Press check
Approving the first live press sheets for color and registration before the printer commits the whole run.
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What it is
A press check is the approval made at the printing plant after the press is set up but before the full run continues. You inspect live production sheets for color, registration, ink density, paper, and finishing alignment, request realistic adjustments, then sign and date the sheet that becomes the target for the rest of the run.
Reach for it when color carries real financial or brand risk: packaging, annual reports, art books, skin tones, large neutral grays, or an expensive long run. Bring the approved contract proof, Pantone target, and physical stock sample, and judge sheets under a controlled D50 viewing light rather than beside a sunny window.
Gotcha: this is not the time to rewrite a headline. The plates are made, the press is occupied, and every stop burns time and stock. A press check can tune color and catch production defects, but a content change may require new plates and a new setup. Record every accepted change on the signed sheet so the target does not drift after you leave.
Ask AI for it
Create a one-page press-check checklist for this offset job. Include side-by-side checks against the signed contract proof, Pantone Solid Coated targets, registration, gray balance, trapping, bleeds, folds, and front-to-back alignment under an ISO 3664 D50 viewing booth. Add fields for X-Rite eXact measurements, requested press adjustments, sheet number, time, approver signature, and a clear HOLD or RUN decision.