Proofs before printing

What you get

Tick “Send me a proof first” when you order and nothing is printed until you've seen it. A designer opens your artwork, lays it out at the size you asked for, and emails you an image showing the sticker and the cut line around it. You reply yes, or you tell us what's wrong.

What we check

• That the cut line follows the shape you intended, and not a stray pixel or a faint drop shadow you'd forgotten was there.
• That nothing important sits so close to the edge it risks being trimmed.
• That the resolution holds up at the finished size.
• That thin details will survive being peeled off the backing.

What we don't check is your spelling, your phone number or your web address. Read those yourself, carefully — they are the single most common thing to go wrong, and we have no way of knowing what you meant to write.

What it costs

Nothing. Charging for a proof would make people decline it, and a declined proof costs everyone far more than a free one: a reprint wastes material, a delivery and a week.

What it costs you in time

2 working days on top of the normal turnaround, plus however long you take to reply. The clock stops while we're waiting for you — so if the proof lands on a Friday and you answer on Monday, that weekend is yours, not ours.

Changing your mind afterwards

Once you approve a proof, that is the file we print. If you spot something later, tell us immediately — if the job hasn't reached the press we'll usually catch it, and if it has, we'll tell you honestly what a reprint costs rather than quietly absorbing it.

Not asking for one

Perfectly reasonable if you've ordered before, or your artwork is a simple shape you've already had cut. The designer stage is skipped entirely and the job goes straight into the queue.

More on preparing the file in the artwork guide, or ask us if you'd rather have a person look before you order at all.