Guide
How to get artwork approved by a customer
To get artwork approved, send the customer one numbered proof with the specifications next to it, tell them exactly what to check, and ask for one of three answers: approved, approved with listed changes, or not approved. Start production only when an approval for that exact version is on record. If they ask for changes, make them, raise the version number and ask again.
Why a clear approval matters
A proof is the last cheap moment to catch a mistake. A wrong phone number costs nothing to fix on a screen and a full reprint once it is on vinyl. The approval is also what settles the question later: which version did the customer see, and what did they say?
Most disputes come from vague answers. "Looks good, just make the logo bigger" is not an approval; it is a change request. A proof only moves to production when the answer leaves nothing to interpret.
The steps
- Prepare the proof with its specifications. Show the design and, next to it, the details that change the result: size, material, colors, quantity. A design that looks right at the wrong size is still wrong.
- Number it. The first proof is v1. Every revision gets the next number, and the number appears on the proof itself, not only in the file name.
- Say what to check. Customers look at the picture and skip the text. List the items: spelling, colors, dimensions, placement, quantity. Ask them to check phone numbers and addresses digit by digit.
- Ask for one of three answers. Approved as shown. Approved with the changes noted. Not approved, send a revised proof.
- Give a date. Tell the customer when you need the answer, and what happens to the delivery date if it comes later.
- Record the decision with a name and date. Keep the signed form, or the message, with the job.
- Apply changes as a new version. Do not edit v1 in place. Make v2, note what changed, and go back to step 3.
- Produce the approved version only. Check the version number on the file you send to production against the one on the approval.
Example
The artwork approval form lays these steps out on one page. Its Load example button fills in the case below: the second proof of a storefront sign, sent after the customer asked for the tagline to move.
| Business | Example Sign Co. |
|---|---|
| Customer | Sample Bakery (Jordan Lee) |
| Job | Storefront sign for Sample Bakery |
| Reference | JOB-1042 |
| Proof version | v2 |
| Proof date | March 8, 2027 |
| Respond by | March 11, 2027 |
| Size | 96 × 24 in |
| Material | 3 mm aluminum composite panel |
| Colors | Cream background, brown lettering |
| Quantity | 1 |
| Mounting | Flush to wall, above the door |
| Items to review | Spelling and text, Colors, Size and dimensions, Layout and placement, Quantity |
| Notes | Version 2 moves the tagline under the name, as you asked on March 5. Please check the phone number digit by digit. |
This is invented sample data. The business, the customer and the job do not exist.
On the printed form, the review items appear with empty boxes, followed by the three decision boxes, lines for changes, and space for a name, signature and date.
Common mistakes
- Sending a proof without specifications. The customer approves a picture and is surprised by the size or the material.
- Reusing a version number. Two different files called "final" make it impossible to say which one was approved.
- Accepting an approval with new changes attached. If changes are listed, it is "approved with changes": make them and confirm, or send a new version.
- Taking approval from someone who cannot decide. Ask who signs off before you send the first proof.
- Starting production on a verbal yes. Write it down, with the version and the date, before the job moves.
Limits
A paper form gives you a record; it does not chase the customer, and it does not prove who signed it. A signature line on the form is not an electronic signature. What an approval means for payment, reprints or cancellations depends on what you agreed with your customer, so write your own terms and ask a qualified person if you need to. This guide is not legal advice.
Use the form
Create your own with the artwork approval form, and see what to include in a custom order form for the step before the proof.
Common questions
How do print shops get artwork approved by customers?
They send a numbered proof with the specifications, say exactly what to check, and ask for one of three answers: approved, approved with listed changes, or not approved. Production starts only after an approval is on record.
Who should sign off on a proof?
The person who can decide for the customer, not only the person who placed the order. Write that name on the form so it is clear later who approved which version.
How many proof revisions are normal?
It depends on the job and on what you agreed with the customer. What matters is that every revision has its own version number and its own decision, so nobody approves one version and receives another.