A proof is the check copy of your book, produced before the main print run. It’s your last look at margins, trim, colour and binding while everything can still be changed — and because the run is printed to match the approved proof, checking it carefully is the single most valuable ten minutes in the whole process. Authors often call printed proofs author copies: the first chance to see and hold the book the way readers will.
Digital proof (PDF)
A digital proof is included with every order. It shows your book exactly as it will be imposed for press — page order, margins, spacing, bleed and crop — so layout and file errors surface before anything is printed. It’s fast and thorough for everything except colour: a screen can’t show you how ink sits on paper, so treat the PDF as your layout check, not your colour check.
Printed proof
A printed, bound proof adds what the screen can’t: real colour reproduction on your chosen paper, the feel of the stock, and the finished trim in your hands. If colour matters — photography, illustration, a cover with brand colours — this is the proof to have. Every job we print is colour-matched to the supplied files on presses calibrated before each run; the printed proof simply lets you confirm the result before committing the quantity.
One practical note: to get a proof to you quickly, a hardback book’s proof is sometimes produced as a paperback with a separate cover print — same pages, same paper, faster turnaround.
Hardback proof
When the case itself needs approving — cover material, spine width, board finish, overall build — we produce a full sewn hardback proof: the true finished product, not an approximation. Premium editions deserve checking as premium editions. (Foil blocking and spot UV are not included on hardback proofs — those are approved from stamped samples instead.)
What to check on your proof
- Page order and completeness — every page present, nothing duplicated, chapters starting where they should.
- Margins and gutter — text clear of the spine and the trimmed edges; see our formatting guide if anything sits tight.
- Trim and bleed — images meant to reach the edge actually reaching it, nothing important cropped.
- Colour — on a printed proof, check the cover and any critical images in daylight, not just under one bulb.
- The spine — title sitting centred, width matching the calculated spine.
- The words themselves — a surprising number of typos are first spotted in a printed proof; fresh format, fresh eyes.
Changes after the proof
Finding something is the point — there’s no penalty for using the proof as intended. We accept as many corrected files as you need after a proof: new text, a new cover, a different paper, a changed finish. When you’re happy, you approve the proof and the main run is printed to match it. Price your book in the calculator — proof options are listed with your spec — or see how proofs fit the whole process on our book printing services page.