Why is it necessary to make a print proof of my dissertation?
When your designer has finished the layout of both the cover and chapters of your thesis, you will receive these per email. This is only a first indication of the end result, as we understand it is hard to judge your book on a computer screen. Therefore, we will explain in this article why it is necessary to do a complementary print proof. Are you interested in an explanation on how your designer will do the lay-out of your dissertation in the first place? Then we would like to refer you to our article on the layout of your thesis.
The process from PDF to print proof
Before the process of making a print proof can start, you will receive a PDF of the complete dissertation, both of the chapters and the cover. The designer will inform you if any parts are still missing at that point. This could be the case if you needed some more time to finish your acknowledgements or CV. If you receive this update from your designer, these missing documents should thus be delivered to him or her soon.
We advise sending the PDF of your dissertation to the printer as soon as possible after you have received it. Often, people feel that the thesis should be complete before the print proof can commence. However, it might be better to start the print proof even if two chapters are missing. As the print proof is meant to evaluate the print quality, this is something that should not wait until the last minute. Planning this earlier in the process will give you more time to evaluate your options. The print proof is not meant to evaluate the lay-out, as you will have considered and approved this earlier in the process based on the layout test. Do you want to know more about this? In our article on determining the lay-out of your dissertation, we will explain this more elaborately.
Delivering the documents to the printing company
To make it as easy as possible for you, your designer will deliver all the documents for the print proof to the printer. All we need from you is an indication that you would like to have a print proof, and we will provide the rest! However, if you did not yet inform the printing company on the print specifications you prefer, you will still need to do this. These specifications describe for example the sort of paper and the cover finish. Did not have the time to choose a printer yet? We could also help you with that if you apply for printing of your thesis on our website.
You will receive your print proof on the address of your choice. This could be your home address, but also that of the university: whatever suits you best! The print proof is always printed on paper, in the specifications that you have chosen.
Changes based on the print proof
When you receive and evaluate the print proof, you will mainly focus on the print quality. Did the figures turn out the way you expected? Is it easy to read the text? Does the paper feel as you hoped? If you have any doubts, please contact your printing company to discuss them.
Besides that, it is always possible that you will find some layout corrections during the evaluation of the print proof. Reading from paper instead of a computer screen will make other things stand out. These corrections can be send to your designer in a PDF, using the same strategy as for earlier corrections in the lay-out process. We have explained the easiest way to communicate corrections with your designer in a separate article.
After the print proof and adjusting the last corrections, your dissertation will be ready for the final print. We understand that this will be an important and exciting for you! But after good preparations and a pleasant collaboration with your designer, there is no doubt the result will be good. On our website, we have provided more information on your thesis layout. The final print of your dissertations usually has a duration of approximately two weeks. Then it is up to you: finishing this special promotion period with your defence!