Can I trust my monitor for proofing colors of artwork?

When you receive pdf proofs via email, what are you really looking for? Our artwork approval checklist has it all, but what about proofing colors? Can we trust the colors from the monitor screen and say that’s how it is going to print? It’s an obvious and big NO-NO.

PDF proofs are meant for checking font types, images placement etc, while it gives you some indication of color, it is not at all accurate in telling how colors will turn out. Each monitor is calibrated differently and therefore the same pdf will look different on yours and the person sitting next to you.

Whether you are printing just a few or thousands CDs / DVDs, you can always request a hard copy printing proof. This is how you can accurately tell the artwork will print on the production machines, and it is the only way to correctly proof color. Artwork can be adjusted if the proof reflects color differences.