Proof prints

Why order a proof print

Artwork on a monitor and the same artwork printed on paper do not look identical. A screen emits its own light, paper reflects it, and the final look is also affected by the ink and the substrate.

A proof print lets you see the physical result before we launch the whole run. You can judge the colour, sharpness, content, legibility and general look of the design on the material that will later go into production.

We make the proof on the production paper, that is the same paper chosen for the actual order. That matters, because the same colour can look different on different papers.

This is an additional service to production you have ordered

A proof print can be ordered only as an addition to a production order already placed. We do not supply it as a stand-alone purchase.

When ordering you give the order number. The field is compulsory, because that is how we know which artwork, paper and configuration the proof relates to.

This service does not cover designing graphics or preparing the content of a disc. The print is made from the finished artwork assigned to a specific order.

A sheet or a finished product

This is the most important choice when ordering a proof print.

• Sheet print - you receive a flat, untrimmed sheet with no further finishing, that is without folding and gluing. You can check the colour, sharpness, content, placement of elements and any typos.
• Finished product - you receive a copy folded and glued much as it will be in later production. Besides the print itself you can therefore also judge how the graphics run across the folds, the layout of the individual parts and how the whole looks once assembled.

Put simply, a sheet shows how the artwork looks, and a finished product additionally shows how it behaves once made and assembled.

What you can check

The scope of a proof print depends on the type of product.

• Packaging - a digipak, an ecopak, a sleeve or other pack. You can order a sheet print alone, a sheet with film finishing, or a finished product. The available finishes are gloss, matt and Soft Touch film. KRAFTLINER additionally has its own proof variants, described below.
• Booklet - a sheet print or a finished product is available, including a version with an inlay.
• Disc printing - proof printing on a disc is done only in UV technology.
• Quantity - you can choose the number of proof copies you want to receive.

KRAFTLINER - why two variants

KRAFTLINER is natural brown board. Printing inks are not fully opaque, so the colour of the substrate affects the final look of the graphics.

On brown board colours become darker and more subdued. Light shades can change a great deal: yellow can be far less visible, and blue can take on a greyer character.

That is why two proof variants are available:

• CMYK sheet print - the graphics are printed directly onto the brown KRAFTLINER,
• white + CMYK sheet print - a white base is applied first, and the actual colour only afterwards.

CMYK is the set of four basic printing inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

A white base limits the influence of the brown board on the graphics, so colours are lighter and closer to the design.

If you are hesitating between the two versions, it is best to see them side by side. A physical comparison shows the difference far more easily than a preview on screen.

What to bear in mind

A proof print reduces risk, but it does not mean that later production will look absolutely identical.

• The finished run may differ slightly from the proof print. The result is affected by, among other things, the printing technology, the humidity of the paper and production conditions. Differences can be particularly visible in very light colours.
• If the order includes spot UV varnish, it will not be applied on the proof print.
• There is no method that can guarantee a one hundred per cent identical look between the proof and the actual run. Small differences can occur with certified proof prints too.

A proof makes judging the design before production much easier, but it does not remove entirely the natural differences that come from the printing process.

When a proof print is worth ordering

It is particularly worth considering when:

• you are ordering a large run and a mistake would be costly,
• you have chosen an unusual paper or printing on KRAFTLINER,
• the design contains an important corporate colour,
• this is your first production with us,
• the design contains photographs with delicate, light areas - skin, sky, whites or subtle tonal transitions.

A proof print is usually not necessary when:

• the run is small and reprinting part of the production would not be a big problem,
• you are repeating an earlier order from the same file and on the same paper.

It is an extra level of control, not a compulsory stage of every order.

Before you order

Prepare the production file according to the guidelines in the file preparation section.

The whole ordering process is described in the "How to order" section.

With new disc and packaging artwork you receive a preview for approval before production starts in any case. A proof print is the next step, letting you see the design not on a screen but on the real material.

If you are not sure whether it is worth ordering in your case, or which variant to choose, write to us.