Business card proof checklist: 12 checks before you approve

What is a business card proof?

A proof is the version of your card that you approve for printing. It may be a screen preview, a PDF or a physical sample. Approval tells the printer that the content and layout are correct. Under many printers' terms, including the published Voqado shipping and returns policy, a typo or low resolution image in approved artwork is not treated as a printing fault, while an order that arrives different from the approved proof qualifies for a reprint or refund within 30 days.

That makes the proof the most important quality step you control. The checks below are grouped so that no single pass has to catch everything.

What should you check on a business card proof?

Content, geometry and production are separate questions. Passing one does not prove the others are right. The table lists the 12 checks and how to carry out each one.

How do you check contact details on a proof?

Compare every detail against a trusted source, such as the company directory or the person's own confirmation. Then use each one: dial the number, send an email, open the website on a phone. Reading familiar text tends to skim over errors, so read the card in a different order, for example from the bottom line up. Check dates, offers and prices printed on the card are still correct.

How do you check size, bleed and safe area?

Print the proof at 100 percent scale, cut it to 3.5 x 2 inches and look at the edges. The background should extend beyond the trim into the bleed so no white slivers appear after cutting. Text and logos should sit inside the safe area. MOO's published US template, for example, uses a 3.66 x 2.16 inch bleed area and a 3.34 x 1.84 inch safe area around the 3.5 x 2 inch trim. Your own printer's template is the one to follow, and the bleed calculator works out the numbers for any size.

Rounded corners remove part of each corner, so check that nothing important sits close to them.

How do you check fonts and images?

Fonts should be embedded in the PDF or converted to outlines, so the printer cannot substitute another typeface. Open the file properties in your PDF reader and check the font list. The guide to business card font embedding explains the export settings.

Photos and logos need enough resolution at the printed size. A common target is 300 pixels per inch at final size. Zoom the proof to 100 percent and look for soft edges or blocky pixels, and use vector artwork for logos wherever possible. Minimum text is often around 8pt; MOO's guidelines, for example, ask for 8pt or higher and lines of at least 0.5pt.

How do you check a QR code on a proof?

Scan the code from the printed proof, not from the screen, using more than one phone if you can. Confirm it opens the exact page you intend and that the page works on mobile. DENSO WAVE, which developed the QR code, specifies a clear margin four modules wide on every side of the symbol, so check that nothing crowds the code. Print the web address as well, so people without a scanner can still reach the page.

What is the full proof checklist before approval?

• Confirm each name, title and credential with the person named.
• Call, email and visit every contact route on the card.
• Print at 100 percent and cut to 3.5 x 2 inches.
• Confirm the background extends through the bleed.
• Keep all text and logos inside the safe area.
• Read the smallest text in normal room light.
• Check that fonts are embedded or outlined.
• Inspect images at 100 percent zoom.
• Flip a printed mockup to check the back and orientation.
• Scan the QR code from paper, not a screen.
• Approve one named file version and archive it.

Who should approve the final proof?

Use two passes by two people where you can. One person checks every contact detail against the approved information. A second person checks size, orientation, spacing and the QR destination. Record both checks against the same file name, and approve only that version. If anything changes after approval, repeat the relevant checks and replace the approval record. A second reader reduces the risk of error, but it does not guarantee a perfect card.

For cards printed on both sides, the double sided card orientation guide explains how to confirm the back is upright. When the proof passes every check, standard business cards can move to production.