Approving a design for print: what to check before signing off

Types of approval: PDF, test print, proof, prototype

Not every job needs the same form of approval. The more expensive the run and the more important the colour, the closer to the real product the sample should be.

Checklist before you click approve

This list is for the person approving – not for the designer. Check the PDF at 100% zoom, not the thumbnail in an email.

1. Text. Read every word, ideally out loud. Especially: phone numbers, web and email addresses, prices, dates, opening hours, names. A typo in a headline is spotted at once; in the footer only after printing.
2. Language version. For campaigns in several countries, check that each variant has the right text.
3. Size and quantity. Compare the trimmed size with the order and the survey. Check the quantity for each variant separately.
4. Bleed and safe area. The background extends beyond the cut line, and important text is kept away from the edges. Details in our guide on print bleed.
5. Colours. The logo in brand colours, text black uniform. If colour matters, compare against a reference, not a screen – we explain why in our guide on Pantone colour matching.
6. QR codes and barcodes. Scan them with a phone from the PDF – and check where they lead.
7. Finishing. Eyelets, pole pockets, cutting, laminate, film application side – do they match what you need for installation.
8. Legal elements. Funding programme logos, mandatory markings, promotion terms – if required, are they there and at the required size.

Who approves: the workflow in a company and an agency

Most delays are not caused by file errors but by not knowing who has to say yes. A simple rule works well: one person collects comments, one person sends the approval.

• In a company: marketing checks content and look, the legal or product team checks data that must be correct (prices, specifications, terms), and the person responsible for the order sends one combined reply.
• In an agency: the agency checks the technical side with us and confirms the content with the end client. For white label work we send materials for approval without our branding, so the agency can pass them on.

Approval should be in writing – an email with an unambiguous sentence such as I approve file X, version Y, for printing in quantity Z. A spoken it's fine on the phone is easily confused with another version.

What approval means for responsibility for errors

In the print industry a simple principle usually applies: the client is responsible for content they have approved, and the printer for production that matches the approved file. So if the approved PDF has a typo in the phone number and the print matches the file, a reprint is a new order. If, on the other hand, the print differs from the file – shifted, badly trimmed, on the wrong material – that is the contractor's responsibility. The exact complaint rules depend on the terms of business or contract, so for larger jobs it is worth putting them in writing.

With us, every file goes through a technical check before production and this service is included in the price: we check resolution, bleed, colour mode and fonts. That does not, however, mean proofreading or fact-checking – a printer cannot do that for the client. If you need help with a file, see file preparation and print preflight.

Approval for series production and variants

For retail network campaigns and large runs, approving a single file is not enough. A two-stage approach works well:

• Master approval – one variant (e.g. a typical window) goes through the full path: PDF, a test print if needed, sometimes a prototype. The approved master becomes the reference for colour and finishing.
• Variant schedule approval – for the remaining versions the client approves a table: file name, size, quantity, destination address, plus a PDF preview of each version. You do not need to see every graphic on paper, but you do need to check that each one is on the list.

For repeat jobs we keep the approved master and compare later series against it. More in our guide on colour quality control in series production.

How to shorten approval time

Approval is often the longest stage of the whole job – longer than printing, which normally takes about 3 working days. A few things that genuinely speed it up:

• Decide who approves before files are sent, not after.
• Collect comments in one email or one annotated PDF – not in five threads.
• Give the date the materials must be ready by. We plan production around that date and tell you the latest time we need approval.
• If our design studio is doing the design, hand over all final text and logos at the start.

In 24-hour express mode the hour counts: a correct, approved file must reach us by 12:00 noon. Express costs on average about 40% extra – it can often be avoided if approval arrives a day earlier. All amounts in this text are indicative; we confirm the exact price once you contact us.