Samples

Optimization & execution

Approvals & Revisions

How does the Proof Approval process work?

Step 1: Review your digital art proof carefully. Make sure to look at the text, colors, and images used to ensure they are accurate and match your expectations before giving approval.

Step 2: Verify the content of your art proof is correct by reviewing any abbreviations, punctuation marks, or spelling errors. Ensure that all information is properly formatted and consistent with the production specifications you provided to Print Peppermint.

Step 3: Review the production specifications that you provided to Print Peppermint, such as the size, shape, paper type, number of pages, etc., and ensure that these specifications match what is shown on the art proof. Check for any discrepancies between what was requested and what was delivered in order to guarantee a successful printed product.

Step 4: Once you have thoroughly reviewed your digital art proof and verified all content and production specifications are accurate, provide approval for printing by submitting it on our website portal or contacting us via phone or email to speak with an expert member of our team about providing approval for printing. Alternatively, you can also use our live chat feature on our website for a faster reply from one of our experienced customer service agents who can help guide you through the approval process.

Step 5: Upon receiving approval from you via website submission form or contact method of choice (email/phone/chat), we will then create a final print-ready file which will be sent off for quality control checks before being printed by our production team. At this stage we will also double check that everything matches up with what was approved by you prior so that there are no discrepancies when it comes time for actual printing.

Step 6: Once your product has been printed and passed all necessary quality control checks, it will then be packaged up securely and shipped to its destination according to your instructions (shipping address given). You will receive an automated confirmation email once this has occurred so that you can track when your package should arrive at its destination.

What if I need changes made to my art proof?

If you need to make changes to your art proof, we are happy to accommodate them. We understand that you want everything to look perfect and we will take the time to ensure that you are satisfied with your proof.

When requesting a revision, please provide us with as much detail as possible so that we can accurately address your needs. That typically involves describing any changes that need to be made, such as changing colors, images, font sizes or adjusting margins and spacing. Additionally, please provide us with any references or materials that would help us in making the change. This extra information allows for more accurate revisions and speeds up the process.

Once you submit a request for revisions, we aim to deliver them within 24 hours or less; however if there is extensive cleanup or rebuilding of elements needed, additional design costs may be incurred. If this is the case, we will confirm the cost before proceeding and give you an estimated timeline for when it should be completed.

We guarantee satisfaction on all of our work and won't rest until you are completely satisfied with your art proof; so don't hesitate to ask for changes if necessary.

What if I catch an error after I have already approved my proof?

In general, once a digital art proof has been approved and your project is scheduled on our production calendar it is not possible to make any changes.

However, if you do notice something that needs to be fixed or adjusted please contact us as soon as possible. We will make every attempt to pause production so that we can make the appropriate corrections; this isn't always possible, though, depending on how far along the process has progressed.

If your order has already started printing and you find an error in the artwork or production specifications that renders the prints unusable, we have a “Whoops Program” available for such occurrences.

This program allows you to reorder your project at a 40% discount should you desire. It is important to note that all orders are subject to final inspection before being shipped out; this allows us to catch any last-minute errors and ensure accuracy before delivery.

It's also important to keep in mind that we cannot guarantee any changes requested after an order is placed due to time constraints. As such, we strongly recommend double-checking all proofs and making sure everything looks correct before approving them for production. If there are any questions or concerns prior to placing your order with us, please don’t hesitate to ask so that we can assist in anyway possible!

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