“Understanding Prepress Is Bound To Optimize Your Print Cost” 

Prepress Proofing or Off-Press Proofing
Prepress Proofing or off press Proofing, without the need to produce a press proof, is an inexpensive way to have a visual copy.

Contract Proof
This evidence serves as the agreement between a customer and a printer. Contract proofs are used as a color reference guide when making final adjustments before running the job and verifying a job’s accuracy after print. Contract proofs are typically prepress proofs. We do offer matching or contract proofs at a cost. Ask this question up front and be aware of your print shop’s policy beforehand.

Color Proof
Similar to a contract proof, this proof is a full-color print that displays precisely how the colors of the final will look.

Hard Copy Proofing
This high-quality one-off proof is produced using ink-jet printing or similar technologies and used as a physical representation of the desired outcome of the job. A hard copy proof may also be referred to as hard proofing and match the print.

Soft Proofing
This is the most inexpensive way to accomplish proofing. A soft proof is the visual representation of a completed print job on a computer screen or monitor. This proofing method can be challenging as monitors display color through RGB and printed material through CMYK. Soft proofs can be generated and used an unlimited amount of times for color, contrast, image, and layout adjustments. However, soft proofs are not generally used as contract proofs. Proofs are vitally important in the prevention of unforeseen problems with images, colors, and text. Discovering and fixing layout issues before your job goes to the press saves valuable time, and helps avoid the costly expense of a reprint. The more costly portion of printed media is press time.

Proofing serves as a method for checking the accuracy of the resolution and the consistency of
the image, flickering, trapping (where colors overlap) and enforcing a print-job before it is pressed.