A manuscript contains an editorial project; a print-ready file also meets structural, presentation, rights and production requirements. Moving from one to the other requires successive approvals.
Stabilise editorial content
The text, structure, headings, notes, tables and references should reach the agreed level. Starting final layout too early multiplies rework.
- Approve the outline and file versions.
- Define the required correction level.
- Address missing or provisional elements.
Check rights and materials
Images, quotations, fonts, illustrations, charts and third-party texts require an origin and rights compatible with intended use. Presence in the manuscript is not permission to publish.
Build the layout
Format, margins, hierarchy, pagination, styles, captions and image placement should be defined together. Readability and consistency take priority over accumulating effects.
Perform technical preparation
Dimensions, bleed, safe areas, resolution, colours, fonts and export should match the confirmed medium and production conditions. Requirements vary by project.
- Check dimensions and pagination.
- Check images, fonts and colours.
- Produce a control file separate from source files.
Approve the proof before production
The proof approves an identified version after planned checks. Any later correction should produce a new version and, where necessary, renewed approval before production begins.
Key points
- Finalise the text before definitive layout.
- Check rights for every element.
- Check and approve an identified proof version.