The Final Check: Reviewing Your Final Files

You’ve spent hours creating your book; be sure what you are sending to print and approving to print is exactly as you expect it to be.

There are two times you will be able to perform a final check of your book’s files. Each instance has different implications as we’ll explain below. This guide applies for both design and print customers, so continue reading to understand what you should be reviewing at each check stage.

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Design Customers: The Final Check
Print Customers: The Final Check

The Final Check Before Sending to Print (Design Customers)

While you will have already gone through these files to correct any typos, errors, or omissions, mistakes may still be present. As a final check before sending your book to print, it’s a good idea to review:

  • Important names (publisher name, author name, etc.)
  • Copyright page information
  • Publication dates (especially if the book is being produced in the December-January months)
  • Price and barcode information on the cover
  • ISBN accuracy and placement on the interior and cover

While not strictly necessary, it can be a good idea to flip through the entire interior file one last time to be sure there are no missing, “to-come” sections, names, or information (especially in the front or back matter) and that everything is still flowing from page to page as it should.

Finally, some customers prefer doing a last proofread of the text if there is time. If you do not have time or want to do a final proofread, we do recommend at least checking the pages that were recently changed to ensure corrections were entered accurately. Human error is always possible.

Important Note

This is the last opportunity to change anything in the book without incurring printer reupload fees. After approval is given to send the book to the printer, further changes will incur additional printer costs.

The Final Check Before Approving to Print (Print Customers)

After the book is approved to send to print, the printer will begin preflighting the files. Preflight is the process of preparing your files to be printed from a technical standpoint. Proofs are reviewed after preflight has occurred (also known as the “prepress” proofing stage).

How your book is being printed (offset or digital) affects what types of proofs you will receive and review. If you aren’t sure by which method your book is printing, contact your customer service rep.

Reviewing Digital Printer Proofs


If you are printing your book digitally through our in-house print shop, you will receive a color-accurate, hard copy proof of both the interior and cover. This will be exactly as the book will look once printed, though it is not yet bound. These proofs are printed on the actual printers being used for the main run and the actual paper requested. The cover will be laminated.

Because these proofs are so accurate to how the final book will look, you should review:

  • Color accuracy of images on the interior and cover
  • Quality of the images
  • Quality of the printing
  • Cover lamination (be sure it matches what you selected)
  • Order of pages to be sure nothing is out of order
  • Text correctly flows from page to page
  • Important information (i.e., names, publication dates, ISBN number, barcode, etc.)
  • Trim size is as expected

This is your final opportunity to make any editorial adjustments. If you wish, you can review the files one last time for what’s noted in the previous section (for design customers).

Reviewing Offset Printer Proofs


If you are printing your book via our offset print management service, you will receive at least two types of prepress proofs: a PDF of the interior and a color contract proof of the cover. There are other types of offset proofs available; however, for the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on what you should be reviewing for prepress proofs only.

Reviewing PDF Proofs

PDF proofs are not color accurate or high quality. Because of this, review PDF proofs for:

  • Placement/positioning of information
  • Order of pages to be sure nothing is out of order
  • Text correctly flows from page to page
  • Important information (i.e., names, publication dates, ISBN number, barcode, etc.)

Do not review PDF proofs for:

  • Color accuracy/quality
  • Image quality

Reviewing Color-Contract Proofs

Color-contract proofs are color-accurate, hard-copy proofs. They are digitally printed on proofing paper (not the final book paper) and are color-accurate to what the final, offset-printed product will look like. These proofs are mainly to review color and image quality. Because of this, review color-contract proofs for:

  • Image quality
  • Color quality/accuracy
  • Placement/positioning of information
  • Important information (i.e., names, publication dates, ISBN number, barcode, etc.)
  • Trim size is as expected

Because these proofs are color-accurate, revisions to the files/images may be necessary if the color is not landing in a spot you like or expected.

This is your final opportunity to make any editorial adjustments. If you wish, you can review the files one last time for what’s noted in the previous section (for design customers).

important note

After approving prepress printer proofs, the printer will begin printing all copies. This is truly your last opportunity to make any changes to the files without incurring substantial additional costs and negatively affecting the schedule.


That’s it! We hope this has been helpful in explaining what to review during each “final check” stage of your project. As always, if you have more questions, please contact your customer service rep.