How to approve notebook and diary production proofs

Prepare a complete proof pack

Ask for the complete interior artwork in reading order, a page map identifying covers, endpapers, blanks and inserts, and a bound production proof. Record the artwork revision, paper grade and binding specification together. A sample using substitute paper cannot settle writing performance or the finished book's opening behaviour.

Use the stationery sourcing guide for the purchasing specification and the factory artwork guide for general print approval. The checks below address the interior as a working notebook or diary.

Turn every page and verify dated layouts

Read the bound proof from front to back against the page map. Check missing, repeated, inverted and misplaced pages, including unnumbered pages. Confirm that facing pages form the intended spread and that contents entries lead to the correct section. Ask the factory to confirm that folding and gathering will preserve this sequence in production.

For diaries, independently check every date against its weekday, month lengths, leap-year treatment and year transitions. Compare daily and weekly spreads with monthly planners and annual calendars. Confirm the intended start of the week, weekend space and date format. Do not approve a new edition by changing the cover year alone.

Check printed bank holidays against the GOV.UK calendar for the intended UK region and year. A bank holiday falling on a weekend has a substitute weekday, normally the following Monday. Check substitute-day labels as well as dates. Ask a separate reviewer to check the calendar after corrections.

Check usable space after binding

Assess margins on the trimmed, bound proof, using the intended book thickness. Open pages near the front, middle and back without forcing the spine. Check that dates, page numbers, ruling and writing boxes remain visible and usable near the binding. For punched bindings, check that holes do not cut into content.

Write into the inner edge of a spread on a desk. Check hand access, page turning and whether the book closes or lifts while writing. Record the usable inner margin and agreed tolerances in the specification. If opening behaviour is unacceptable, revise the layout or construction and request another bound proof.

Separate opacity from writing performance

Inspect printed spreads in ordinary reading light, with the same backing and lighting when comparing samples. Check whether reverse-side printing distracts from reading or reduces usable writing space. Assess the darkest printed areas as well as lightly ruled pages. Paper weight alone should not be your approval criterion.

Run writing trials on the intended production paper, including printed areas and both faces of the sheet. Use the actual pen and ink combinations relevant to your customers. Try normal notes, heavier strokes, highlighting and erasing where relevant. Record the tools used and drying conditions so the factory can repeat the trial.

Distinguish show-through, where writing is visible through the sheet, from bleed-through, where ink penetrates it. Also inspect spreading at stroke edges, smudging and ink transfer onto the facing page after closing. Keep labelled trial sheets showing acceptable and unacceptable results; agree performance for the tested pens rather than promising compatibility with every pen.

Release a named proof, with clear conditions

Send a correction log identifying each affected page or spread, the defect and the required change. Recheck corrected pages and their neighbours, then verify the complete sequence again. Keep artwork approval, calendar approval and physical performance approval distinct in the record. Release production only when the outstanding checks are closed.

The approval should identify the final artwork revision, bound proof, paper grade, writing-trial sheets and agreed acceptance criteria. Require renewed approval for changes affecting these checks. Use the bulk sample matching guide for retained samples and production inspection; give inspectors the page map and calendar checks as well as the physical proof.